Happy Birthday, Johnny Cash

[filkertom]

The Man In Black would've been 77 today.

It's foggy and rainy here in S.E. MI, a perfect day for some sad or dark music, if you've got any links to share. I'll start:

• Johnny Cash, covering Trent Reznor's "Hurt" (warning: if you have not seen or heard this before, it will fuck you up)
• Johnny Cash, "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
• two versions of Stanley Jordan playing "Eleanor Rigby"
• Ayumi Hamasaki, "Marionette"
• Stan Rogers, "Tiny Fish For Japan"
• Uncle Bonsai, "Just One Angel"

Comments

[raven-ap-morgan.livejournal.com]

A couple of thoughts:

1) I remember running into a guy here in Chicago who had a pair of guitars grafted together by a luthier over here and was doing the Stanley Jordan bit, one hand on each neck. Pretty amazing.

2) It's my belief that when covering a song, one should make a musical contribution to the song that makes a new statement, yet remains true to the original. I think that Cash's rendition of "Hurt" exemplifies this principle perfectly.

Raven

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

when covering a song, one should make a musical contribution to the song that makes a new statement

I agree 100%. You must "make it yours", somehow.

I also had that feeling about Tori Amos' version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Jim Stafford's version of "Mr. Bojangles", and Manfred Mann's Earth Band's covers of Springsteen's "For You", "Spirits In the Night" and (of course) "Blinded By the Light", featuring the amazing singing of Chris Thompson.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder. I loved Stafford's version of Mr. Bojangles.

[batyatoon]

Agreed in spades, about covers. Though another cover by Johnny Cash that similarly transforms the original is "One". In that voice, with that instrumentation, the line Have you come here to play Jesus to the lepers in your head? takes on entirely different levels of meaning.

I'm also fond of Nouvelle Vague's cover of "Dancing With Myself", Dolly Parton's cover of "Shine", and Universal Hall Pass's cover of Mr. Cash's own "Ring of Fire".

[cainle-bean.livejournal.com]

I had never seen or heard Hurt before. That is amazing. He was an amazingly talented man. I have been a fan of his as long as I can remember. Thanks for the links!!

[bruinson.livejournal.com]

I was watching a special about Cash on Biography last night. One of his daughters talked about after hearing him record Hurt Johnny asked what she thought and through tears she said, "It sounds like you are saying goodbye." To which he replied "I am."

[zellion.livejournal.com]

I thought the same thing when I heard and saw the music video for "Hurt". Very powerful. And really, not a lot of people get that chance to say goodbye with their music.

[ericcoleman]

I have seen and heard it before, and it still fucks me up.

I wish there was a video of Stan Ridgway's Luther Played Guitar. Possibly the best song ABOUT Johnny ever.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

I absolutely adore JC's version of Hurt. I've got it on my iPod as part of a compilation from Coverville (http://www.coverville.com) - I think it was the 2007 top 10 countdown. Awesome, awesome cover.

[sazettel.livejournal.com]

His cover of "Hurt" is astounding. There's a lifetime of survival in those simple chords.

His "The Man Comes Around" is almost as weird as the original text of Revelation. I have an inexplicable affection for it.

"Mercy Seat" will practically turn your hair white.

[sazettel.livejournal.com]

Tom, I owe you a phone call, but have successfully lost your number. Can you call me again? Thx.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Just did, got Tim. :)

[sdelmonte]

I didn't really discover Mr. Cash till after his death. And did so through, of all things, an episode of Smallville that used his cover of "Hurt" very effectively.

Since then, I've made up for lost time.

[leareth26.livejournal.com]

Here's another sad song. It's "Carrighfergus" by Loreena McKennitt.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=ireland+a+dream&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

[jcw-da-dmg.livejournal.com]

A great old song, very difficult to sing (I have recorded it, but rarely sing it in public) - rangy. And, of course, I LOVE Loreena!

[zellion.livejournal.com]

I'm to happy it's around 50 degrees to be sad it's raining!

[gavroche42.livejournal.com]

It appears Johnny Cash was born on Victor Hugo's 130th birthday.

Folsom Prison Blues/Les Miserables. There might be something to this astrology thing.

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

Hurt.

I just roll my eyes at Reznor, but, damn, Cash had something to sing about. When he picks up the glass of wine in a trembling hand and pours it contemptuously, tiredly, over the rich table...

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

Porter Wagoner's "Cold, Hard, Facts of Life" is another dark one. Hurt is just phenominal as well.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

[kshandra]

I still love the original Tears for Fears version...but this is the right one for this discussion.

[zellion.livejournal.com]

This cover always makes me think of Moby's cover of "Temptation".

[bryanp.livejournal.com]

Dire Straits "Ticket To Heaven" is one of those songs that sounds so pleasant and benign until actually listen to the lyrics.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" is one of my two favorite songs to listen to when I'm depressed, the other is "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd.

It depends on whether I want to feel better or not.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "Dark Side Of The Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" are great for when you just want to crawl into your headphones and feel blue. The entire albums IMO, but especially "Brain Damage/Eclipse", "On The Run," "Wish You Were Here" and various parts of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

•Johnny Cash, covering Trent Reznor's "Hurt" (warning: if you have not seen or heard this before, it will fuck you up)

Yeah, but in a good way IMHO. He won a Grammy for that video, IIRC.

Not only that, he got the ultimate compliment on the song from Reznor himself. When Reznor talks about the song, he mentions Cash's version and then adds, simply, "It's not my song anymore."

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

As for downer songs, I'd recommend those variants of the blues that I call the "crawl under the bed, get drunk and die" blues. One of the best examples I can think of would be Shotgun Blues -- not the Guns 'n Roses one, but the Blues Brothers/BB King version where they sing about "I'm gonna take a shotgun / and disconnect my brain." It's a great reminder that no matter how bad I've got it, someone's got it worse.

[banjoplayinnerd.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, here's a link. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtGNDXwxmgE)

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

No links, alas. But there's an adorable music video someone did to "Walk the Line" -- for the movie March of the Penguins.

[nightmarewriter.livejournal.com]

First of all, a John Barrowman video, that should have been positively FLOGGED in the lead up to the vote for California's Proposition 8. It shows that Straight, or Gay, it doesn't matter when you're in love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBe22HYEbe0

And a cover song that I find moving, by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxCj2MO02AE

[kilbia.livejournal.com]

After the first time I heard Hate Me, by Blue October (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOziJi-1hHE), I told my husband "I can never listen to that song again if I'm even remotely in a down mood".