In retrospect, there may be an album or two I should have ranked a bit higher, The Rising comes to mind. But overall, I'm pleased with the way the list shakes out, even if #1 is a bit unconventional.
#1. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash
Huh? Johnny Cash? In the time of the Dave Matthews Band, The White Stripes, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eminem, Pearl Jam, etc? Johnny Cash?
Absolutely.
If you had to decide who the Greatest American Musician was, would Johnny Cash not be in the conversation? Would he not be the favorite? Elvis Presley was an historic icon, there’s no doubting that, but he was more of a performer. As much as I love The King, he didn’t write his own music. Frank Sinatra would have been Elvis if television was as popular in the 1940s as it was in the late 50s, but as much as we love Frank, there really isn’t an argument for him to be The Best. Buddy Holly, the VASTLY underrated pioneer, just didn’t have the catalog. Other mega-stars and legends like The Doors, the Grateful Dead, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and Skid Row are legendary in their own right, but don’t quite have the iconic staying power as The Man In Black. There are jazz icons and country singers that have made an everlasting mark on the Great American Soundtrack, however they didn’t cross as many disciplines as those who would follow later, although many were prevented from achieving their ultimate potential thanks to societal norms.
No, I believe the discussion is boiled down to two competitors. Johnny Cash, and his friend and sometimes collaborator Bob Dylan. Personally I’d chose Dylan, but the argument can be made for Cash and even then, there’s no shame in being the runner up to Bob Dylan.
Do I think that I consider The Man Comes Around as a lifetime achievement award? Definitely – but not the way you might think. It’s not a case of “Let’s finally give Scorcese an Oscar”. It’s more along the lines of wow – what a fan-fucking-tastic treat this man bestowed upon us.
The crux of the album is Cash’s acceptance of his fate, the realization that his time on Earth is coming to a close. Instead of spending his days writing new material however (there are only 3 original Cash songs), he chose a collection of previously recorded works, some very well known and some obscure, that spoke to his bevy of emotions, his gratitude, and his regrets as the end drew near. In selecting songs that we already had familiarity with, he was able to convey these feelings in ways that new material wouldn’t have, at least not as substantially.
What separates this from being a run of the mill cover album? The depth and clarity with which he chose these songs. Limited to neither genre or period, the legendary musician spanned the globe as well as history to put together this farewell. In the process, he only happened to make the greatest music video in the history of music video’s with his cover of the Nine Inch Nails single “Hurt” – undoubtedly the most memorable of his performances on The Man Comes Around.
Beyond “Hurt”, Cash may be at his best on his home turf, country western music, in the way he tackles the traditional cowboy ballad “Streets of Laredo”. I mentioned earlier that I have a fascination with our own mortality and there’s no need to dive deeper into that, but the way that Cash slowly builds towards the end of the song, the cowboy’s acceptance that his time has come and he will not have time to right his wrongs is just gut-wrenching in its beauty. You know, if something beautiful can also be considered gut-wrenching.
Personally, his cover of the traditional Irish folk song “Danny Boy” shakes me to my core. I own multiple versions of the song, but what separates this one from the 345,376 different recordings is the raw and unrefined way in which it is being sung – and who’s singing it. The lyrics tell a simple, time honored story of a dying man bestowing his best wishes on a loved one he’s leaving behind. Often it’s sung by a healthy and strong tenor – which is fine, and often beautiful. But here we have a dying man, his deep and strapping voice fading and raspy bidding a farewell.
While the whole album is worth mentioning, especially his rendition of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”, one last cover I’d like to pay homage to is the Beatles’ “In My Life”. Probably my favorite Beatles song, the Cash version is 180 degrees different and like “Danny Boy” – is a contrast to the song we’re accustomed to hearing. While the original was recorded while the legends were in their prime, and decades later remains a staple at weddings – the ultimate symbol of looking forward to the future – lyrically this song was made for a situation like the one this great icon found himself in, as if the great John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote this 35 years early specifically for him. Like more than a few tracks on the disc, you can’t help but appreciate the unique love he had for his wife June, mourn its loss, and if your belief system allows, appreciate the fact that they are at eternal peace together.
I would be remiss to neglect at least one original Cash recording, and of the three, the title track is most likely to be have eternal staying power. While it basically plagiarizes the Book of Revelations (the man was old, cut him some slack), it tells the tale of the pending Apocalypse that may or may not happen in 2012 with great fervor, and the acknowledgement that one man will be facing his Final Judgment soon.
Three pages later and I still feel I haven’t done this album justice. I can’t think of any comparison to such a great gift being left to us by such a figure. Like #2 on this list, the album was produced by Rick Rubin and he deserves many kudos and accolades. But it’s the aura, career, emotion and ability of Johnny Cash that makes this album what it is. To me, American IV: The Man Comes Around is the #1 Album of the Decade. To you – if you’ve ever loved or lost, mourned or rejoiced – it’s worth a listen.
Johnny Cash made his mark on American cultural history over the span of half a century and in his final hour, he thanked us for allowing him to do so. Humbly, Mr. Cash, may I say that the pleasure was all ours.
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