Trent Reznor wrote this as a young man knowing that his life was falling apart. Johnny sang it as an old man knowing that his life was coming to a close.
Writer Trent Reznor's experience with Johnny Cash covering this song. ua-cam.com/video/GlzjqPGdOSM/v-deo.htmlsi=YdMWVE15nsdFFob7 Reznor wrote it as a capstone to a pretty dark concept album and the song meant a lot to him.
Johnny played this for his wife and daughter soon after finishing it. His daughter said "Dad, this sounds like your saying goodbye!" He responded "Well....I am." Both Johnny and his wife left this world less than 6 months after this video was finished.
I've come to a point recently where I've realized my parents have begun to prepare. I've tried not to think about it too much but yeah this is making it hit me hard right now.
This was written by Trent Reznor from NIN and he was the one who said, this isn't my song anymore, after hearing this version. This was Johnny Cash's goodbye. Both him and his wife passed not too long after this video was made. Yes, that picture was his mother! One of my all-time favorite covers!
best reaction to this song was from Cashs daughter. she said: "this sounds like a goodbye" - and Cash answered: "because this is". he passed away less than 2 months later. edit: correction: “It sounds like you’re saying goodbye”, and he told her “I am”
i'm sick to the back teeth of people claiming Trent said it wasn't his song anymore - he never said that AT ALL... he was misquoted by a music journalist. he didn't even like the version Johnny did for years. he does accept Johnny's version has taken on a life of it's own but it is STILL a NIN song - PERIOD - and as great a version as Johnny's is... it is nowhere close to as good as the original, especially live
@@DavidDArcy1975 So you're saying the quote, "Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine any more. Then it all made sense to me. It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form." isn't real? Where did Reznor or the interviewer Geoff Rickly state he was misquoted?
Pegasus, I know this video appeared a while back so you may have all these answers already. "Hurt" was originally written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and it reflected a young artist whose life was spiraling out of control due to the stresses of drugs, fame, anxiety, and all the pressures that go with all of that. As Johnny Cash got toward the end of his life (he was diagnosed with a degenerative disease a few years before he passed) he wanted to do an album of covers, and he worked with none other than legendary hip hop producer Rick Ruben (yes, that Rick Ruben of Def Jam records). Together they selected songs that had been originally recorded by artists from a lot of genres that they both thought might fit Johnny's sparse, authentic style. In this particular case, Cash approached the same lyrics of the same song not from the perspective of a young man whose life was falling apart but from a man who knows he is dying looking back on his life. It's incredible how those lyrics that were penned by someone so young could fit so perfectly with an icon who is looking at his final sunset. This also goes to prove that people who know good music cross all genres, all styles, all generations, all ethnicities, and all cultures. I love the idea of producers and artists from different genres collaborating together and finding magic by mixing the best of what they know to create something new and different. Fantastic reaction--condolences on the loss of your mom--I lost my mother in 1998 and my father in 2014 so I feel you, bro! Keep up the great reactions.
I had a cousin who was severely developmentally disabled. Johnny Cash was his favorite singer. And, on more than one occasion, Cash took time out to meet with him before/after concerts. It brought my cousin so much joy-he couldn't express it with words or by jumping up and down. But the smile on his face! Priceless.
This song to me is a classic example of how the meaning changes based on perspective. The original was very much talking about drug addiction and what it does to you and your relationships. Johnny Cash takes it and it transforms into a song about the inevitability of loss and death, and regrets for bad decisions.
that I am sure is an implied part of his life story BUT at the time of this recording he had a terminal cancer diagnosis and I think since this is pretty much a farewell song... there were a lot of needles and the like in his immediate experience.
You are so young. You are so young. Don't even have a clue about how it feels when time is slipping away when you are nearly at the end. I will be 70 this year and it life is slipping away from me. And I look back and see the things I've done in my life and I wish that I have done things differently. Cherish your youth. Cherish the chances you have now to make things better for your future. I think that's what Johnny is trying to tell people in this song
It's not that Johnny was old. He was only 71 when he passed away...which is Not old. He was diagnosed a few years earlier with Shy-Drager syndrome which is a neurodegenerative disease and a form of multiple system atrophy. Because of many multiple health issues brought on by the disease, including damaged lungs caused by pneumonia, and developing diabetes, he aged considerably. Thereby, giving the impression that he looked to be much older than he actually was. It's sad that he had to live his later years this way. Especially with June passing before him, which broke his heart. RIP, Johnny & June. 🙏 Appreciated your reaction.
The lady in the picture is his mother....June, his wife is on the steps....he passed away 3 months after his wife....he was almost blind, if not blind, in this video....I knew him, he was an incredible man
He never had his Father's approval, he grew up without a name. It just said J R Cash on his birth certificate. When he joined the Air Force, they told him J R would not do, so he picked Johnny.
Trent Reznor, a young man, lead singer and songwriter for the hard rock band Nine Inch Nails wrote this song depicting the downward spiral of a hard drug addict. Johnny Cash heard the lyrics behind the rock sounds and thought of something entirely different. He thought of a former huge music icon with a myriad number of awards now old and looking back with deep regret at how he spent his life. His version of Hurt was born. Trent fact. Told that an aged country star had done a cover of his song was in sensed and raged. But when he saw the Johnny Cash video, he sat silent through it then had it replayed. His words were simple, "I wrote it, but it is Johnny Cash's song now." Johnny Cash facts. He recorded God's Gonna Cut You Down before this but didn't quite have the production deal in his head. It was released after he and his wife had passed. In his house, the living quarters were upstairs and he had a recording studio downstairs. The Gold piano you see at the end has been in his studio for years. Hearing the pain in his voice, June Carter Cash his wife since his youth came partway down the stairs. That looks of concern and live as she checks up on him speaks all you need to know about their relationship. You can hear how shaky his voice was and see his trembling hands. It was not edited out of the video. When he closes and lovingly caresses the piano, he was ending his life long affair with music. He never played a note again. He was diabetic and knew he was nearing life's end. The song was produced and released. Four months later, June went to Heaven to rejoin the Carter Family. Three months after she passed, seven months after the release of Hurt, Johnny followed her.
Yes, the old lady in the red dress was his mother. The lady standing on the staircase watching him is his wife, June Carter Cash. This song was released in March of 2003. His wife passed away May of 2003 and he died September of 2003. So basically this was his farewell song.
This is a good example of how a visual medium can really take a song to a whole other level. You can see it in his eyes, mixed with the old videos and images, it just draws you further in.
This is Johnny’s masterpiece. The song is both a testament to Trent Rezner’s ability as a composer, and Cash’s artistry. This was his goodbye and he hit it out of the park.
To old guys like me who grew up with Johnny and who knew his melancholy life story this really hit like a ton of bricks. I have seen it maybe a hundred times and it still makes me tear up.
I still get goosebumps every time I hear this one. This is originally a Nine Inch Nails song. Trent Reznor(lead singer of NIN) said that is is no longer his song, it's Johnny's now. The song is about self harm and drug use. The empire of dirt is the regrets of life, valuing the wrong things. It is worth checking out the original, It is heavy industrial rock, then you can see how Johnny made it his.
@@lauracarter1618I completely agree. I wish there would have been time for the two of them to turn it into a duet. That would have been the ultimate song.
@@windyfranks8428Interesting thought… but I think I like it better that each version is unique and in a universe of its own. It’s a rare thing where the same song has been split o to two separate and original powerhouses with different meaning and emotions from the same harmony and lyrics. I’m a grown man and I still tear up when I see the Hurt (Cash ver.) video. It’s probably one of the best music videos ever made.
yeah, Trent also from my experience at those 90s concerts, did not enjoy performing it every time. He would shout at the audience to be quiet, be respectful or he wouldn't play it. I think it was good for him too that Johnny covered this, helping to remove a burden he may have thought of performing it as.
Johnny Cash was a true generational voice. Didn’t matter what he sung you knew it was him. As Kris Kristofferson said, “When Johnny sung your song, it became his.” This was his last goodbye before he passed. Ready for it to return, with weight of what he sung
This song is haunting. Johnny made this song feel like his own. You can hear his soul. The original by Nine Inch Nails is good. This is tragically great and so personal.
