Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957), Finnish composer
The American Music Awards were on last night and you can probably guess why I watched it – the Rolling Stones were on. I will never watch the AMA show again. They cut the Stones off in the middle of "It's Only Rock and Roll." However, in between I didn’t know many of the performers. I knew who Kenny Chesney was because he was splashed all over People magazine and other tabloid type magazines, but I’m afraid I have gotten too old to keep up with the music scene.
Even when I was younger, I apparently did not stay up to speed. I saw the movie “Walk the Line,” the Johnny Cash bio-pic, the other night and it was
excellent. I was rather upset with myself for not paying attention to Johnny Cash all those years. I remember when “A Boy Named Sue,” was a hit, but I viewed Cash as country singer, yet he was more than just a country artist. So, to catch up, I purchased a few of his CDs. B2 pointed out an album of covers titled “American IV, The Man Comes Around," which is probably one of the most poignant CDs I have ever heard.Cash sings the song “Hurt” (I linked the video and it's very much worth watching, again thanks to B2) written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and you can honestly believe you feel Cash’s pain. This CD conveys more loneliness and misery than Frank Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours” CD. Cash's raspy voice brings angst and torment to such songs as “Bridge Over Troubled Waters,” “Desperado,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and finally when he gets to “When We Meet Again,” if you’re not on the verge of tears you have no feelings.
When I’m in a pensive, sad mood this CD will be playing.
7 comments:
I love Cash. You are so right about his rendition of Hurt, it is almost painful to watch.
Jack, Rags, glad you guys enjoyed it.
I certainly under valued Johnny Cash. I have the "Dead Man Walking" CD and I love the song "In Your Mind" that Cash did for the soundtrack, but again I never really thought of him more than a country singer, so the movie "Walk the Line" really opened my eyes.
Maybe my inner country music appreciation is coming out because I have also grown to like Willie Nelson, but I have yet to purchase his CDs. I also like Shelby Lynn (3CDs) and Lucinda Williams (5CDs) too.
Rags, Shelby Lynn had a part in the Cash movie, but I missed her.
Add me to the list of people that loves Johnny Cash's music. A lot of people seem to think of him as just a country singer, but to me Johnny Cash has always been something beyond that, that doesn't require definition other than 'Cash.' I've always found his music a comfortable fit among my music collection that is mostly punk rock. Somehow, he fits and did it before they ever did. I know some stuff about his life from his Cash autobiography. I'm hesitant to see the new movie because I don't want to be disappointed. Congrats on getting more into Cash.
a-[e], I plan to buy the bio this weekend, now, when I get around to reading it, that may be closer to the first of the year.
Josh, I liked the movie very much, but it's not too much different than most bio pics. The movie on Ray Charles was very good, but it didn't cause me to buy a number of CDs. For me, it was more that I placed his music in a defined category, which turned out to be wrong.
I am a new Cash convert, after seeing the movie! Loved it...
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