In 2002 Johnny Cash recorded an album(a) made up mostly of covers of more current rock songs. "Hurt" was released as the single in March of 2003 along with the haunting music video. Per Trent Reznor, the front man of NIN, he was originally skeptical the cover might be "gimmicky" but after seeing this video and hearing Johnny sing the song he was welling up with tears.
I remember once watching a documentary on Johnny Cash and when they came to the end their was a significant amount of time dedicated to this song. Many saw this as Cash singing his own benediction. His daughter told a story of the first time she watched the video, Cash was excited to know her reaction. The truth was that it had brought her to tears as she thought of it has her dad saying "goodbye".
In many ways, Cash was saying "goodbye" with this song. His wife, June Carter Cash, who appears in the video, passed away 3 months after the filming(b). Cash, who was clearly frail at the time the video was shot, died months after June on the night he was supposed to appear as nominee at the MTV Video Music awards for this song(c).
Before this song came out I thought of Johnny Cash as someone my Papa (grandfather) listened to on the oldies station. Hurt came out and I was immediately hooked. Every time I got in Papa's truck from that day on I put in the Cash CD that had this song(d). He was so impressed by the fact that we could share this album and I truly believe he valued the moments more than I did. He would tell me all about listening to Johnny through the years and about how I should "type it into the computer" and learn more about how he went and played for the prisoners(e).
Johnny Cash reminds me a lot of my grandpa. They grew up in the south around the same time period and they both experienced dark events in their lives that shaped the people that they became. I like to think about the conversation my grandfather and Johnny would have if they met in a diner over a cup of coffee. I bet they would talk about how great "it used to be" and how the doctor tells them to use Sweet-N-Low as they pour the sugar in.
My grandfather passed away in 2008 and every time I hear this song I think about him. Sometimes I even cry(f), I can admit that. Today would have been his 72nd birthday. Happy Birthday Papa.
Play count while writing blog: 7
Favorite lyrics: "and you could have it all, my empire of dirt"
(a) His 87th actually.
(b) Filming took place in February 2003, June passed in May.
(c) The song received numerous other accolades including a posthumous Grammy for "Best Music Video".
(d) It was a "greatest hits" CD and contained other classic Johnny Cash songs including Folsom Prison, A Boy Name Sue, and Ring of Fire. I still listen to it about once a month.
(e) If only that man had Wikipedia his whole life, he probably would have saved himself a lot of grief from having to argue with people.
(f) Like right now.
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