@@tobinmenard3714 I'm sorry, but you are wrong on that. Trent Reznor wrote that song and recorded it with his band Nine Inch Nails in the 1990s. Cash recorded the song years later as part of his studio series American Recordings. It was on the 4th album in the series recorded in 2002 just before Cash died in 2003.
3:27 Actually, Pegasus, the artist that originally wrote and recorded this was Trent Reznor as a Nine Inch Nails song After hearing Johnny's cover he'd said, "I Wrote This Song, But It Belongs To Johnny Now"
You nailed it! It was a goodbye song. From what i heard, his daughter asked him why this sounds like a goodbye song and johnny replied because it is. He died shortly after. He died 4 months after his wife died.
That was his beautiful wife June looking on, and his mother in the portrait. She was a huge influence on johnny's love of hymns and music. This song just rips your soul, especially as we get older. Johnny was know as "The Man in Black", i recommend you react to his song of the same title in front of some college students. It's a live version. If you wanna know who the man was and what he was about in a summary, thats the song. The man always fought for what he saw as injustices. Fighting the labels all the way. True musical legend, true humanitarian. He was a living, breathing middle finger🤭
According to legend, as a swan lays dying, it will sing a song. And it will be the most beautiful song you have ever heard in your life. Which is exactly what Johnny Cash did for us here.
This song is really incredible especially when paired with the music video. It was written as a song talking about how you lose everything to drugs and Cash turned it into a song about his life, loss, and legacy.
Hearing you talk about your mom and the blankets....broke me. My mom died in a housefire that was so bad it took everything down to dust. I remember the smell of the ash and the chemicals while my sister and i rummaged through the wreckage teying to salvage something of hers. We didnt. Just our memories of the strong incredible woman she was and raised us to be. That was 4 years ago on march 17th. Happy st. Patricks day. Sarcasm choking down now
That’s a great (and terrible) memory. I’m so glad you had your sister beside you. I don’t know what I would have done if i didn’t have my brother to support and be supported by during the loss of our mother. All the supportive thoughts and internet hugs dealing with your recent loss
Thoughts and prayers for you going forward every time you remember your mother. My mother's been gone almost 7 years and I still talk to her at least every other day. And I believe in my heart that she knows when I think of her, I hope they all do
I'm so sorry to hear your story. I am a survivor of an urban fire and the survivor's guilt is real. I wish I could help ease your pain. Blessings of peace to you and your family. Your strength is an inspiration.❤
This song hurts, every time you hear it. Years later. Seemingly more with each loss you experience. As you feel the pain begin to resonate more and more in your life.
6:55 Actually, Pegasus, the photo on the wall was his mother-in-law, the woman you'll see standing on the stairs in a later scene looking down towards him was his wife, June Carter Cash
I think this hits people differently at different ages in their life. It absolutely impacts young people, but not in the same manner it does someone older, who is closer to this place in life. Just as much impact, two different feelings. Watching the juxtaposition between young, health Johnny and old Johnny coming face-to-face with mortality does have a way of making you feel ... interesting.
Re: The picture at 5:18: I met the lady in the picture at the House of Cash Johnny Cash museum when I was a kid on vacation with my parents. She gave us a tour, allowed us to ask tons of questions and was the most gracious and hospitable tour guide/cashier. She literally gave us an hour of her time. My dad asked her how she knew so much and if she’s a fan to which she bashfully replied, “Yeah, I’m his best fan. He’s my son.”
The part that always gets me is at the end, when he closes the piano and runs his hands over it, there's such a sense of finality in that action. I've heard his daughter listened to this and said something about how it felt like he was saying goodbye and he said he was. His wife was the woman on the stairs. She passed no long after and I believe he passed three or four months later. It's a powerful song and his performance was amazing. There are so many songs by the legendary Mc. Cash. He has some songs that really showcase his sense of humor as well. "A Boy Named Sue" and "One Piece At A Time" are two I suggest. And one that will give you a showing of some truly amazing country artist and one of my all time favorite videos is "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs and a quite a few others.
I used to always say that I don't listen to country, but that Johnny Cash is his own genre. I inherited my love of JC after Grandma died and I knew that he was her favorite artist. I was 17 then, 47 now. This is a cover by NineInchNails, and made him popular to a new generation.
"It speaks volumes." It does doesn't it? That one man can write a song that so perfectly describes another man's life, and that that song can so perfectly transmit that understanding to the listener. It speaks to the universality of the human experience. Excellent reaction.
This was written and performed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails first...when he first heard the cover he didn't like it because of the sentimental value it had to him for why he wrote it, but he eventually stated in an interview that this version was so good he considers this Johnny's song as much as it is his
I consider this video to be the purest expression of regret I will ever witness. Johnny is an old, sick man at the end of a long, eventful life. He is looking back at everything he's done, everyone he's hurt, and he knows that he is out of time to make amends. He is out of time to create a better legacy to leave behind. And he has to come to terms with the fact that he will die knowing there are mistakes he never set right and wounds he is leaving unhealed. Trent Reznor's version is a young man looking forward at the downward spiral of his life and knowing that he has to pull up, he has to regain control and find a way to change. Johnny's version is a dying man looking back at his life and knowing that there's nothing he can do to change it now. It gets me every time. Seven decades of pain and sorrow packed into four minutes of music.
In the 2000s Johnny Cash did a whole album of covers produced by Rick Rubin. This is one of the songs from that album. It was written by Trent Reznor and originally performed by Nine Inch Nails, his band.
You'll read so many interesting and touching things about the video and they're amazing. The tidbit that sticks with me is his wife, June, a legend in her own right, standing on the stairs looking at him with so much concern. That was real. She knew how much of a challenge the song and production were for him and she was genuinely worried for Johnny. The cameraman just happened to catch it. 😢
Trent Reznor wrote this as a song of self-loathing whereas Johnny’s version is a song of regret. It is his last testament as you see from the closing of the piano lid and stroking it lovingly. Plus the cinematography, weaving past and present makes it even more poignant. Appreciate your honesty and the story of you mother my man. Please and love from the UK
The writer of the song was addicted to drugs which he injected. Johnny was not but he was addicted to pills for many years until he got sober, so he understood just what Trent was feeling. He also spent time in prison in his youth. The clip in this video is from one of his appearances in a movie. The lady in the picture on the wall was his mom and the lady who came to watch was his wife for many decades, June Carter Cash, also a country singer. She passed away in June 2003 and I don't believe he ever recovered from that, he passed away himself in September of that same year. This was the last song he ever recorded, a goodbye to his fans. The closing of the piano at the end breaks my heart. It almost looks as if his hands are resting atop his own coffin. When his daughter heard it she said, "It sounds like you're saying goodbye". He answered, "I am". He passed away shortly after, finally reunited with June.
Johnny was NEVER in prison. He was arrested when he came back from Mexico for bringing back illegal pills in his guitar. Merle Haggard was in San Quentin when he heard Johnny preform. Johnny was in the military when he was a young man. The pic in the video is his mother and the lady in video is his second wife June Carter Cash.
You got it right, brother, the message received loud and clear: go hug your family, show love to people you do love, time just flies by too fast... And you are right, this performance sounds like a goodbye, because it is. This was the last thing he ever recorded, and he passed away shortly after. People already said here that the song was written by Trent Reznor (9 inch nails), and what initially was a song of a young man fighting addiction, took a whole new meaning when Johnny sang it. Music has it's own ways which can not be fully understood by reason. Oh, that relentless piano note, just hammering so... Edit: suggestion for the next Johnny's song - I won't back down
I’m a country girl living in Kentucky and the Rebel flag has just been a representation of Southern Pride. We love to get together, eat drink and be merry. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern Rock Band. So are The Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker Charlie Daniels to name a few. I just discovered you tonight and I doubt you’ll ever read this comment but I have watched about 10 of your videos tonight and enjoyed them all! Looking forward to watching more. Love your values and your opinions. I appreciate your Dad’s service to our country. Keep sharing the truth!!❤🙏🏼
Appreciate your reaction!! Johnny OWNED this song...but, so did Trent Reznor (who wrote it and originally performed it with Nine Inch Nails). The performances are so juxtaposed in meaning, in my mind, yet so similar in many ways. Aging is NOT for the weak: that is for sure. They both spoke to me in COMPLETELY different terms, each version...and, BOTH: SO IMPACTFUL. I still cannot make it through either performance without crying. It is amazing what music can make you feel: especially paired with the talented performers...not only for those who feel the EMPATHY of the performances, for those of us who have or are experiencing each meaning...but, also for those who may NEVER have experienced the conveyance of EITHER meaning; yet, as a human, one would hope that we would feel at LEAST the SYMPATHY of the two separate meanings - and they are both still so impactful - and both just tear at your soul: no matter what. HUGS, MAN!! Keep being the GOOD HUMAN THAT YOU ARE! ❤❤❤❤❤
I’ve heard Johnny’s cover so many times since its release when I was 23, and yet today it hits so differently at 44. My Dad is only a year younger than Johnny was when he died. Really makes you think how much time you have with those close to you that are reaching those later years. 5 years ago I lost the love of my life, who was only 30, so now I’m left with the other half of my life without the one I always thought I’d grow old with. These songs really hit hard to be reminded that nothing else in this world matter aside from the ones you loved, and where you’ll be when your time ends.
