Well, I’ll admit to liking country music – even the “modern dreck.” Johnny Cash, although he certainly transcends his genre, is country. Many people who say they “hate country” have just never heard the good stuff. And Johnny, although he’s produced some crap over his long career, is the good stuff.
As for “Hurt” – it’s a remarkable song and Johnny’s version is better than the original, IMO. For what it’s worth, I see the song a la Johnny as speaking of both regret for his past and a deeper regret that he won’t have enough time left to redeem that past.
An excellent and very powerful video, too. The parts that particularly move me are the scenes of June’s face, which shows quite starkly that nothing he’s done in the past has hurt her as much as the idea of him leaving her, and the final scene where he closes the piano keyboard and strokes the wood with what looks very much like a farewell gesture. I first saw this video very recently – my son introduced me to it. When we watched it together, my boy had tears in his eyes. When a 70-year old man can produce something that will move a 16-year old boy to tears, then that 70-year old man is not a singer – he’s an artist.
Oh, and the whole album is pretty good. I especially liked “I Hung My Head” – classic Johnny, even if it was written by Sting!
Exactly. My husband saw an interview with Kid Rock, who he had previously dismissed as an idiot, where Kid Rock talked about “Hurt.” He basically said that if you write good music, people will listen to it, and if you hire a marketing whiz, people will buy it. But when he hears Johnny Cash, it moves him, he can really feel it. That’s the beauty of it. Anybody can sell albums that people will listen to, but very few artists make albums that can change people and move them.
Maybe all his hype is just to make money, and there’s a brain in there after all!
I’m going to be the second dissenting voice here - I love country music, and also like ‘Hurt’ a lot This latest album is a little up and down, but when it’s good it’s very very good. He could make a heck of a best of from his past three records. And the title song would be the soundtrack to the ‘Left Behind’ movie, if they had any taste
I sure wish I could see the film clip, though - all I get is the audio (which is nice, but I can just slip the CD in if I want that).
(ps I usually hate songs that have swear words in them, unless they’re used in a funny way, so I’m glad Cash or Rubin changed ‘shit’ to ‘thorns’)
Johnny swears quite a bit in the uncut Live at Folson Prison album.
That video is incredible. It’s impressive enough when a 70-year-old man even knows who Nine Inch Nails is, much less when he’s able to cover one of Trent’s songs. much less when he’s able to find meaning in it.
There might be cooler people on Earth than Johnny Cash, but I’ll be damned if I can think of one.
I’ve been listening to this song a lot the past few days.
Today was my last day of work at the job I’ve held for 6 years (a job I’ve hated, by the way). I’ll now take a week of vacation before starting my new job that I got promoted to at my company. Anyways, I came home from work and the main Toronto alternative radio station played this just as I came home. I cranked it up and listened. Then I went into the house, got changed and went for a 7km run.
“Hurt” kept playing again and again in my head. It seemed my footsteps kept time with the music. The song made me go faster than I normally would. I don’t know, but I really like the song; it affects me.
On a side note, I think it’s a wonderful thing that a man near the end of his life can still create culture that resonates with so many people, even those much, much younger than he.
JC’s covers go further than NIN, Depeche Mode, and Soundgarden. He has also covered Nick Cave’s “Mercy Seat,” U2’s “One,” and Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.” Not all of them are wonderful, but I think it speaks highly of JC that he still recognizes a great song when he hears one and says, “Hey, I’d love to sing that!”
Same thing with Blind Boys of Alabama (although they aren’t nearly as legendary as JC) and their covers of Tom Waits, Ben Harper, Curtis Mayfield, etc.
I grew up in a house where people like Johnny Cash were something you listened to every weekend. My dad would go around in the summer time and open all the windows, and play real country music every Saturday while we cleaned the house or did yard work. I used to hate it, but now I’m glad he did.
You know, I’ve been a Cash fan for years, but I find something oddly troubling about the video to this song. I read an article at The Simon that discusses the exploitation of his legendary status and failing health in this video. Exploitation because although Cash has been an American music icon for nigh unto 50 years (his appeal seems to elude the author), and one whose may soon join the ranks of legends who have passed, the video seems to derive its power from this very morbidity.
I’m not sure where whether Cash is to blame for this, but it is clear in any case that Mark Romanek found his angle and milked it for all he could. Whatever you may feel on the issue, the article provides pretty good food for thought.
This latest album is a little up and down, but when it’s good it’s very very good. He could make a heck of a best of from his past three records. And the title song would be the soundtrack to the ‘Left Behind’ movie, if they had any taste 