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Are you still sexually active and one morning you wake up with an overwhelming desire for Johnny Cash, but have no idea where on earth to start?
The question, in fact, is not a trivial one: how to navigate an artist (class of '32) active since the early '50s, prolific until just a few years ago, with practically an endless discography behind him?
Beware of the Best of collections, which do justice to no one, and least of all to someone with 50 years of career under their belt. Rather, follow my advice and dive headfirst into the albums released under Rick Rubin's American Recordings. Five must-have gems that open a small window into the immense world of this immense artist. Not considering myself a great expert on Cash, I could be hugely mistaken, nonetheless, what I can tell you is that these albums constitute an opportunity not to be missed, especially for those, like me, who aren't really into country music.
Besides, rejecting a genre like country is certainly not a sufficient reason to deny oneself an essential artist like Johnny Cash. And that seems to be what Rick Rubin, an old fox of the music business, has understood, as he manages with the American cycle to build a bridge between the American singer-songwriter and the new generations, accustomed to very different sounds. And while seeing a dinosaur like Cash reinterpret various Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, and U2 is quite impressive (and can legitimately raise some doubts about the commercial intents of the operation), on the other hand, I can assure you that we can merrily disregard any alleged conspiracies at the expense of our wallets, since Cash silences all naysayers with the overwhelming weight of his talent.
Whether it's rock, pop, or electronics, everything is filtered through the voice, the guitar, and the immense charisma of the American singer-songwriter, who is capable of absorbing the most diverse sounds and transforming them into something of his own. Folks, these five albums are Johnny Cash albums, no doubt about it. Buy them because each one is better than the last. From the intimate "American Recordings", to the multifaceted "Unchained", passing through the phenomenal "Solitary Man" and "The Man Comes Around", to the recent "A Hundred Highways", released after Cash's death, they cover the last ten years of the American singer-songwriter's life: the death of his beloved wife, the struggle with illness, the increasingly intimate relationship with God, and the spiritual travails of a man who, alone, heads solemnly toward death. I say "alone" because in the face of death one is always alone, this is a step, which is faced in solitude. Solitude that, at least apparently, certainly did not characterize the last years of the singer's life, surrounded by the warmth and affection of family and many friends. Yet I have always detected a sense of solitude in Cash's music, and particularly in these last works. An epic of solitude that with the years ended up losing the virile tones of youth and gradually transformed into a condition of acceptance of one's Fate, sometimes serene, other times filled with the fatalism typical of those approaching the End and the pain that life knows how to reserve until the end.
Cash's country becomes a mystical adventure, no longer referring to the epic crossings of the cowboys during the Conquest, but becomes the migration of a Man from Life to Death (or, as Cash himself would say, a journey into the welcoming arms of a merciful God), taking on also sacred tones (just listen to the remake of Nick Cave's "Mercy Seat" contained in "Solitary Man" to understand what I'm saying). These five works are like a photo album, a diary that testifies to a spiritual journey, in which the traveler, who well knows his ultimate destination, gradually sheds unnecessary baggage, earthly ornaments, aiming at the essence of things, yet without losing his own humanity, doubts and weaknesses that characterize it.
"Unchained", released in 1996, is still an album full of life, I have to say. Of the five, it is certainly the most lively. Here Cash is not alone with his guitar, but is accompanied by his friend Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers. And as a result, the sound becomes less minimal and more composite than in the past. The compositions come to shine with refined arrangements, and the fact that there is a real band behind Cash makes everything more rock-oriented (and in fact we certainly won't be here crying betrayal if here and there an electric guitar peeks out). The songs are varied and wide-ranging, touching on a bit of all the sounds that Cash has embraced over his very long career. We will thus encounter inevitably country tracks, such as the opener "Rowboat" (by Beck) with slide guitar and brushes, or pieces like "Sea of Heartbreak" and "The One Rose". We will witness regurgitations of old, good old rock'n'roll jockeying, like "Country Boy", "Mean Eyed Cat" and "I've Been Everywhere", massive fifties rides that will get even the laziest and most indolent of listeners tapping their feet. But above all, we will be delighted by splendid ballads, in which, I must say, Cash gives his best. Pieces that, in my opinion, alone are worth the purchase of the album. And I'm referring to the immense "Spiritual" (in which the word Jesus recurs as many times as Satan is screamed in a Deicide album): a moving prayer shining with a stellar interpretation, a shivers-inducing emotional crescendo that finally clarifies, for those who still had any doubts, the immense artistic stature of Johnny Cash. There is then the incredible interpretation of Petty's own "Southern Accents", and the title track, with a backdrop of strings, that brings us back to the more tense and decadent Cash. A particular nod, finally, goes to "Rusty Cage" by Soundgarden, and its rocking interlude, in which the drums finally do its job and Cash's voice rises titanic over everything, painting spirited scenes of perdition. Wonderful.