This song was followed up by God's Gonna Cut You Down, the music video has a ton of cameos that you wouldn't believe. Country, rock, rap and hip hop stars, actors, models, it's really incredible all the people his music has touched. I've also mentioned before that the closest thing to rapping that Cash ever did was a song called "Get Rhythm", it's one of the fastest songs he performed.
He was saying goodbye and him and his wife passed shortly after this was recorded. I can't hear this without crying...I've heard it over 100 times, easy!
You saying you felt Johnny's voice to your core is exactly how so many people feel when they hear him. His voice is so deep and raw and you just feel like the words and the pain pouring out of him is so real. I could tell you didn't want to stop the flow of this video and you should watch it without pause (as well as his last song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" which other singers had to step in to do the visuals for. The magic of Johnny Cash and why he's an icon is that you feel this man has a canyon of experience, loss, pain and redemption that just pours out of him and flows over you. You definitely need to catch The Man in Black if you haven't. Get the video where he first performs it on a campus. He wrote it overnight and sang it the next day. It is really something powerful.
Well done BP! Amazing song, Trent basically gifted this to Mr Cash, one of the most amazing tracks done to perfection, so much love, regret, pride, just power. 🤩
I think the woman wearing red in the portrait, is Johnny Cash's mother-in-law, Maybelle Carter. She was a member of the famous pioneers of country/folk music, The Carter Family. Maybelle created her own guitar picking style that included bass and melody at the same time. Cash was a drug addict way back in the 60s.. I heard a story that he supposedly wanted to die and walked into cave near a show he played. He said it was pitch black and he laid down and wanted to just die there. He claimed to hear God tell him to get up and leave the cave. After that he got treatment for his drug use and beat it for good.. People who knew him later in life said he was the kindest most giving person they had ever met. His biggest success came after that moment in his life. He recorded the the Live at Folsom Prison that same year, which has sold over 3 million albums, which doesn't count streaming. Cash spent months living in Colorado looking after Hank Williams Jr. after he fell off a cliff. He was in a full body cast when John and June showed up within days and never left him. Lenny Kravitz met him minutes after he found out his mother passed away. John and June comforted him and stayed in contact in the weeks that followed. Lenny said he had never experienced such love from someone he didn't even know. I'm sure there are dozens of stories like this that we will never hear about.
I am glad to have Johnny Cash music in my life...since 1969, born in 62; I would tell you, the many chapters of life and story are within his music. I have found solace and joy in his songs...it has helped me. I have come to believe that, "It Ain't Sunday without CASH playing on the stereo". CASH is my church and each song will be absorbed and interpreted through out your years...as time matures you. I have almost ALL of his records...almost; from 45's to 33's, cassette and CD's; some no longer in production. I have read all 3 of his books and met him 3 times...he actually remembered me too. Next to my grandparents, the most iconic relationship i can relate to is the one he had with his wife, June Carter. Legendary. Have you seen the film, Walk the Line? Do it. Once you get bit, your life will change. THIS is the song that started my journey of John Cash..."Singing Vietnam, Talkin Blues" ua-cam.com/video/x0mUOmE7-O0/v-deo.html
I'm a rock/metal lover. In my playlist, I actually have Johnny's version of this song not NIN. There is so much raw emotion in this song. Really punches you in your gut and makes you think about how your life is going.
Johnny Cash is a country legend and I love his music and his style! I love classic country! This song is so touching! He was an amazing artist until the end! RIP 💝💝
Sometimes it takes the heavy yet honest words of an old man to make us see what's important in life. Because when a man who had it all but now in age is telling us he doesn't want anything but the one's he loved throughout the years, you gotta stop and take a look at your own life and try to make sure you don't end up regretting the decisions you've made.
The photo on the wall is of his mother - the woman is his wife June Carter Cash who died between filming the video and the song's release, shortly before Johnny himself died
6:47 The woman in the picture was his mother that died. The woman at the end was his wife. Both she, and then Johnny, died shortly after this was recorded.
The video and the lyrics are so powerful. Even more so if you know his history. You should react to "Man in Black". I think that shows who he was as a person best. And "One Piece at a Time" for fun. 😊
My sister is a fan of Johnny Cash, and when she heard this song, she promptly introduced it to the family. When I said "yeah, it's a pretty good cover" my sister grinned, because she made sure she showed our parents while I was there because she already knew exactly how this conversation would play out... "What? This can't be a cover. I could believe if you said someone wrote this for Cash to sing, but it's *definitely* about his life. Nobody else could have written this." "I have this song, performed by a different artist, on a CD you bought me in the 90s. Johnny Cash first played it this year." "HOW?" You have to listen to the original of this song at some point to compare to this version. It's an incredible song, and it's one which has been performed in different ways by a few artists (including a duet of Trent Reznor, the original songwriter, and David Bowie). Every time I've heard someone "cover" this song, it doesn't feel like a cover, it feels like a new song which just happens to have the same tune and almost the same lyrics (Johnny Cash didn't want to swear, "crown of thorns" didn't originally say "thorns" and I've heard a version from another singer who changed "my sweetest friend" to "my dearest friend"). I also recommend, in addition to listening to more from Johnny Cash (because of course you should do that, but you know it already), looking up more of Nine Inch Nails than just the original of this song. There are a lot of common recommendations, and they're all great songs, so just pick one with a title that catches your eye, you can't really go wrong.
As others have said, Trent Reznor of NIN wrote this but Trent gave Johnny his flowers. He is him. The man in black forever and always ❤️. Your reaction to this song is all of us. Love and respect to you.
JC paid a hell of a price in the end for his success. It makes me appreciate your reaction channel so much more when you get to know the artist. He was heavily addicted and his wife june Carter stayed thru it all with him❤he was an alcoholic, cocaine addict when he broke into the scene with the other great legends of his time. It’s def deep
Correction - if you research Johnny Cash you will find that it is a well known fact (based on those who were around him and knew him well, as well as his own admissions) that Johnny Cash never did cocaine, heroin, or IV drugs - his drugs were pills - amphetamines, barbiturates, various pain killers. He had a disease called chemical addiction (which millions of people suffer from) which meant that he was very susceptible to addiction. If he had to take pain killers after an operation, dental surgery, etc., he would become re-addicted easily. He had many surgeries, including heart bypass surgery, so he had a difficult time staying away from pain killers - being in constant physical pain is horrible. He would say, if asked, that amphetamines were his drug of choice - they were given to him (many times by doctors) in the mid to late 1950s to help him stay awake during his nonstop touring schedule and he became addicted to them over time - he added the barbiturates to help him come down and get sleep and became addicted to them also. He fought his addictions his entire life, and was very open about it - he never gave up.
I don’t think I’ve ever cried during a Music reaction video, but this one got me. It just reminds me not to only live for the present, but for my whole life. When we get to the end, we wanna look back and see that we’ve built a positive healthy, loving life and family That we can be proud of.
Just stumbled into the channel, good stuff. I think this is the one of the two best "farewells" of rock. Queens's Innuendo album, specifically The Show Must Go On is the other.
This is one of America's greatest artists reworking and truly owning a song written by one of America's next generation of insanely talented musicians. Please, go and explore the incredible music Mr. Cash gave us and then take a look at what Mr Trent Reznor has done... I look forward to seeing your mind being blown!
