Wednesday, April 14, 2004 AD
Johnny Cash - He's Da Man
Celebrated the end of my Lent break from buying books, CDs and DVDs yesterday by buying myself Johnny Cash's last "American Recordings" album, The Man Comes Around. It's pretty amazing stuff.
The title track opens the album, and is extraordinary, one of Cash's all-time best. It's about the Second Coming, with lyrics largely drawn from Revelation and other biblical texts (even if, occasionally, apparently taken from the JRCV - John R Cash Version), and astonishing music - the whole album features some of the tightest and most accomplished musical accompaniment I've heard in a long while.
The lyrics to this track can be found here, but probably lose some of their impact without the music. You might even be tempted to think they're a bit Tim LaHaye in places. Yeah, right - Tim LaHaye wishes.
In the liner notes, Cash explains that the song had its origins in a dream he had about meeting the Queen. Well, it would, wouldn't it? Makes perfect sense.
The rest of the album is then one of the most eclectic mixes imaginable: with songs by Nine Inch Nails ("Hurt"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Troubled Water" - sic), Depeche Mode ("Personal Jesus" - as expected, Cash transforms and redeems a previously-blasphemous song, turning it into one of the best songs on the album) and the Beatles ("In My Life"), not to mention "Danny Boy" (!) and "We'll Meet Again (!!! - yes, that "We'll Meet Again", the Dame Vera Lynn one). Almost all of these demonstrate that, if you let Johnny Cash borrow one of your songs, you were unlikely ever to get it back. It's his now.
You'll have guessed I'm fairly positive about this album. I don't plan to make a habit of album reviews on this site, but couldn't resist plugging this one.
The title track opens the album, and is extraordinary, one of Cash's all-time best. It's about the Second Coming, with lyrics largely drawn from Revelation and other biblical texts (even if, occasionally, apparently taken from the JRCV - John R Cash Version), and astonishing music - the whole album features some of the tightest and most accomplished musical accompaniment I've heard in a long while.
The lyrics to this track can be found here, but probably lose some of their impact without the music. You might even be tempted to think they're a bit Tim LaHaye in places. Yeah, right - Tim LaHaye wishes.
In the liner notes, Cash explains that the song had its origins in a dream he had about meeting the Queen. Well, it would, wouldn't it? Makes perfect sense.
The rest of the album is then one of the most eclectic mixes imaginable: with songs by Nine Inch Nails ("Hurt"), Simon & Garfunkel ("Bridge Over Troubled Water" - sic), Depeche Mode ("Personal Jesus" - as expected, Cash transforms and redeems a previously-blasphemous song, turning it into one of the best songs on the album) and the Beatles ("In My Life"), not to mention "Danny Boy" (!) and "We'll Meet Again (!!! - yes, that "We'll Meet Again", the Dame Vera Lynn one). Almost all of these demonstrate that, if you let Johnny Cash borrow one of your songs, you were unlikely ever to get it back. It's his now.
You'll have guessed I'm fairly positive about this album. I don't plan to make a habit of album reviews on this site, but couldn't resist plugging this one.