What really is important to emphasize is the magic of Cash's fantastic voice that can make even the most mushy and retro moments shine, those episodes that in the end turn out to be more thorny and certainly less appealing for those who, as I mentioned at the outset, do not appreciate certain sounds. After all, Johnny Cash would make even an Orietta Berti song interesting.
"Unchained" does not have the intimate depth of "American Recordings", nor does it have the fatalism that will characterize the subsequent, increasingly minimal and sparse works. "Unchained" does, however, have the merit of delivering us for the last time a joyful and lively Cash. "Unchained", by virtue of its versatility, is ultimately a good starting point for entering the world of this artist, often unjustly snubbed because reduced to being labeled as a simple country musician. This, folks, is not country, this is great music, and depriving oneself of it becomes a venial sin for anyone who lives music 360°. Besides, it's no use exhorting you anymore: like a drug, these albums will inevitably take hold of you and I'm sure you will make them yours in no time at all. In fact, I already know that many of you have already done so!
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Rowboat (03:43)
rowboat
row me to the shore
she don't
wanna be my friend no more
she dug a hole
in the bottom of my soul
she don't
wanna be my friend no more
pick me up
give me some food to eat
in your truck
goin' no place
I'll be home
talkin' to nobody
you'll be strange
you'll be far away
big fat moon
and my body's out of tune
with the burnin' waves
she's a billion years away
dogfood on the floor
and I've been like this before
she is all
and everything else is small
pick me up
give me some alcohol
in your truck
playin' the radio
I'll be home
with the gasoline
you'll be stoned
you'll be far away
rowboat
row me to the shore
she don't
wanna be my friend no more
she dug a hole
in the bottom of my soul
she is all
and everything else is small
02 Sea of Heartbreak (02:42)
The lights In the harbor
Don't shine for me
I'm like a lost ship adrift on the sea
Sea of heartbreak
Lost love and loneliness
Memories of your caress
So divine I wish you were mine
Again my dear
I am on this sea of tears
Sea of heartbreak
How did I lose you
Oh where did I fail
Why did you leave me
Always to sail
Oh what I'd give to sail back to shore
Back to your arms once more
Come to my rescue
Come here to me
Take me and keep me
Away from the sea
03 Rusty Cage (02:49)
You wired me awake
and hit me with a hand of broken nails.
You tied my lead and pulled my chain
to watch my blood begin to boil.
But I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
Too cold to start a fire
I'm burning diesel, burning dinosaur bones.
I'll take the river down to still water
and ride a pack of dogs.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
When the forest burns along the road
like God's eyes in my headlights.
When the dogs are looking for their bones
and it's raining icepicks on your steel shore.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
I'm gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
I'm gonna break
I'm gonna break my
gonna break my rusty cage and run.
07 Spiritual (05:07)
Jesus I don't wanna die alone Jesus oh Jesus I don't wanna die alone
My love wasn't true Now all I have is you
Jesus oh Jesus I don't wanna die alone
Jesus If you hear my last breath
Don't leave me here Left to die a lonely death I know I have sinned but Lord I'm suffering
Jesus Oh Jesus If you hear my last breath
Jesus I don't wanna die alone Jesus oh Jesus I don't wanna die alone
My love wasn't true Now all I have is you
Jesus Oh Jesus I don't wanna die alone
Jesus Jesus All my troubles All My pain Will leave me Once again
All my troubles All my pain Will leave me once again
All my troubles All my pain Will leave me once again Once again
08 The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea (02:32)
Lord have mercy on me
Was the kneeling drunkard's plea
And as he knelt there on the ground
I know that God in heaven looked down
I went down by an old country church
I saw the drunkard stagger and lurch
And as he reached his mother's grave
I saw that drunkard kneel and pray
Lord have mercy on me
Was the kneeling drunkard's plea
And as he knelt there on the ground
I know that God in heaven looked down
Bring my darling boy to me
Was his mother's dying plea
And as he staggered through the gate
Alas, he came just one day too late
Three years have passed since she went away
Her son is sleeping beside her today
And I know that in heaven his mother he'll see
For God has heard that drunkard's plea
Lord have mercy on me
Was the kneeling drunkard's plea
And as he knelt there on the ground
I know that God in heaven looked down
09 Southern Accents (04:41)
There's a southern accent
Where I come from
The young'uns call it country
The Yankees call it dumb
I got my own way of talkin'
But everything is done
With a southern accent
Where I come from
Now that drunk tank in Atlanta
Was just a motel room to me
I think I might go work Orlando
If them orange groves don't freeze
I got my own way of workin'
But everything is run
With a southern accent
Where I come from
For just a minute there I was dreaming
For just a minute it was all so real
For just a minute she was standing there
With me
There's a dream that I keep having
Where my mama comes to me
And she kneels down over by the window
And says a prayer for me
I got my own way of prayin'
And everyone's begun
With a southern accent
Where I come from
We have our own way of livin'
And everything is done
With a southern accent
Where I come from
10 Mean Eyed Cat (02:33)
I give my woman half my money at the general store I said, "Now buy a little groceries, and don't spend no more." But she gave ten dollars for a ten cent hat And bought some store bought cat food for a mean eyed cat.
