I had heard this awesome story years ago, and I'm happy to see it retold here so I can share it. You may have to click on the tweet to see the whole story.
"Hurt" is not an original by Johnny Cash. The song was written by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) in 1994 for the album The Downward Spiral. Rick Rubin had to insist several times on Cash recording his version, at first Johnny found the idea completely insane because the original… pic.twitter.com/nDP2BqIvzn
— Ladytron Fan Account (@Lady_FanAccount) May 25, 2026
This story is a reminder that, however goofy and misguided so many artists are, they can also be examples of great collegiality, openness, and humility.
Johnny Cash's cover is iconic, but I would bludgeon with a sledgehammer anyone who didn't know that the song was originally by Trent Reznor. Yeah, I had a NIN phase back in college. I don't really listen to them anymore--a little too dark for me now--but I still think Reznor is a genius.
ReplyDeleteIn the 80s, my taste in music was pretty bland and unoriginal. I liked the happy, whimsical sounds of Huey Lewis and the News (even before "The Power of Love" from Back to the Future) and Sting just after he had left the Police (Dream of the Blue Turtles). I also liked Tina Turner, especially as she was moving into her "Beyond Thunderdome" phase. In other words: nothing edgy. And my musical tastes haven't really evolved much since then.
DeleteBut here's the thing: The few NIN songs I've heard have all appealed to me on an instinctive, almost animalistic level (hell, Reznor even has a primitive song with the lyrics "I wanna fuck you like an animal" in it—I think it's about God and self-hatred and fulfillment/exaltation through sex; I like that song!). I'm still not really "into" NIN, but part of me thinks I should be. So I agree: Reznor is a genius. After some online exploration, I see his genre is called "industrial rock." Does that sound right?
I've always thought of NIN as just "industrial" full stop. I mean, technically the designation is correct, but "rock" has mainstream vibes to it that personally don't fit my perception of NIN.
DeleteThe song you mentioned is "Closer" from The Downward Spiral--a classic. It's definitely about self-hatred, which is why I don't listen to NIN anymore. I still like the music (Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral are on my short list of close-to-perfect albums), but I don't think it's good for my spirit (for lack of a better term).
For what it's worth, my taste in music in the 80s was pretty eclectic. I was a big fan of Huey Lewis and the News, but I also listened to industrial stuff like NIN and synthpop acts that were more club scene. I never was a big club-goer, but I loved the music. These days, for some reason (getting old?), I find myself going farther back in time to 70s classics--stuff that I didn't give the time of day to back then (think The Carpenters).