I’m an old southern born grandma and have just discovered you by chance on YT. Love your heart and open mindedness. You have a new fan from an unlikely walk of life. Bless you!
What a song huh? I haven't really deep dived into Johnny Cash. Something i probably should do. But I've listened to this song whenever it popped up, and it has popped up a few times since it came out and I really try to listened to it every time the song gets played. And it leaves me teary eyed every time. The song is so powerful.. Also you said that this kinda felt like a goodbye.. He sadly passed away not to long after this video was made, less then 4 months after his wife. This song really gets you thinking on whats important in life and what's not.
Then go listen to Boy named Sue, God’s gonna cut you down, Folsom prison blues and anything else his name is on.. Ohhhhh the beautiful gritty Music journey you’ll go on💕
@@rachelcarter5282 Put it in my watch later. Watching something now so ill watch it later. Is there a video you recommend? There is no video for it just audio or lives?
My condolences on your mother. Even years later, the sting is still there. My father was a fan of Johnny Cash and would subject us to country music in the car. I never much cared for it as a child, although I grew to appreciate Johnny Cash when I was older. The song and most of the lyrics were actually written by Trent Reznor for his industrial metal band, nine inch nails. The original version was about a middle-aged man looking at his youth and what his drug addiction cost him. A decade later, a dying Johnny Cash covered the song. He changed a few words and obviously modified it towards a more country sound with different instruments. Johnny Cash had a life of drug use, a failed marriage, cheating, and decades of regret all boiled into one song. It was recorded a few weeks before his wife, June Carter Cash, passed away. She's the woman in the staircase. The woman in the picture is Cash's mother. I was about to go to college when the song came out and didn't really think about the lyrics in the NIN version. I cried when I heard Johnny Cash's cover. It took me more than a year after my father passed away before I could even listen to the song and I still cry. We all have regrets and we all lose people. This is doubly true for those of us who suffered substance abuse and fight everyday not to lose more. "Sitting on a chair with broken thoughts I cannot repair" is a deep deep line. It's one of the best explanation of depression. People will call it a black dog but sitting on a chair with thoughts you can't just repair and surrounded by the despair of bad choices. Damn
This is going to be short bc of space but I have known depression and I have done some stupid things, mostly to me. You sound like a thoughtful nice person. If you haven’t already, have that conversation, crying and asking for forgiveness over we very sin you can remember that troubles you. You leave that for God to carry on his shoulders and you go live you best life helping others along the way. The more of yourself you give to others the less you are depressed. I absolutely promise. Smiles and hugs
This is going to be short bc of space but I have known depression and I have done some stupid things, mostly to me. You sound like a thoughtful nice person. If you haven’t already, have that conversation, crying and asking for forgiveness over we very sin you can remember that troubles you. You leave that for God to carry on his shoulders and you go live you best life helping others along the way. The more of yourself you give to others the less you are depressed. I absolutely promise. Smiles and hugs
This is going to be short bc of space but I have known depression and I have done some stupid things, mostly to me. You sound like a thoughtful nice person. If you haven’t already, have that conversation, crying and asking for forgiveness over we very sin you can remember that troubles you. You leave that for God to carry on his shoulders and you go live you best life helping others along the way. The more of yourself you give to others the less you are depressed. I absolutely promise. Smiles and hugs
I discovered your amazing channel today. Thank you for your work, and courage! I'm a 53 year old mother/grandmother. I have a 30 year old son, that I love more than anything else on this earth. I'm so sorry that you lost your mama! I can promise you, that she's smiling down from heaven, with tremendous pride , seeing the man you've become! God bless you!!! 🥰❤️
That feeling you describe at the end, the strange happiness, feels like a strange second chance to me. The performance of Johnny Cash really superimposes his feelings of loss and regret onto whoever is open to the words and feelings. I feel like he has gifted the listeners a fraction of the desire for a second chance he wishes for.
I always think I'm ready and then he pours the wine out on the table with his shaking hand and that STARE. The way he sets the glass back down so hard... I tear up everytime.
I was a very young girl when i first heard Johnny Cash on the radio singing One Piece at a Time. It cracked me up. Next time i heard him i was at Grandmas and she put on a record. I knew the voice because he had a voice that pulled you in and made you listen, rolling along the notes. My boys took one listen and love Johnny Cash's music. How can you not?
Johnnys wife was June Carter Cash. She first performed with her family The Carter Family. Her mother wasMother Maybelke Carter. This family was very instrumental in helping Johnny get off drugs and get his life turned around. The Carter Fsmily sang songs from Appalachia, which may not be your cup of tea, but that music has some very rich history. Look them up.
Trent Reznor wrote this as a young man knowing that his life was falling apart. Johnny sang it as an old man knowing that his life was coming to a close.
And Tent said the song note belongs to Johnny
Bro, proofread before posting.
perfectly described.
Writer Trent Reznor's experience with Johnny Cash covering this song.
ua-cam.com/video/GlzjqPGdOSM/v-deo.htmlsi=YdMWVE15nsdFFob7
Reznor wrote it as a capstone to a pretty dark concept album and the song meant a lot to him.
Wait I'm confused. Did the tent note the song or did the note tent the song. I don't know what's going on
Trent said J did it best, and will never perform it again. That level of respect is unbelievable
Trent said that it was Johnny's song, he only wrote.
Yep, lesser men may have fought over it. Everything around this song makes it better and more powerful.
I read that too, after hearing Johnny’s version he said he’d never perform it again in was his song now.
@Maggimae2367 I dunno about that. I saw NIN about 5 years ago. Trent sung it. Was the most powerful live performance iv ever seen.
Johnny doesn’t sing to the ear he sings to the soul.
Disappointment, regret, pride, arrogance, pain, life, joy, love, happiness. This song covers much of the human experience.
Johnny played this for his wife and daughter soon after finishing it. His daughter said "Dad, this sounds like your saying goodbye!" He responded "Well....I am." Both Johnny and his wife left this world less than 6 months after this video was finished.
It has big poet Dylan Thomas "Rage Against the Dying of the Light" vibes, but as the dying man, not the suffering family around him.
Just heartbreaking....and, this performance definitely comes-off exactly as she (and we) read it....
I cried when I heard this song and when I heard the news about the passing of a legend and his wife. Serendipity? Not in my opinion. Thank you.
I've come to a point recently where I've realized my parents have begun to prepare. I've tried not to think about it too much but yeah this is making it hit me hard right now.
@@Dragon-gs2qy❤
The way he closes the piano at the end, like he's closing a casket, haunts me every time I see this.
This was written by Trent Reznor from NIN and he was the one who said, this isn't my song anymore, after hearing this version. This was Johnny Cash's goodbye. Both him and his wife passed not too long after this video was made. Yes, that picture was his mother! One of my all-time favorite covers!
I am glad you told told the story. Johnny was a class act. This man stared down people who took him and his family hostage.
best reaction to this song was from Cashs daughter. she said: "this sounds like a goodbye" - and Cash answered: "because this is". he passed away less than 2 months later.
edit: correction: “It sounds like you’re saying goodbye”, and he told her “I am”
It's genuinely one of the best covers ever done. Johnny turned it into something so completely new and special.
i'm sick to the back teeth of people claiming Trent said it wasn't his song anymore - he never said that AT ALL... he was misquoted by a music journalist. he didn't even like the version Johnny did for years. he does accept Johnny's version has taken on a life of it's own but it is STILL a NIN song - PERIOD - and as great a version as Johnny's is... it is nowhere close to as good as the original, especially live
@@DavidDArcy1975 So you're saying the quote, "Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine any more. Then it all made sense to me. It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form." isn't real? Where did Reznor or the interviewer Geoff Rickly state he was misquoted?
Rip Johnny Cash, a great cover just before he passed. Knew he was going..
Pegasus, I know this video appeared a while back so you may have all these answers already. "Hurt" was originally written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and it reflected a young artist whose life was spiraling out of control due to the stresses of drugs, fame, anxiety, and all the pressures that go with all of that. As Johnny Cash got toward the end of his life (he was diagnosed with a degenerative disease a few years before he passed) he wanted to do an album of covers, and he worked with none other than legendary hip hop producer Rick Ruben (yes, that Rick Ruben of Def Jam records). Together they selected songs that had been originally recorded by artists from a lot of genres that they both thought might fit Johnny's sparse, authentic style.