When I give her ten more dollars for a one way ticket She was mad as she could be Then I bet ten more that if she ever left She'd come a-crawlin' back to me When I woke up this mornin' and I turned my head There wasn't a cotton pickin' thing on her side of the bed I found a little old note where her head belonged It said, "Dear John, honey, baby, I'm long gone."
When I heard a whistle blowin', and the big wheels a-turnin' I was scared as I could be I put on my overalls and I headed to town Gonna bring her back with me.
I asked the man down at the station if he'd seen her there I told him all about her pretty eyes and long, blonde hair He spit his tobacco, said, "I'll be dad blamed...... I believe I did see her leavin' on the east bound train."
I bought a round trip ticket on the east bound train I was broke as I could be But when I come back, gotta buy another ticket Gotta bring her back with me.
Well, I got off the train somewhere in Arkansas And I worked up the guts to call my Mother-In-Law She said, "I'll tell you where she is, if you act right." "She's workin' four to twelve at Trucker's World tonight."
When I walked in she saw me, and she took off her apron And she grabbed her goin' home hat She bought a ticket with her tips And now we're curled up on the sofa, me and her....and that mean eyed cat
12 I Never Picked Cotton (02:39)
(Chorus) I never picked cotton Like my mother did Or my brother did Or my sister did And my daddy died young Workin' in a coal mine
When I was just a baby Too little for a cotton sack I played in the dirt While the others worked 'Til they couldn't straighten up their backs I made myself a promise When I was old enough to run That I'd never stay a single day In that Oklahoma sun
(Chorus) Folks said I grew up early And that the farm couldn't hold me then so I stole ten bucks and a pickup truck And I never went back again Then it was fast cars and whiskey Long legged girls and fun I had everything that money could bring And I took it all with a gun
(Chorus) It was Saturday night in Memphis And a redneck grabbed my shirt When he said go back to your cotton sack I left him dying in the dirt They'll take me in the morning To the gallows just outside And in the time I got There ain't a hell of alot That I can look back on with pride
(Chorus)
13 Unchained (02:51)
I have been ungrateful And I have been unwise Restless from the cradle But now I realize It's so hard to see the rainbow Through glasses dark as these Maybe I'll be able From down on my knees
Oh I am weak Oh I know I am vain Take this weight from me Let my spirit be unchained
Old man swearin' at the sidewalk And I am overcome Seems that we've both forgotten Forgotten to go home
Have I seen an angel Or have I seen a ghost Where's that rock of ages When you need it most
It's so hard to see the rainbow Through glasses dark as these Maybe I'll be able From down on my knees
14 I've Been Everywhere (03:17)
I was totin my pack along the long dusty Winnamucka road
When along came a semi with a high canvas covered load
If your goin' to Winnamucka, Mack with me you can ride
And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside
He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand
And I said, "Listen! I've traveled every road in this here land!"
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to:
Reno
Chicago
Fargo
Minnesota
Buffalo
Toronto
Winslow
Sarasota
Wichita
Tulsa
Ottowa
Oklahoma
Tampa
Panama
Mattua
La Paloma
Bangor
Baltimore
Salvador
Amarillo
Tocapillo
Pocotello
Amperdllo
I'm a Killer
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to:
Boston
Charleston
Dayton
Louisiana
Washington
Houston
Kingston
Texarkana
Monterey
Ferriday
Santa Fe
Tollaperson
Glen Rock
Black Rock
Little Rock
Oskaloussa
Tennessee
Tinnesay
Chickapee
Spirit Lake
Grand Lake
Devil's Lake
Crater Lake
For Pete's Sake
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to:
Louisville
Nashville
Knoxville
Omerback
Shereville
Jacksonville
Waterville
Costa Rock
Richfield
Springfield
Bakersfield
Shreveport
Hackensack
Cadallic
Fond du Lac
Davenport
Idaho
Jellico
Argentina
Diamondtina
Pasadena
Catalina
See What I Mean
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
I've been to:
Pittsburgh
Parkersburg
Gravelburg
Colorado
Ellisburg
Rexburg
Vicksburg
Eldorado
Larimore
Adimore
Habastock
Chadanocka
Shasta
Nebraska
Alaska
Opalacka
Baraboo
Waterloo
Kalamazoo
Kansas City
Sioux City
Cedar City
Dodge City
What A Pity
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breathed the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere
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