Day 2: Favorite Cover Song

The original 30 Day challenge asks you to post your least favorite song. Why in the world would I care to peruse videos of hated songs? I'll pass, thanks. I've got enough eye rolling crap to listen to on a daily basis without voluntarily searching for more to expose y'all to. Thankfully, I found an alternative challenge list that appealed to me more and will be using that instead.

I initially had three contenders for today's choice and thought it would be relatively easy to choose one. Sonic Youth and The Ramones especially do covers that I am wild about. However, I decided to go with Johnny Cash's cover of 'Hurt' by Nine Inch Nails. It's a brilliant song in the first place, one I overplayed for longer than I should have when it first came out. I didn't think anyone could do justice to the song by covering it. I was so wrong.

Johnny Cash has always been a favorite of mine. My nine year old struts through the house crooning 'Ring of Fire' and 'Folsom Prison Blues' on a weekly basis. This album, however, exposed a startling and touching sense of an artist reflecting on his life in his last days. He took on Trent Reznor and Nick Cave songs with ease and comfort, he sang the words with such poignant ownership that his versions surpassed the originals in how they drew emotion from me. Now I have a hard time personalizing this song, because his voice and feelings overpower my own …. part of me senses that I'm peeking in on a personal moment that I ought not be privy to. But he gifted it to his fans, and died shortly after.

Thanks, Mr. Cash.  We'll always play your music and love you.