Best Song: Johnny Cash

[CCS]

I've been wanting to make this thread for a while now. Johnny Cash is one of the greatest singers ever in my mind. He made great music in his time, and a lot of it transended the country music genre. I'm going to go with the song "Hurt" for this one. It's definantly Johnny's most emotional song. When I first heard the song it sent chills down my spine, it's just that powerfull. Johnny's vocals might not have been the best in this song, but they're still enough to make you stop and listen to the song. The only reason I have for it's greatness is it's shear powerfullness.

 

[Mr. TM]

The Man Comes Around- This is my favourite Johnny Cash song. I love the gnarly voice in this song. It is a good song to kill someone too. Other than that, it is also a great song listen to on a nice day, from the slow intro to the upeat mid part. I am sure most people will say Hurt here, it is a good song, but The Man is my favourite.

 

[Father:_Polley]

Gotta go with 'A Boy Named Sue' on this one. For Johnny Cash to make a thread about growing up after being abandoned by his father with the unfortunate name in the title showed a break from the serious side of Cash.

Throw in the moral of the story (His dad still loved him and wanted him to be a man even if he couldn't be there to help him, so he gave him a name where he'd have to toughen up quickly), and you have a touching, if somewhat violent reunion between father and son.

Awesome thread though, simply because I love Cash and think he is so underrated

 

[klunderbunker]

I'm with polley. This song is just so funny that it makes me laugh every time. It makes great sense and has a great flow to it. Throw in the ending being one of the funniest lines I've ever heard as he says "and if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him......BILL or GEORGE, any damn thing but Sue!" Cracks me up every time. Shows that Cash could do any kind of music and still make it his own.

 

[The Dewbliners]

My favorite Cash song?

That's a toughy. Hmmmmm, I'd go with either "Jackson" (with his ever so lovely, talented wife June Carter, pre-marriage), "May Circle be Unbroken", or "Daddy sang Bass". I've always had a Passion for Cash, and while oft times overlooked, I would not say he's underrated, as just about everybody who listens to country music, and even a large number of non-country fans, knows of him and enjoys his music.

 

[Monkey_Mania]

Great Thread!

There are so many great Cash songs. Cocaine Blues, Man In Black, Jackson, I've Been Everywhere, I Walk The Line, Ring Of Fire and MANY others. But it comes down to two for me. They are not his older stuff either. While the older stuff is considerably his best work. The two in question are When The Man Comes Around and Gods Gonna Cut You Down. At Johnny's age when he recorded these, he had a vision. That vision was fulfilled. These songs are phenomenal. The emotion in both of these songs, and the fact that he was near the end of his life speak volumes in these songs. He knew he was going to die soon, and these songs showed he wasn't scared.

Gods Gonna Cut You Down just has that funky beat that makes you want to sing along. Its emotion and truthfulness is just there. When you get to heaven god will be the only one to judge you. Love it. That has to be his best song.

 

[Jane]

"One Piece at a Time." Incredible song. It makes me laugh every single time I hear it. The hilarity and story make the song, and the music almost seems like an addition. I have to say though, tied for first would be "Don't Take Your Guns to Town." This song seems funny at the start, until, uh, Billy Joe gets shot. Well, it was a good song. These two are the best Johnny Cash songs and two of the best of all time. Cash never seems to get the recognition he deserves when it comes to top song lists. But he deserves a place just for these.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Shit. your killing me with this one. there is just NO fucking way, that I could condense all of Johnny's work, and how much its meant to me and my life, and just pick one song. Ladies and gents, prepare for another NorCal assault on the senses. These are Johnny Cash's best songs....

The man in black - This song as meant so much to me, my life, and how I live it. The things that Cash talks about here, the subject matter, is incredibly deep, introspective, and SO fucking far ahead of its time, its incredible it was ever even released. A song about being humble, and representing a cause, taking responsibility when no one else seems to care to. This why I myself dress in black every day, and why its one of Cash's best.

If I were a carpenter - Gosh damn. To be honest, this was the FIRST song that popped into my head when I saw the thread title. The vocals, and lyrics here still give me chills to this day, the absolute and total, true , pure, expression of love between two people. Its just an amazing take, on some beautiful subject matter.

The highwaymen - Ok, so Willie Nelson and Hank Williams are on here too. fuck it. I would be highly fuckered if I didnt include this. A song that manages to be inspiring and chilling at the same time, sad, yet uplifting at the same time. Some serious, hardcore shit.

Ghost Riders in the Sky - This is some serious motherfucking damn buisness here. Amazing musical preformance, great lyrics, very deep, brooding lyrics. Warns all to fly right, and stand strong, and that second chances DO get granted to those who want to change

Daddy Sang bass - The first cash song I ever heard, and still quite possibly the best. Another one that gives you chills, just an absolutely incredible song. If you havent heard it, you need to. An uplifting song about the unbreakable circle of love, and family.

Ragged Old Flag - ok so its not really a song, more spoken word, that rhymes. but holy SHIT does this song get the job done. There is NO FUCKING WAY you can listen to this, and have dry eyes at the end, if you are a patriotic american. Just amazing, passion stirring material

When The man comes around - another peice of beauty, a spiritual song. Just fucking badass, the coming of the lord, sung by the man in black. there just isnt a whole ton to say about it, besides beautiful insturments, and some hard ass lyrics from the man

Hurt - Yea fuck it, I said it. As much as so many people may have ruined this, I dont give a shit. Just an absolutely gripping song, knowing the man was dying at the time. If this song doesnt make you reflect, doesnt make you want to be a better man, then I dont know what to tell you.

