What I Listen To

5-19-13

American IV:  When The Man Comes Around

Johnny Cash

Rarely, if ever, do I listen to a full album without shuffling on to something else, but today I was in a complete Johnny Cash mood.  I didn't want to listen to anyone else.  My iTunes started off with Johnny Cash and I got angry when it shuffled off to No Doubt.  (Really, iTunes? That's a leap...)  Anyone that has ever listened to or discussed music with me knows that I get in moods like this, but they usually involve bands like Queensryche or Queen.  

Well, I had my iTunes blaring away while I cleaned my apartment  because that is the only way I stay motivated enough to clean, and the first song that came up was When The Man Comes Around from the album of the same name.  Immediately I YouTubed the rest of the album.

I am in love.

Usually I don't like covers, but when Johnny Cash covered a song, he owned it. There was just some quality about Cash's voice in 2002, as he was struggling with disease and mortality, that comes through in his music. When Cash covered these songs, he stole them.  He stole them away just like a man would steal away a girlfriend. Like it or not, those songs belonged to Cash just as much, if not more, than they did to the original artists.  

Here's the track listing with some extra info from Wikipedia:

1. "The Man Comes Around" (Cash) – 4:26
2. "Hurt" (Reznor) – 3:38

   Originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails for The Downward Spiral (1994)

3. "Give My Love to Rose" (Cash) – 3:28

   Originally recorded by Cash for Sun, appears on Sings Hank Williams (1960), also appears on At Folsom Prison (1968)

4. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon) – 3:55

   Originally recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

5. "I Hung My Head" (Sting) – 3:53

   Originally recorded by Sting for Mercury Falling (1996)

6. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (MacColl) – 3:52

   Was a number one hit for Roberta Flack (1972)

7. "Personal Jesus" (Gore) – 3:20

   Originally recorded by Depeche Mode for Violator (1990)

8. "In My Life" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:57

   Originally recorded by The Beatles for Rubber Soul (1965)

9. "Sam Hall" (Ritter) – 2:40Originally recorded by Cash for Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965)
10. "Danny Boy" (Weatherly) – 3:19

    First published in 1910, previously recorded by Cash for Orange Blossom Special (1965)

11. "Desperado" (Frey/Henley) – 3:13

    Originally recorded by The Eagles for the album of the same name (1973)

12. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Williams) – 3:03

    Originally recorded by Hank Williams; previously recorded by Cash for Now, There Was a Song! (1960)

13. "Tear Stained Letter" (Cash) – 3:41

    Originally recorded by Cash for A Thing Called Love (1972)

14. "Streets of Laredo" – 3:33 (Traditional)

    Previously recorded by Cash for Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965)

15. "We'll Meet Again" (Charles/Parker) – 2:58

    Most famously a hit for Vera Lynn (1939)

Some of these I had previously heard from Cash and/or the original artists, and some were new to me.  I love the mix here of religion, pain, mortality, love, mistakes, regret, and hope.  This album is so full of the experiences of the human condition.  It's really one of the finest compilations I have ever heard.  For those that purchase the DVD or the LP, there are two bonus tracks:  Wichita Lineman and Big Iron. 

Final Grade:  A+