In this particular case, Cash approached the same lyrics of the same song not from the perspective of a young man whose life was falling apart but from a man who knows he is dying looking back on his life. It's incredible how those lyrics that were penned by someone so young could fit so perfectly with an icon who is looking at his final sunset. This also goes to prove that people who know good music cross all genres, all styles, all generations, all ethnicities, and all cultures. I love the idea of producers and artists from different genres collaborating together and finding magic by mixing the best of what they know to create something new and different.
Fantastic reaction--condolences on the loss of your mom--I lost my mother in 1998 and my father in 2014 so I feel you, bro! Keep up the great reactions.
No matter how many times I hear this cover. No matter how mentally prepared I think I am. It brings me to tears. Every. Time. Without fail.
If this comes on in the car, skip it. You will cry. There are only a few songs that do that.
I am with you.
I have to skip this song, way too emotional to listen to it, we all can link this to a person where know who has passed.
He had just lost his sweet June, four months after she passed, he passed away ❤
His last song he recorded, and he was saying goodbye.❤️
I had a cousin who was severely developmentally disabled. Johnny Cash was his favorite singer. And, on more than one occasion, Cash took time out to meet with him before/after concerts. It brought my cousin so much joy-he couldn't express it with words or by jumping up and down. But the smile on his face! Priceless.
This song to me is a classic example of how the meaning changes based on perspective. The original was very much talking about drug addiction and what it does to you and your relationships. Johnny Cash takes it and it transforms into a song about the inevitability of loss and death, and regrets for bad decisions.
Part of his bad decisions was drug addiction also.
@@caroleboren1963 True. But the focus of the song is shifted, the drugs are only a part of the full picture in the Cash version.
that I am sure is an implied part of his life story BUT at the time of this recording he had a terminal cancer diagnosis and I think since this is pretty much a farewell song... there were a lot of needles and the like in his immediate experience.
He was saying goodbye. The soft way he closes the piano breaks my heart every time.
It was like closing a casket
The way he caresses the lid after it is closed is like a parent touching their sick but now sleeping child.
That was the last time he played piano. That's why he closed it that way. He knew he was saying goodbye to music and to us.
You are so young. You are so young. Don't even have a clue about how it feels when time is slipping away when you are nearly at the end. I will be 70 this year and it life is slipping away from me. And I look back and see the things I've done in my life and I wish that I have done things differently. Cherish your youth. Cherish the chances you have now to make things better for your future. I think that's what Johnny is trying to tell people in this song
"Behold, I make all things new."
It's not that Johnny was old. He was only 71 when he passed away...which is Not old. He was diagnosed a few years earlier with Shy-Drager syndrome which is a neurodegenerative disease and a form of multiple system atrophy. Because of many multiple health issues brought on by the disease, including damaged lungs caused by pneumonia, and developing diabetes, he aged considerably. Thereby, giving the impression that he looked to be much older than he actually was. It's sad that he had to live his later years this way. Especially with June passing before him, which broke his heart. RIP, Johnny & June. 🙏 Appreciated your reaction.
His heavy drug usage caused all that.
You also have to remember what a huge amount of liviing he piled into those 71 years.
The lady in the picture is his mother....June, his wife is on the steps....he passed away 3 months after his wife....he was almost blind, if not blind, in this video....I knew him, he was an incredible man
He never had his Father's approval, he grew up without a name. It just said J R Cash on his birth certificate. When he joined the Air Force, they told him J R would not do, so he picked Johnny.
Well the average life span for a man in the US is like 75ish so I would say he lived a long life
Trent Reznor, a young man, lead singer and songwriter for the hard rock band Nine Inch Nails wrote this song depicting the downward spiral of a hard drug addict.
Johnny Cash heard the lyrics behind the rock sounds and thought of something entirely different. He thought of a former huge music icon with a myriad number of awards now old and looking back with deep regret at how he spent his life. His version of Hurt was born.
Trent fact. Told that an aged country star had done a cover of his song was in sensed and raged. But when he saw the Johnny Cash video, he sat silent through it then had it replayed. His words were simple, "I wrote it, but it is Johnny Cash's song now."
Johnny Cash facts.
He recorded God's Gonna Cut You Down before this but didn't quite have the production deal in his head. It was released after he and his wife had passed.
In his house, the living quarters were upstairs and he had a recording studio downstairs. The Gold piano you see at the end has been in his studio for years.
Hearing the pain in his voice, June Carter Cash his wife since his youth came partway down the stairs. That looks of concern and live as she checks up on him speaks all you need to know about their relationship.
You can hear how shaky his voice was and see his trembling hands. It was not edited out of the video.
When he closes and lovingly caresses the piano, he was ending his life long affair with music. He never played a note again. He was diabetic and knew he was nearing life's end.
The song was produced and released. Four months later, June went to Heaven to rejoin the Carter Family. Three months after she passed, seven months after the release of Hurt, Johnny followed her.
Yes, the old lady in the red dress was his mother. The lady standing on the staircase watching him is his wife, June Carter Cash. This song was released in March of 2003. His wife passed away May of 2003 and he died September of 2003. So basically this was his farewell song.
RIP Johnny and June. There will never be another like him.
So sad yet so wonderful. How to say goodbye 😢xxxxx
This is a good example of how a visual medium can really take a song to a whole other level. You can see it in his eyes, mixed with the old videos and images, it just draws you further in.
This is Johnny’s masterpiece. The song is both a testament to Trent Rezner’s ability as a composer, and Cash’s artistry. This was his goodbye and he hit it out of the park.
This is a Nine Inch Nails song
@@JBiss83 yes that’s why i said it’s a testament to Trent’s talent
@@JBiss83 No shit sherlock.
To old guys like me who grew up with Johnny and who knew his melancholy life story this really hit like a ton of bricks. I have seen it maybe a hundred times and it still makes me tear up.
I still get goosebumps every time I hear this one. This is originally a Nine Inch Nails song. Trent Reznor(lead singer of NIN) said that is is no longer his song, it's Johnny's now. The song is about self harm and drug use. The empire of dirt is the regrets of life, valuing the wrong things. It is worth checking out the original, It is heavy industrial rock, then you can see how Johnny made it his.
Absolutely
when trent sings it, it's a scream of rage. when johnny sings it, it's gentle grief. both versions are valid and beautiful.
@@lauracarter1618I completely agree. I wish there would have been time for the two of them to turn it into a duet. That would have been the ultimate song.
@@windyfranks8428Interesting thought… but I think I like it better that each version is unique and in a universe of its own. It’s a rare thing where the same song has been split o to two separate and original powerhouses with different meaning and emotions from the same harmony and lyrics. I’m a grown man and I still tear up when I see the Hurt (Cash ver.) video. It’s probably one of the best music videos ever made.
Trent never sang this again. He legit said John did it better, and he couldn't ever sing it live again. Props 💯 to Trent. So much respect
yeah, Trent also from my experience at those 90s concerts, did not enjoy performing it every time. He would shout at the audience to be quiet, be respectful or he wouldn't play it. I think it was good for him too that Johnny covered this, helping to remove a burden he may have thought of performing it as.
nice love it when artist do covers i never see it as a bad thing it’s dialogistic
One of my favorite covers of all time. I tear up every single time he closes that piano 😞
RIP Johnny and June 🖤
agreed. every time.
Just watched a documentary that said “He never opened that piano again…” 💔
@@foreveralone11w that closure was perfect
Yeah if your eyes do not get teary then there is something wrong with you.
@@foreveralone11wOh i would have been crying my eyes out when they said that. What is that documentary on?
Johnny Cash was a true generational voice. Didn’t matter what he sung you knew it was him. As Kris Kristofferson said, “When Johnny sung your song, it became his.” This was his last goodbye before he passed. Ready for it to return, with weight of what he sung
This song is haunting. Johnny made this song feel like his own. You can hear his soul. The original by Nine Inch Nails is good. This is tragically great and so personal.
Cash is the original Nine Inch Nails did their own version based on his.
@@tobinmenard3714 nope
@@tobinmenard3714 I'm sorry, but you are wrong on that. Trent Reznor wrote that song and recorded it with his band Nine Inch Nails in the 1990s. Cash recorded the song years later as part of his studio series American Recordings. It was on the 4th album in the series recorded in 2002 just before Cash died in 2003.
