Hurt (3:36)
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“Hurt” was written by Trent Reznor and first released on Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 album The Downward Spiral. Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” was released on his 2002 album, American IV: The Man Comes Around.
Rick Rubin, producer of Cash’s American series and a friend of Reznor’s, suggested the song to Cash. The line “crown of shit” was changed to “crown of thorns”, not only removing profanity from the lyrics, but also more directly referencing Christ. The cover was released on a single with the B-side “Personal Jesus”, a cover of the Depeche Mode single.
Reznor said that when Rubin first asked if Cash could cover his song, he was “flattered” but worried that “the idea sounded a bit gimmicky.” He became a fan of Cash’s version, however, once he saw the music video: “I pop the video in, and wow… Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps… Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn’t mine anymore… It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning - different, but every bit as pure.”
Johnny Cash’s version was awarded the Country Music Award for “Single of the Year” in 2003. It ranked as CMT’s top video for 2003, #1 on CMT’s 100 Greatest Country Music Videos the following year, and #1 on the Top 40 Most Memorable Music Videos on MuchMoreMusic’s Listed in October 2007.
Rick Rubin, producer of Cash’s American series and a friend of Reznor’s, suggested the song to Cash. The line “crown of shit” was changed to “crown of thorns”, not only removing profanity from the lyrics, but also more directly referencing Christ. The cover was released on a single with the B-side “Personal Jesus”, a cover of the Depeche Mode single.
Reznor said that when Rubin first asked if Cash could cover his song, he was “flattered” but worried that “the idea sounded a bit gimmicky.” He became a fan of Cash’s version, however, once he saw the music video: “I pop the video in, and wow… Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps… Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn’t mine anymore… It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning - different, but every bit as pure.”
Johnny Cash’s version was awarded the Country Music Award for “Single of the Year” in 2003. It ranked as CMT’s top video for 2003, #1 on CMT’s 100 Greatest Country Music Videos the following year, and #1 on the Top 40 Most Memorable Music Videos on MuchMoreMusic’s Listed in October 2007.
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This is dedicated to my father who I lost to cancer. He was a Johnny Cash Fan to the end. I credit any musical talent I may have to him and God. I don't do this song very much because it stirs up to…
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American IV: The Man Comes Around
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Unearthed (disc 5: Best of Cash on American)
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Hurt / Personal Jesus
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Shouts
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smurfao wrote:
fantastic
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johnkyle wrote:
Oh my God. When I was 3 I had a cassette tape of Live at Folsom Prison in my Fisher Price tape player. My dad is cool. I saw Johnny live in Santa Cruz in '97. I'm gonna cry listening to this song. Johnny is a big influence on me and my music.
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hystericalmuser wrote:
the best ever song.
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AlastorHell wrote:
brings tears to my eyes, i loved Trent's version but this is beautiful
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budred wrote:
Conquestaxe, you stole my comment, that's exactly how I feel. Peace! ,\m/
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traubster wrote:
The original is fantastic. This is good in it's own right. They have two completely different tones.
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fAgalloch wrote:
the original sucks. this version is full of sex.
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Conquestaxe wrote:
I don't care for his other songs, but this one is so good it sends chills down my spine.
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Stretchead wrote:
simply moving
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elizajane1985 wrote:
I Love this song!!!
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annafofanna wrote:
sounds like a sinners plea to me...thank God He is the same yesterday as He is today and tomorrow. Thank God for forgiveness!
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Wipqozn wrote:
When his voice crackles at 3:14...most emotional song there is. The perfect cover
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Ackibear wrote:
If Reznor approves, I approve as well. Very few songs truly touch me, and this is one of them. R.I.P Johnny Cash.
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Hold-Me-Close wrote:
So very sad, but I ask for the chance to have that empire of dirt. Sandcastles are made of dirt, even if they are only temporary. Let's build together...
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BFD31095 wrote:
A lesson on how to take a crap song and make it good.
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nickalsnick wrote:
thx j.
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BalooUriza wrote:
Goth kids are nothing. This guy's Johnny Cash. He covers a Nine Inch Nails song, and dies within a week of finishing it. This guy was looking for the right song to go out on. He found it and dropped dead. Screw the bats: He's the man in black.
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zapatosgrandes wrote:
sigh...
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kano716 wrote:
What a man...gotta love him
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ToneLeMoan wrote:
We play a game sometimes: What music would we have loved if we'd been born 10, 20, 50, 500 years earlier? Johnny Cash proves he was a goth before his time :P Big crossover possibility between country and goth/ industrial anyway. Anyone ever hear The Sisters of Mercy's cover of Jolene?
Johnny Cash
Hurt
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