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Cinemetal

JOHNNY CASH IS METAL

 Thursday, February 26th, 2009 at 1:15pm by

Today would have been Johnny Cash’s 77th birthday. In his honor, here’s his video for “Hurt” – a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song from the producer of Reign in Blood.

Is this version superior to Trent Reznor’s original? Cash’s age (and personal history) certainly lends the lyrics extra poignancy; he’s not a young man belly aching, but an old man looking back at the mess of his life.

Discuss!

-AR

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  • crapmcpoopin

    Dude. I have been saying this for years. Johnny was such a killer dude.

  • Cisco

    I really appreciate this cover to the original, there is just a certain pain in Mr. Cash’s voice that wasn’t in the orginal version of the song. Also, I read an interview sometime ago where Trent was asked how he felt about the Cash cover and Reznor replied, ‘the song is no longer my own’.

  • agreed

    total agree with everything cisco. couldn’t have said it beter the timber in his voice. the cry of pain. from beginning to end it makes you feel as though you can truely understand what he’s been through.
    ending produces goosebumps every time.

  • hibernum

    But isn’t Rusty Cage more metal than Hurt?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGBZf5oKspk

  • Chip Northcutt

    Metal Indeed. Blowing things up, high on pills, playing things fast. The original Man In Black. True, Cult, etc.

  • Selaphiel

    I’ve always been bothered by a single lyric change – “Crown of shit” was turned into “Crown of thorns”.

    “Crown of shit” gives a sense of worthlessness, but “crown of thorns” give an automatic attachment to the J man and delivers a message of sacrifice.

    That’s the way I’ve always seen it, at least…

    Cash’s version is great, but I prefer NIN’s. It’s like debating whether Linkin Park’s cover of “Wish” is better than the original (They’re both awesome in their own ways, but still somehow the same song)

  • Anus Apache

    J Cash is all that is metal

  • wata

    It’s usually pretty lame when an artist dies and everyone jumps on the bandwagon. But in the case of Johnny Cash, it’s necessary for people to be exposed to his music even if by being on the bandwagon.

  • Ninja

    This version -and video- is DEVASTATING. Every time. Trent’s right, this is no longer his.

  • Me

    this version is way better.

  • http://metalmartyr.com Metal Martyr

    Johnny Cash was a Christian man and he would often change lyrics to cover songs. There’s nothing wrong with that. He did a cover of a Danzig song called Thirteen that he changed the lyrics to slightly. Can’t blame a man for not wanting to renounce his religion even in a song. It doesn’t make him any better or worse of a man because he believed in Jesus.

    Cash always did awesome covers of anyone, whether it was U2, Beck, Tom Petty, etc.

  • DJ

    I don’t think its arguable which version is better. Reznor himself said the song is no longer his, Cash took it to another level. He doesn’t listen to his own version of the song anymore.

  • joshc

    saw him play at the carter fold during the last week or two of his life, one of the most amazing things i’ll ever see.

    and while i will love metal til the day i die, there has never been, nor will there ever be, a metal song as devastating as this one.

  • pokesmot

    cash was the man

  • Rob

    Johnny Cash is incredible and everyone should listen to him! If Delia’s Gone isn’t one of the most disturbing songs I’ve ever heard, then I don’t know what is.

    That is very noble of Trent to say that. Good guy!

  • Pluto

    Cash was definitely a man who earned his legend status.
    Happy Birthday, Johnny

    (what the hell are you talking about, Selaphiel ???
    Linkin Park totally ruined “Wish” and should be forgotten)

  • uLy

    This version without the video sounds out of pace, honestly. It just doesn’t sound right with his voice and the tempo of the song. Trent’s is better, but what makes this song great under Cash is the videos of his life and his image all together at an old age.

  • Ben

    NIN song is better. But this video in conjunction with the song is crushing.

  • Phil

    One of the most powerful pieces of film I have ever seen.

  • Tyler

    Better than the original, which is saying something.

    Cash’s version is flawless.

  • slips

    MASTERPIECE

  • Randy

    Whoa! You guys just Coldplayed all over my Satch!

    I made a post called Johnny Cash= Metal on my blog and I had comparative videos of Cash and Danzig both doing Thirteen. Now that is METAL! Not some Nine Inch Nails garbage.

    http://theofficialmetalshowmetalblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/johnny-cash-metal.html

    I have half a mind to sue you guys. Just kidding of course. Unless…

  • crapmcpoopin

    This song is far better than the NIN version. I never particularly liked NIN or Hurt.

    The video is also made by one of the best music video directors ever, Mark Romanek.

    Dear Metalsucks, now you see what a real music video looks like and not some fucking terrible, visually nauseating trash that David Brodsky puts out.

  • http://www.myspace.com/somethinglikesweet CJ

    Thank you, Metalsucks (and, by association, MS bloggers), for educating me on what is truly metal.

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    Fuck NIN.

    Now that I have it out of the way, also Selaphiel, fuck Linkin Park, although I found the video for What I’ve Done pretty moving in a U2 pretentious way, the rest of it is utter shit.

    Moving right along, I always found it funny, Cash was part of my life since I was a kid, Grandpa and Grandma love him, he was always playing on cassettes in the car. You probably guessed my hyper-religious ignorant aunt hated his music. I was surprised when one day this brilliant, moving video came out, and suddenly all these alternative/metal kids were riding his balls, and had been completely unaware of his vast body of work until that point while claiming the exact opposite.

    Sort of like how you’re a fan of a band before they’re popular, and once they hit it big the “hip” people shit on them and now you’re forever associated with the general, retarded audience. I find that aspect annoying, and now because of this one song he’s “in” with the hip metal/alternative sheep, which is essentially shitting on the rest of his music.

    Anyway, you can guess which version I think is better.

  • http://fuckyouimfromhell.wordpress.com Sanches

    Cash is more metal than anyone. He played live in a prison, he died of love.

  • Iggins

    Reznor has publicly stated that the song was part inspired by Cash’s life, so it makes sense that it sounds better as his dying song.

    • JugNub

      It was never about Johnny Cash’s life, nor inspired by him. The song was inspired by Trent being addicted to crack and constantly being depressed and wanting to kill himself.

  • http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/82/image1llrk5.jpg Revrant

    Actually his last and “dying” song was “Like The 309″, which was pretty suiting if you ever look it up.