3:27
Actually, Pegasus, the artist that originally wrote and recorded this was Trent Reznor as a Nine Inch Nails song
After hearing Johnny's cover he'd said, "I Wrote This Song, But It Belongs To Johnny Now"
You nailed it! It was a goodbye song. From what i heard, his daughter asked him why this sounds like a goodbye song and johnny replied because it is. He died shortly after. He died 4 months after his wife died.
His daughter asked him "This sounds like you were saying goodbye"
Johhny said "It's because I am"
Today is a good day for the man in black. Every day is really. Glad you're digging into the myth and the legend
This video makes me cry every time I see it. The legendary “man in black” I do t care what genre you like- every one likes Johnny.
I got to meet him about 30 years ago at a concert, He shook my hand and told me, Never let what you have become, Shadow who you are. God Bless !!!!
The piano lid Johnny closed; he never opened it again. Finality.
That was his beautiful wife June looking on, and his mother in the portrait. She was a huge influence on johnny's love of hymns and music. This song just rips your soul, especially as we get older.
Johnny was know as "The Man in Black", i recommend you react to his song of the same title in front of some college students. It's a live version. If you wanna know who the man was and what he was about in a summary, thats the song. The man always fought for what he saw as injustices. Fighting the labels all the way. True musical legend, true humanitarian. He was a living, breathing middle finger🤭
According to legend, as a swan lays dying, it will sing a song. And it will be the most beautiful song you have ever heard in your life.
Which is exactly what Johnny Cash did for us here.
This song is really incredible especially when paired with the music video. It was written as a song talking about how you lose everything to drugs and Cash turned it into a song about his life, loss, and legacy.
Yeah don't forget Johnny did lose everything to drugs once. And it was June that brought him back
You had the proper reaction to this song brother. Life ends, love those you care about while they are still here. God bless☦️
Hearing you talk about your mom and the blankets....broke me. My mom died in a housefire that was so bad it took everything down to dust. I remember the smell of the ash and the chemicals while my sister and i rummaged through the wreckage teying to salvage something of hers. We didnt. Just our memories of the strong incredible woman she was and raised us to be. That was 4 years ago on march 17th. Happy st. Patricks day. Sarcasm choking down now
I’m sending you extra hugs today. She’s with you every single time you think of her 💕
That’s a great (and terrible) memory. I’m so glad you had your sister beside you. I don’t know what I would have done if i didn’t have my brother to support and be supported by during the loss of our mother. All the supportive thoughts and internet hugs dealing with your recent loss
Thoughts and prayers for you going forward every time you remember your mother. My mother's been gone almost 7 years and I still talk to her at least every other day. And I believe in my heart that she knows when I think of her, I hope they all do
I'm so sorry to hear your story. I am a survivor of an urban fire and the survivor's guilt is real. I wish I could help ease your pain. Blessings of peace to you and your family. Your strength is an inspiration.❤
Sending you some extra love today ❤️ x
Trent Reznor was asked what the thought about Johnny Cash singing his song and he replied, "It's his song now."
This song hurts, every time you hear it. Years later. Seemingly more with each loss you experience. As you feel the pain begin to resonate more and more in your life.
6:55
Actually, Pegasus, the photo on the wall was his mother-in-law, the woman you'll see standing on the stairs in a later scene looking down towards him was his wife, June Carter Cash
I think this hits people differently at different ages in their life. It absolutely impacts young people, but not in the same manner it does someone older, who is closer to this place in life. Just as much impact, two different feelings. Watching the juxtaposition between young, health Johnny and old Johnny coming face-to-face with mortality does have a way of making you feel ... interesting.
Re: The picture at 5:18: I met the lady in the picture at the House of Cash Johnny Cash museum when I was a kid on vacation with my parents. She gave us a tour, allowed us to ask tons of questions and was the most gracious and hospitable tour guide/cashier. She literally gave us an hour of her time. My dad asked her how she knew so much and if she’s a fan to which she bashfully replied, “Yeah, I’m his best fan. He’s my son.”
Johnny Cash A Boy Named Sue! A must.
The part that always gets me is at the end, when he closes the piano and runs his hands over it, there's such a sense of finality in that action. I've heard his daughter listened to this and said something about how it felt like he was saying goodbye and he said he was. His wife was the woman on the stairs. She passed no long after and I believe he passed three or four months later. It's a powerful song and his performance was amazing.
There are so many songs by the legendary Mc. Cash.
He has some songs that really showcase his sense of humor as well. "A Boy Named Sue" and "One Piece At A Time" are two I suggest.
And one that will give you a showing of some truly amazing country artist and one of my all time favorite videos is "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Cash, Ricky Skaggs and a quite a few others.
Brilliantly produced by Rick Rubin. For Johnny to be teamed up with him for what turned out to be his swansong, is a gift to all music lovers
Your analogy is so touching. You're great and your Mama is SO PROUD ❤
Walk the Line is worth a watch. It's the Biopic about him. Even if the music isn't right up your alley his life is a compelling story on its own.
I do love the parody of "Walk Hard: They Dewey Cox Story" but I'm more of a comedy fan.
My husband was raised in Dyess (Johnny Cash hometown) I grew up not far from there
That quiver in his voice, along with Trent’s music and lyrics, scream pain and regret
I used to always say that I don't listen to country, but that Johnny Cash is his own genre. I inherited my love of JC after Grandma died and I knew that he was her favorite artist. I was 17 then, 47 now. This is a cover by NineInchNails, and made him popular to a new generation.
Truth. I mean Johnny was his own thing and it was amazing. Still is.
"It speaks volumes." It does doesn't it? That one man can write a song that so perfectly describes another man's life, and that that song can so perfectly transmit that understanding to the listener. It speaks to the universality of the human experience. Excellent reaction.
This was written and performed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails first...when he first heard the cover he didn't like it because of the sentimental value it had to him for why he wrote it, but he eventually stated in an interview that this version was so good he considers this Johnny's song as much as it is his
a young man's life out of control vs a an old man facing the end.... I love both
💯 love this the song is about struggle with heroin both had a problem in their life with
I consider this video to be the purest expression of regret I will ever witness. Johnny is an old, sick man at the end of a long, eventful life. He is looking back at everything he's done, everyone he's hurt, and he knows that he is out of time to make amends. He is out of time to create a better legacy to leave behind. And he has to come to terms with the fact that he will die knowing there are mistakes he never set right and wounds he is leaving unhealed. Trent Reznor's version is a young man looking forward at the downward spiral of his life and knowing that he has to pull up, he has to regain control and find a way to change. Johnny's version is a dying man looking back at his life and knowing that there's nothing he can do to change it now.
It gets me every time. Seven decades of pain and sorrow packed into four minutes of music.
In the 2000s Johnny Cash did a whole album of covers produced by Rick Rubin. This is one of the songs from that album. It was written by Trent Reznor and originally performed by Nine Inch Nails, his band.
You'll read so many interesting and touching things about the video and they're amazing. The tidbit that sticks with me is his wife, June, a legend in her own right, standing on the stairs looking at him with so much concern. That was real. She knew how much of a challenge the song and production were for him and she was genuinely worried for Johnny. The cameraman just happened to catch it. 😢
Trent Reznor wrote this as a song of self-loathing whereas Johnny’s version is a song of regret.
It is his last testament as you see from the closing of the piano lid and stroking it lovingly. Plus the cinematography, weaving past and present makes it even more poignant. Appreciate your honesty and the story of you mother my man. Please and love from the UK
The writer of the song was addicted to drugs which he injected. Johnny was not but he was addicted to pills for many years until he got sober, so he understood just what Trent was feeling. He also spent time in prison in his youth. The clip in this video is from one of his appearances in a movie. The lady in the picture on the wall was his mom and the lady who came to watch was his wife for many decades, June Carter Cash, also a country singer. She passed away in June 2003 and I don't believe he ever recovered from that, he passed away himself in September of that same year. This was the last song he ever recorded, a goodbye to his fans. The closing of the piano at the end breaks my heart. It almost looks as if his hands are resting atop his own coffin. When his daughter heard it she said, "It sounds like you're saying goodbye". He answered, "I am". He passed away shortly after, finally reunited with June.
