What Happened? JOHNNY CASH - HURT | Vocal Coach Analysis  

This is not a vocal analysis but an emotional analysis. Even tho Johnny didn’t write this song he definitely owns it. A perfect last song for Johnny Cash. We all miss you and June Carter Cash.

This song was written by Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails at the age of 20. The original was written from an extremely opposite POV, but fit Johnny's place life perfectly, as well, for different reasons. Some of the older clips were of his actual life and some were from movies he was in. He was a big deal in country music and lived a hard celebrity kind of life, full of drugs and alcohol and decisions that hurt others. His "empire of dirt" was all the awards, the gold record in a broken frame, his own "House of Cash" museum closed, empty and crumbling inside. A bit like he, himself was. The woman in the film was his wife, also a country music star, June Carter Cash. This was filmed just a few months before June passed away and she came down the stairs to make sure he wasn't overdoing it with the filming. They captured her looking at him and asked to put her in the video. He was 68 or 69 when he recorded this, I believe, and in ill-health. He died shortly after his wife, just a few months after this was released. This was his last song. His daughter told him it looked like he was saying good-bye and he replied that he was. *Rumor* has it that he never opened the piano again. I have no idea if that's the truth or not. This song does what the title says ... it hurts to watch, on all kinds of levels. No, Johnny no longer had the voice of youth when he sang this, but as you said, it's real, raw and more impactful to me than a gloriously perfect aria in an opera.

Spot on with the casket analogy

June Carter Cash passed shortly after this was filmed. As far as I know this was the last project Johnny did. Lots to reflect on.

Another emotional journey way beyond just vocal analysis. I'm glad you open up for these kinds reactions.

Thank you for recognizing the most important factor.

It was indeed closure to his life. He admitted it to his daughter when she had said "It sounds as if you're saying goodbye." If you want to hear more Johnny Cash, Ring Of Fire and A Boy Called Sue are my favorites.

When Johnny showed this to his children they said it seemed like he was saying goodbye to which he replied “I am”. I tried to find the link to the interview with his daughter Rosanne Cash where she talks about it but I can’t seem to find it. I saw it on television some years ago.

He was talking about the mistakes in his life, and June stayed thru all.

Tho the original version was important and we all know someone that's dealing with addiction. It's Johnny's version thar resonates with everyone. Because it doesn't matter how rich you are or famous or whether you're homeless living on the street, death is the great equalizer and we all have to face it alone and deal with the totality of our life's decisions. The message is so important. Be careful the bridges you burn because at the end you may regret it. Johnny died months after this so the closing of the piano was also the last time he'd ever play it. This was his goodbye.

Bianca trust me nuff people can relate to this, thank you so much for this analysis you’re right it’s way more than the voice

Thank you. I have listened to a number of reactions to this artwork, with no comment. The vocal, instrumentation, visual and production are synergistic, making the impact greater than the sum of its parts. Did you notice, you started to tear up as the flood waters surrounded the house? Emotion was welling up, but when the flood came, so did the tears. For consideration, this is the living soul (man or woman) speaking(singing) to their strawman or strawwoman,the legal entity we become, burdened by the material, worldly things. "If I could start again, a millions miles away, I would keep myself(the living soul, not the strawman), I would find a way." Thank you for sharing your heartfelt reaction. Much appreciated.

You're quite the messenger. AMEN

RAW... Amen... Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on us...

Johnny devoted his life to his music career. Very late in life, he realized the people in his life that he put on a back burner and often pushed away and deliberately hurt was what he cherished most at the end of his life. He had a studio downstairs where he had his guitar and a golden piano. His wife, June Carter Cash heard the pain in his voice and came part way down the stairs and you can see the concern in her face. What he wanted most, according to the visuals, was to have lived a life of of cherishing the personal relations with both people and the Christ. He regrets how he wasted most of his life building an empire that now is worthless to him. Sadly, as he closes and tenderly caress that golden piano, he is saying he did love music. He never played a note on any instrument. Three months after this song was published, June passed away. Four months later, he passed as well. It was truly amazing that he found a song about descending the spiral of addiction and turned it into a masterpiece.

Thank you for the reaction. You make some good points. I’ve listened to Johnny Cash since the 70s and, as evidenced by the imagery of Christ being nailed to the cross, and Cash, being a Christian and knowing that his sins were some of those that Jesus was brutally killed for in his stead, imaged by the peak of his anguish towards the end of the song. throughout his career he sang many different songs about heaven, hell, and salvation. And he strongly believed in the old but absolutely true saying that “Only one life, it will soon be passed, only what’s done for Christ will last.” In other words, we are not just random bags of protoplasm banging around in a universe that doesn’t have us in mind. Not his original words, but certainly his original purpose to direct listeners to ponder their existence before God.

I agree everyone one needs to see this once in their life time as well as Pink Floyd’s live Pulse concert Comfortably Numb to witness what many consider an epic song and what many consider one of the greatest guitar solos ever.

Your Analysis was spot on..

Your yellow tunic and background and flowers really made me think of Vincent Van Gogh.

I think it has to be one of the realist and deepest song and videos ever made. Great commentary!

