Today would have been Johnny Cash’s 77th birthday. Instead, he died on September 12, 2003 — less than four months after the death of his beloved wife, June Carter Cash.
To say I’m a Johnny Cash fan is like saying President Obama is a fan of spending my tax dollars (yes, I can turn even a Johnny Cash tribute post into an Obama slam — it’s just that easy to do). My Ipod has every album and every song by the Man in Black that I can find.
I go entire days listening to nothing but Cash.
Much of Johnny’s music, especially that of his later career, echoed themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption. Songs and themes that I feel a strong connection to.
They were the songs of my childhood; my mom would plug in Johnny Cash 8-track tapes in our old blue van when we went on family road trips. I learned the words to A Boy Named Sue and Ring of Fire about the same time I learned the “alphabet song” as a child.
During the mid-90s, during one of the most difficult times of my life, I tried to drown myself in whiskey to Johnny’s American Recordings album.
For almost my entire life, Johnny was recording music. And I ate it all up.
Few songs or videos move me like his 2002 recording of Trent Reznor’s Hurt:
Few things in life give me more simple joy than cranking up Johnny Cash on my motorcycle, and heading out into the Texas Hill Country for a long, twisting ride.
Rest in Peace, Johnny. Few men before or after will be as authentically and iconically American as he was.
How many times have I watched the “Hurt” video, I don’t know.
I remember when it first appeared, I think it was MTV2.
I watched and listened, and realized about a third of the way through…”Dang! This is his adios!”
Nine Inch Nails was asked during an interview, what they thought about JC covering their song. Reznor was hurt by him doing it a little, because it was a song that had a great deal of personal significance. He did add, that it was no longer his song. That once Johnny covered a song, it was his.
Thanks for all the years of entertaining us, Johnny. You overcame so much from your hard scrabble life in Arkansas, to be loved and admired by millions.
You are missed.