Johnny was NEVER in prison. He was arrested when he came back from Mexico for bringing back illegal pills in his guitar. Merle Haggard was in San Quentin when he heard Johnny preform. Johnny was in the military when he was a young man. The pic in the video is his mother and the lady in video is his second wife June Carter Cash.
Johnny was sick by the time he covered this Nine Inch Nails song. Their lead singer Trent Reznor wrote it
He was dead in 6 months
Rick Rubin produced this video and several other things Johnny did at this time
Cash was never sentanced to prison but he did spend time there performing ( and 7 "one night" days in jail on 7 arrests for various reasons).
You got it right, brother, the message received loud and clear: go hug your family, show love to people you do love, time just flies by too fast...
And you are right, this performance sounds like a goodbye, because it is. This was the last thing he ever recorded, and he passed away shortly after.
People already said here that the song was written by Trent Reznor (9 inch nails), and what initially was a song of a young man fighting addiction, took a whole new meaning when Johnny sang it. Music has it's own ways which can not be fully understood by reason.
Oh, that relentless piano note, just hammering so...
Edit: suggestion for the next Johnny's song - I won't back down
I’m a country girl living in Kentucky and the Rebel flag has just been a representation of Southern Pride. We love to get together, eat drink and be merry. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern Rock Band. So are The Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker Charlie Daniels to name a few. I just discovered you tonight and I doubt you’ll ever read this comment but I have watched about 10 of your videos tonight and enjoyed them all! Looking forward to watching more. Love your values and your opinions. I appreciate your Dad’s service to our country. Keep sharing the truth!!❤🙏🏼
Appreciate your reaction!! Johnny OWNED this song...but, so did Trent Reznor (who wrote it and originally performed it with Nine Inch Nails). The performances are so juxtaposed in meaning, in my mind, yet so similar in many ways. Aging is NOT for the weak: that is for sure. They both spoke to me in COMPLETELY different terms, each version...and, BOTH: SO IMPACTFUL. I still cannot make it through either performance without crying. It is amazing what music can make you feel: especially paired with the talented performers...not only for those who feel the EMPATHY of the performances, for those of us who have or are experiencing each meaning...but, also for those who may NEVER have experienced the conveyance of EITHER meaning; yet, as a human, one would hope that we would feel at LEAST the SYMPATHY of the two separate meanings - and they are both still so impactful - and both just tear at your soul: no matter what. HUGS, MAN!! Keep being the GOOD HUMAN THAT YOU ARE! ❤❤❤❤❤
I’ve heard Johnny’s cover so many times since its release when I was 23, and yet today it hits so differently at 44.
My Dad is only a year younger than Johnny was when he died. Really makes you think how much time you have with those close to you that are reaching those later years.
5 years ago I lost the love of my life, who was only 30, so now I’m left with the other half of my life without the one I always thought I’d grow old with. These songs really hit hard to be reminded that nothing else in this world matter aside from the ones you loved, and where you’ll be when your time ends.
This song was followed up by God's Gonna Cut You Down, the music video has a ton of cameos that you wouldn't believe. Country, rock, rap and hip hop stars, actors, models, it's really incredible all the people his music has touched. I've also mentioned before that the closest thing to rapping that Cash ever did was a song called "Get Rhythm", it's one of the fastest songs he performed.
One of my favorites
Yes, “God’s Gonna Cut You Down”!
Yes, please do that one next!
this one gets me everytime i hear it
You do you BP! We will always rock with the vibe!! And please do yourself a favor and listen to Trent Reznor's version, as he is the 1 who wrote it!
He was saying goodbye and him and his wife passed shortly after this was recorded. I can't hear this without crying...I've heard it over 100 times, easy!
I am so glad you did this one. I love the original and this cover by Johnny Cash has always struck me as so amazing.
You saying you felt Johnny's voice to your core is exactly how so many people feel when they hear him. His voice is so deep and raw and you just feel like the words and the pain pouring out of him is so real. I could tell you didn't want to stop the flow of this video and you should watch it without pause (as well as his last song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" which other singers had to step in to do the visuals for. The magic of Johnny Cash and why he's an icon is that you feel this man has a canyon of experience, loss, pain and redemption that just pours out of him and flows over you. You definitely need to catch The Man in Black if you haven't. Get the video where he first performs it on a campus. He wrote it overnight and sang it the next day. It is really something powerful.
Late in life Johnny Cash did a series of albums The American Years. Mainly covers and some of his best work. This is the standout song from this work.
All of those albums are great and everyone could easily find their own gems within them.
This was the last song Johnny recorded before his death. He finished it just weeks before he died.
Well done BP! Amazing song, Trent basically gifted this to Mr Cash, one of the most amazing tracks done to perfection, so much love, regret, pride, just power. 🤩
I think the woman wearing red in the portrait, is Johnny Cash's mother-in-law, Maybelle Carter. She was a member of the famous pioneers of country/folk music, The Carter Family. Maybelle created her own guitar picking style that included bass and melody at the same time.
Cash was a drug addict way back in the 60s.. I heard a story that he supposedly wanted to die and walked into cave near a show he played. He said it was pitch black and he laid down and wanted to just die there. He claimed to hear God tell him to get up and leave the cave. After that he got treatment for his drug use and beat it for good.. People who knew him later in life said he was the kindest most giving person they had ever met. His biggest success came after that moment in his life. He recorded the the Live at Folsom Prison that same year, which has sold over 3 million albums, which doesn't count streaming.
Cash spent months living in Colorado looking after Hank Williams Jr. after he fell off a cliff. He was in a full body cast when John and June showed up within days and never left him. Lenny Kravitz met him minutes after he found out his mother passed away. John and June comforted him and stayed in contact in the weeks that followed. Lenny said he had never experienced such love from someone he didn't even know. I'm sure there are dozens of stories like this that we will never hear about.
You’re doing good things, BP. Having a 360 eclectic attitude will lead you to wondrous experiences. Much love! ❤
I am glad to have Johnny Cash music in my life...since 1969, born in 62; I would tell you, the many chapters of life and story are within his music. I have found solace and joy in his songs...it has helped me. I have come to believe that, "It Ain't Sunday without CASH playing on the stereo". CASH is my church and each song will be absorbed and interpreted through out your years...as time matures you.
I have almost ALL of his records...almost; from 45's to 33's, cassette and CD's; some no longer in production. I have read all 3 of his books and met him 3 times...he actually remembered me too.
Next to my grandparents, the most iconic relationship i can relate to is the one he had with his wife, June Carter.
Legendary.
Have you seen the film, Walk the Line? Do it. Once you get bit, your life will change.
THIS is the song that started my journey of John Cash..."Singing Vietnam, Talkin Blues"
ua-cam.com/video/x0mUOmE7-O0/v-deo.html
I'm a rock/metal lover. In my playlist, I actually have Johnny's version of this song not NIN. There is so much raw emotion in this song. Really punches you in your gut and makes you think about how your life is going.
Johnny Cash is a country legend and I love his music and his style! I love classic country! This song is so touching! He was an amazing artist until the end! RIP 💝💝
Sometimes it takes the heavy yet honest words of an old man to make us see what's important in life. Because when a man who had it all but now in age is telling us he doesn't want anything but the one's he loved throughout the years, you gotta stop and take a look at your own life and try to make sure you don't end up regretting the decisions you've made.
the first time I heard(watched) this was on MUCH music, I remember it as being an "ah ha" moment... like this was a special moment in music.
Johnny Cash’s version of this song still gives me goose bumps & makes my cry every time I hear it. Thank you for your reaction ❤❤
This song is about the painful experience of grief the love of his life. His wife passed away May 2003 and he died September 2003
The photo on the wall is of his mother - the woman is his wife June Carter Cash who died between filming the video and the song's release, shortly before Johnny himself died
6:47 The woman in the picture was his mother that died. The woman at the end was his wife. Both she, and then Johnny, died shortly after this was recorded.
The video and the lyrics are so powerful. Even more so if you know his history. You should react to "Man in Black". I think that shows who he was as a person best. And "One Piece at a Time" for fun. 😊
"Man in Black" is to Johnny Cash as "Hi Ren" is to Ren.
My sister is a fan of Johnny Cash, and when she heard this song, she promptly introduced it to the family. When I said "yeah, it's a pretty good cover" my sister grinned, because she made sure she showed our parents while I was there because she already knew exactly how this conversation would play out...
