Johnny Cash: An American Original Returns good article.
By Anthony DeCurtis - Reprinted from NewYorkTimes.com - February 24, 2002
Earlier this month saw the release of The Essential Johnny Cash, a superb two-disc collection that also includes eight of the legendary tracks (like I Walk the Line and Big River) Mr. Cash recorded between 1955 and 1958 for the influential Sun label, where Elvis Presley also established his career.
Tuesday marks Mr. Cash's 70th birthday, and to commemorate that event, Columbia/Legacy has begun an extensive reissue campaign that draws on the dozens of albums Mr. Cash recorded for Columbia between 1958 and 1993.
Since he left Columbia in 1993, Mr. Cash has made three albums with the producer Rick Rubin that are regarded as among his finest. They are notable both for their austere sound emphasizing the gravitas of Mr. Cash's incomparable voice — and the boldness of their song selection. On those records, Mr. Cash has performed versions of his own songs, traditional ballads, spirituals and material written by artists as varied as Beck, Glenn Danzig, Neil Diamond and Nick Cave. “When I signed with Rick's label about 10 years ago,” Mr. Cash recalled, “I asked him what he would do with me that nobody else had done. He said, `I would like for you to sit in front of a microphone with your guitar and sing every song you want to record.' I said: `Whoa, that's a tall order. There are lots of songs over the years that I've wanted to do.' He said, `Well, those are the ones that I want to hear.' ” The two men are now collaborating on a fourth album, which they plan to release later this year. “The songs are coming from every direction,” Mr. Cash said of his forthcoming album. “I've written two or three new ones, and I recorded a Sting song called I Hung My Head. I've recorded a Marty Robbins song called Big Iron. I'm recording The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, that Roberta Flack song. And I'm recording Hurt by Nine Inch Nails.” One of the more ominous characters on the contemporary music scene, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails can be seen as one of Mr. Cash's many unruly progeny. That notion brings Mr. Cash delight. “When I heard that song, I thought, `That sounds like something I could have written in the 60's,' ” he said of Hurt. “There's more heart, soul and pain in that song than any I've heard in a long time.”
What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know - goes away - in the end
If I could start again a million miles away I would keep myself I would find a way
so there you go. (my reason.)