Johnny Cash is a name that I would hope all of us, or at least, most of us, know. But what most people who do listen to Johnny Cash already know is that his arguably best song, “Hurt,” was not originally his.
Yes, the phenomenal song that has brought millions of people to tears because of the emotion that Johnny displays while he is essentially on his deathbed was not originally his. It was originally a Nine Inch Nails song of the same name.
During the recordings of the “American” series of albums (a quadrilogy), Cash got put in front of a microphone with a guitar and was told to record anything that he wanted to. Cash was reluctant to cover “Hurt” at first, but his producer, Rick Rubin, insisted on the song.
And his cover is magical, it is becoming one of my most listened-to songs on Spotify, its deep themes and reflections on Cash’s life hit every emotional note I did and didn’t know I had.
I saw this in a comment on the album, “Trent Reznor’s [Nine Inch Nails’ singer] ‘Hurt’ was a suicide note, Cash’s version is a eulogy.” And this note struck me, because both versions, while great, convey different meanings entirely.
Personally speaking, I prefer Cash’s version of “Hurt” because of the impact of the regret of his life on the album. On the whole, though, the “American” series stands as Cash’s best, most cohesive album and it’s a series of albums that I look forward to listening to every time that I put it on.
I recommend the song “Hurt,” but not the Nine Inch Nails version, the great Johnny Cash version.