This is a powerful song and video, but it is most strongly felt by those who know who Johnny Cash was and were aware of his career and many of his personal struggles. Once you understand those, then the depth and meaning of this song takes on a whole new level

You have what seems to me like a unique and beautiful way of articulating (accurately, sincerely and effectively) a true description / depiction of what’s going on in the videos. Thank you for your efforts! ❤️

best reaction to this song I've seen. thanks

Many others have observed the similarity between the piano and casket. This was Johnny’s goodbye. His wife June, shown in the video, passed away a few weeks after the video was filmed. Johnny passed away about 4 months after.

Great reaction. This vid always makes me cry, the regret gets me every time. Voiceplay's cover of Creep by Radiohead gets me that way too.

Johnny Cash closing the lid on the piano keyboard was more than symbolic. He never touched an instrument nor sang another song. It marked his final goodbye to his life. In a few months, he’d joined his beloved wife in death.

He was 71. This was his last song

Johnny and wife June (watching over him) were both in their final weeks/months of life and in very poor health. Johnny lived aa selfish life and despite the fact that he was inducted into 3 hall of fames for his music, it all meant nothing at the end, Tgus was essebtuakkt his farewell and confession song.

This was the last song he did. When you see him close the piano lid at the end of clip, that was the last time he played any instrument.

That song was coined way before resnor even thought of doing it , the glass bowl on the piano was empty and we're o we're are the blackbarrys that's the real johnny cash version trust .me on this cash was relating to the emptyness of the glass bowl the light that the bowl beamed was colorful and yet unnoticed cash was seeing the rainbow colors and knew way more about the songs humble origin than he admitted

Sorry you had to had to experience this. I'M TOO

I would love for you to react to Nina Simone singing “Feeling Good.” It’s a perfect thing.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would notice the super exposed black Barry that was largely over looked and the empty glass bowl on the piano I do beleave the black crows just flew in the window just to Johnny's left and devoured the black Barry's. How's that for entertaining angel's !

For those who wonder why? Live long enough, you'll see.

That was Johnny Cash saying goodbye.

His wife passed 3 months after the video, he passed 4 months after her

The last video he made

After he closed the lid on that piano he never opened it again...he died soon after.

His wife June was terminally ill in this video. Johnny said the video was a goodbye postcard to her. She died shortly after this was published and he died 6 months later. This is the Last Supper of Johnny Cash.

Johnny had a good heart, but he made some bad decisions that hurt him and those he loved. One of which was, falling in love when both were married to someone else. And his drug addiction, l can't remember if it was heroine or Cocaine. So he related to what this song by 9 inche nails meant to his own life. So you respond to the emotion in the song as you said.

My Sweetest Friend could be his wife or Jesus. Then he is the one pounding the nails into Christ with his sins.

HAPPY ending to Johnny's life -- Johnny Cash became a Christian born again (see JOHN 3:3) in the second half of his life, which is why we see Jesus at the end of this video. -- Johnny's headstone reads: Meet Me in Heaven. Johnny and his wife June would perform at Billy Graham Crusades -- Read the article Johnny Cash’s Faith and Friendship With Billy Graham by Joy Allmond -- Jesus bless you (FYI my Y_T videos and Y_T ABOUT Box audio)

The "crown of thorns/liar's chair" lyric is tweaked from the original version and is describing the cognitive dissonance that Johnny experienced in trying to be a devout Christian but struggling with things like drug and alcohol abuse and infidelity.

For some reason most people miss the picture is simply Cash's late mother. The lyric "I wear this crown of thorns Upon my liar's chair Full of broken thoughts I cannot repair" Is somewhat confusing because the original lyrics was "I wear this crown of shit", which makes the original verse one of obvious self ridicule and regret. A crown of thorns adds an obvious religious connotation, that continues through to the end of the video with the crucifixion scenes, so it was obvious the video creators added an entire theme rather than just change a word. My take is it is even a more pronounced level of self ridicule as Jesus was forced to where a crown of thorns as undeserved ridicule, but saying you are being ridiculed while seated in a liars chair (a means of ridiculing a liar like seated in a corner with a dunce cap), means the riducule is actually deserved.

Hey can you please react to Stone Cold (live in studio) by Demi Lovato ?

He never opened it ago.

The way i've always taken this song/video is him speaking of how we, as the public, see him in all his glory and wonder as a superstar is not who he really is. That we see him as this great man, whereas he knows that his public image is just a facade to cover his true self. The line "I wear this crown of thorns (a symbol of Jesus, or someone famous) upon my liars chair" meaning that his public life as an icon is nothing but a lie. Because then the chorus says "you could have it all - my empire of dirt. I will let you down. I will make you hurt" which means you can have his worthless empire of dirt (his image as an icon) because once you strip that away, and you see the real him, you'll be hurt from disappointment in who he really is. But that's just my take on it. The overall theme, to me, is that all that we do as a facade to impress people, to improve our reputation, to cover who we really are is pointless. Because it doesn't really change who we are. It just changes how people see us. We can lose ourselves in this endeavor - so caught up in our public image that our true self is slowly destroyed.