"What? This can't be a cover. I could believe if you said someone wrote this for Cash to sing, but it's *definitely* about his life. Nobody else could have written this."
"I have this song, performed by a different artist, on a CD you bought me in the 90s. Johnny Cash first played it this year."
"HOW?"
You have to listen to the original of this song at some point to compare to this version. It's an incredible song, and it's one which has been performed in different ways by a few artists (including a duet of Trent Reznor, the original songwriter, and David Bowie). Every time I've heard someone "cover" this song, it doesn't feel like a cover, it feels like a new song which just happens to have the same tune and almost the same lyrics (Johnny Cash didn't want to swear, "crown of thorns" didn't originally say "thorns" and I've heard a version from another singer who changed "my sweetest friend" to "my dearest friend").
I also recommend, in addition to listening to more from Johnny Cash (because of course you should do that, but you know it already), looking up more of Nine Inch Nails than just the original of this song. There are a lot of common recommendations, and they're all great songs, so just pick one with a title that catches your eye, you can't really go wrong.
As others have said, Trent Reznor of NIN wrote this but Trent gave Johnny his flowers. He is him. The man in black forever and always ❤️. Your reaction to this song is all of us. Love and respect to you.
He is so great, I'm 67, when your parents go away, your loved ones, grandchildren, your life gets shorter than you know.
JC paid a hell of a price in the end for his success. It makes me appreciate your reaction channel so much more when you get to know the artist. He was heavily addicted and his wife june Carter stayed thru it all with him❤he was an alcoholic, cocaine addict when he broke into the scene with the other great legends of his time. It’s def deep
Correction - if you research Johnny Cash you will find that it is a well known fact (based on those who were around him and knew him well, as well as his own admissions) that Johnny Cash never did cocaine, heroin, or IV drugs - his drugs were pills - amphetamines, barbiturates, various pain killers. He had a disease called chemical addiction (which millions of people suffer from) which meant that he was very susceptible to addiction. If he had to take pain killers after an operation, dental surgery, etc., he would become re-addicted easily. He had many surgeries, including heart bypass surgery, so he had a difficult time staying away from pain killers - being in constant physical pain is horrible. He would say, if asked, that amphetamines were his drug of choice - they were given to him (many times by doctors) in the mid to late 1950s to help him stay awake during his nonstop touring schedule and he became addicted to them over time - he added the barbiturates to help him come down and get sleep and became addicted to them also. He fought his addictions his entire life, and was very open about it - he never gave up.
I had to search through your stuff to see if you reacted to this song. I tear up listening to this song everytime.
I don’t think I’ve ever cried during a Music reaction video, but this one got me. It just reminds me not to only live for the present, but for my whole life. When we get to the end, we wanna look back and see that we’ve built a positive healthy, loving life and family That we can be proud of.
My feelings exactly. I'm a mess right now but in a beautiful way.
Just stumbled into the channel, good stuff. I think this is the one of the two best "farewells" of rock. Queens's Innuendo album, specifically The Show Must Go On is the other.
This is one of America's greatest artists reworking and truly owning a song written by one of America's next generation of insanely talented musicians.
Please, go and explore the incredible music Mr. Cash gave us and then take a look at what Mr Trent Reznor has done... I look forward to seeing your mind being blown!
I’m an old southern born grandma and have just discovered you by chance on YT. Love your heart and open mindedness. You have a new fan from an unlikely walk of life. Bless you!
What a song huh?
I haven't really deep dived into Johnny Cash. Something i probably should do. But I've listened to this song whenever it popped up, and it has popped up a few times since it came out and I really try to listened to it every time the song gets played. And it leaves me teary eyed every time. The song is so powerful..
Also you said that this kinda felt like a goodbye.. He sadly passed away not to long after this video was made, less then 4 months after his wife.
This song really gets you thinking on whats important in life and what's not.
Then go listen to Boy named Sue, God’s gonna cut you down, Folsom prison blues and anything else his name is on.. Ohhhhh the beautiful gritty Music journey you’ll go on💕
@@rachelcarter5282 Put it in my watch later. Watching something now so ill watch it later. Is there a video you recommend? There is no video for it just audio or lives?
@@Danny_R_ Definitely videos
@@rachelcarter5282 ok but is there an Official music video? Or just live videos? Couldn't find a official video.
I can’t watch this video without tears welling in my eyes...perfect song for the perfect artist, God Bless Johnny Cash
My condolences on your mother. Even years later, the sting is still there.
My father was a fan of Johnny Cash and would subject us to country music in the car. I never much cared for it as a child, although I grew to appreciate Johnny Cash when I was older. The song and most of the lyrics were actually written by Trent Reznor for his industrial metal band, nine inch nails. The original version was about a middle-aged man looking at his youth and what his drug addiction cost him. A decade later, a dying Johnny Cash covered the song. He changed a few words and obviously modified it towards a more country sound with different instruments. Johnny Cash had a life of drug use, a failed marriage, cheating, and decades of regret all boiled into one song. It was recorded a few weeks before his wife, June Carter Cash, passed away. She's the woman in the staircase. The woman in the picture is Cash's mother.
I was about to go to college when the song came out and didn't really think about the lyrics in the NIN version. I cried when I heard Johnny Cash's cover. It took me more than a year after my father passed away before I could even listen to the song and I still cry.
We all have regrets and we all lose people. This is doubly true for those of us who suffered substance abuse and fight everyday not to lose more.
"Sitting on a chair with broken thoughts I cannot repair" is a deep deep line. It's one of the best explanation of depression. People will call it a black dog but sitting on a chair with thoughts you can't just repair and surrounded by the despair of bad choices. Damn
This is going to be short bc of space but I have known depression and I have done some stupid things, mostly to me. You sound like a thoughtful nice person. If you haven’t already, have that conversation, crying and asking for forgiveness over we very sin you can remember that troubles you. You leave that for God to carry on his shoulders and you go live you best life helping others along the way. The more of yourself you give to others the less you are depressed. I absolutely promise. Smiles and hugs
This is going to be short bc of space but I have known depression and I have done some stupid things, mostly to me. You sound like a thoughtful nice person. If you haven’t already, have that conversation, crying and asking for forgiveness over we very sin you can remember that troubles you. You leave that for God to carry on his shoulders and you go live you best life helping others along the way. The more of yourself you give to others the less you are depressed. I absolutely promise. Smiles and hugs
This is going to be short bc of space but I have known depression and I have done some stupid things, mostly to me. You sound like a thoughtful nice person. If you haven’t already, have that conversation, crying and asking for forgiveness over we very sin you can remember that troubles you. You leave that for God to carry on his shoulders and you go live you best life helping others along the way. The more of yourself you give to others the less you are depressed. I absolutely promise. Smiles and hugs
I discovered your amazing channel today. Thank you for your work, and courage!
I'm a 53 year old mother/grandmother. I have a 30 year old son, that I love more than anything else on this earth. I'm so sorry that you lost your mama! I can promise you, that she's smiling down from heaven, with tremendous pride , seeing the man you've become! God bless you!!! 🥰❤️
That feeling you describe at the end, the strange happiness, feels like a strange second chance to me. The performance of Johnny Cash really superimposes his feelings of loss and regret onto whoever is open to the words and feelings. I feel like he has gifted the listeners a fraction of the desire for a second chance he wishes for.
I always think I'm ready and then he pours the wine out on the table with his shaking hand and that STARE. The way he sets the glass back down so hard... I tear up everytime.
Trent wrote it but Johnny owned it❤️🏴
I was a very young girl when i first heard Johnny Cash on the radio singing One Piece at a Time. It cracked me up. Next time i heard him i was at Grandmas and she put on a record. I knew the voice because he had a voice that pulled you in and made you listen, rolling along the notes. My boys took one listen and love Johnny Cash's music. How can you not?
Johnny and June trusted in Jesus and June passed right after this johnny passed 4 months later to reunite with her🤗🤗🎆
Johnnys wife was June Carter Cash. She first performed with her family The Carter Family. Her mother wasMother Maybelke Carter. This family was very instrumental in helping Johnny get off drugs and get his life turned around. The Carter Fsmily sang songs from Appalachia, which may not be your cup of tea, but that music has some very rich history. Look them up.