Give my love to rose - Just another amazing job by Cash of telling a story in a song as he so often does. A story of love, tragic death, and a man's dying wish being for his son and his woman having a good life after he passed. Fantastic.

A bridge over troubled water - Gosh damn. Just amazing subject matter, extremely uplifting. Makes you feel ready to go out and take on the world, to spread hope. I have a pretty badass personal story involving this song, but I wont waste space here speaking of it. Hit up the NorCal thread if you wanna hear it.


God is gonna cut you down - Fuuuuuuuck. You want to talk about serious buisness. This song is incredible. Will get a lot of people with certain belief systems extremely pumped up. Has a GREAT catchy beat, and INCREDIBLE lyrics. another one that will give you chills and cause your hair to stand up. Talks of the good lord being the final judge, and using his belivers as soldiers and servants of his cause.

Further on up the road - Just another badass one, a song about life, death, and transitions in life, and the lack of fear of changes. Changes that may even include crossing over to the land of the non living. A song I relate to a ton, especially the second verse, a song that I love.

Love has been good to me - an amazing song, a song of a man who travels the world, having experiences with all manner of women, but who has yet to find lasting love. Hasnt found a home, a place to settle down, or true, lasting love, but can look back over his life and times and smile, becuase of the fun, warmth, and little bits of love he has experienced. I relate to this one a lot as well.


There are so many more that I love so much, I just cant think of them off the top of my head right now. Cash has made a huge impact on me in life, and is truly my favorite musical artist ever. He gets nowere near the credit he should, and there is NO WAY I couldve just picked one. So these are ALL his best song.

 

[Leeds Guy]

i'd have to say Hurt is my fave Cash song of all the times. the vocals are powerfull and like norcal said knowing he was Dying at the time it makes you reflect on what a man he truly was. such an Emotional track. What more can i say about it thats not already been said.

 

[The Rob]

If I'm honest the only two Johnny Cash songs I've heard are Ring of Fire and Hurt. Out of the two, Hurt is my favourite. It's extremely emotional. Espesscially as it was used as the song on the Eddie Guerrero tribute video on Raw. It was very fitting and it made me cry alot.

 

[Tenta]

I know, it's truly a cover, but I have to go with Hurt.


If someone would have told me that Johnny Cash listened to a 'Nine Inch Nail' song let alone cover one, I would have thought this person was one fry short of a happy meal.

Johnny Cash, the living legend and icon of country music for almost 50 years worked absolute magic on the Trent Reznor song 'Hurt'. I for one was completely blown away, and I'm not really all that much a country music buff. There is something about the delivery that was as unnerving as it was powerful coming from this man. Probably the most moving video I've ever seen, bar none. It's one thing hearing this song and it's anguished lyrics coming from a young rock star and quite another coming from Cash who walked the line of hard knocks.. ol skool. There was an honesty in the visual and Johnny's deep soulful voice that made you feel he was living each and every word. It was as if Trent Reznor unconsciously wrote it for Mr. Cash.

Back in April, Trent made an appearance on CMT's Flameworthy 2003 Video Music Awards Tribute to Johnny Cash where he was honored as the" "Greatest Man in Country Music" He also offered this comment on the first time he witnessed the remaking of his song.

"We were in the studio, getting ready to work -- and I popped it in," Reznor says. "By the end I was really on the verge of tears. I'm working with Zach de la Rocha, and I told him to take a look. At the end of it, there was just dead silence. There was, like, this moist clearing of our throats and then, 'Uh, OK, let's get some coffee.''

Shouldn't that say something about this man's ability? Every time I hear an emotional promo now, like Roddy Piper's this Monday, this song comes to mind. So haunting, yet so soothing.

 

[MattMoses]

I love Cash. So many great songs to choose from, I can't narrow it down to just one.

"Give My Love To Rose" - A popular lyrical subject for Cash, death and redemption. The simple chords are basic but so powerful.

"A Boy Named Sue" - An obvious one. A classic singalong with great rhymes and vivid images, tells the story of an abandoned boy and running into his father after years of abuse.

"Orange Blossom Special" - A great song about waiting for a loved one on a train. The guitars chug along to the tempo of the locomotive and Cash plays some killer harmonica.

 

[Dragonslayer]

I'm actually surprised that "Hurt" is mentioned so frequently here. Now don't get me wrong - I absolutely love that song in Johnny's version, the video is just - as others have said - haunting (like for example when his wife walks down the stairs with that look on her face... chills!), and the way he sings it, at that age, with a life of experience, of ups and downs behind him, at the end of the road... man, that thing is just pure awesomeness.

Though I just could never consider that really one of "his" songs - simply because he didn't write it, and he is especially known for writing great songs and great lyrics. So I'll definitely have to go with a different song for my favorite here, no matter how great his version of "Hurt" is. The same could be said about "Ghost Riders in the Sky" for that matter. A great version definitely - but simply put, not "his" song.

But it's really hard to just narrow it down to one single song with Cash anyway... up there are probably "Folsom Prison Blues" - simply for that line alone: "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die". I also enjoy "I Walk The Line" very much... oh but if you like haunting covers - I also really enjoyed Johnny's version of "I See A Darkness" by Will Oldham/Bonnie Prince Billy.

But then again, many of Johnny's most popular songs were also not written by him in the first place, so maybe "Hurt" does have its place here still... anyway - great song, greater version hehe.

 

[logan]

Hurt-even tho he didnt write it sums up his life i think
Highwayman-it has alot of power in it , and all the other greats in it