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Remember When Johnny Cash Covered an Industrial Rock Band’s Big Hit in 2003?
In March 2003, six months before his death, Johnny Cash released "Hurt" as the final single of his career, a cover of the Nine Inch Nails song originally released in 1995. The track appeared on Cash's last album released in his lifetime, American IV: The Man Comes Around, and became one of the most acclaimed recordings of his final years, praised for the raw poignancy it took on when sung by a man reflecting on regret near the end of his life.
The cover was suggested by producer Rick Rubin, who found the song and pressed Cash to record it even after Cash initially rejected it as not suited to his style. Cash later said he rehearsed the song roughly 100 times before recording it so he could "make it mine." The recording went on to win Cash a Grammy Award for Best Music Video and two CMA Awards, for Music Video of the Year and Single of the Year.
In short
- Johnny Cash's "Hurt" cover was his final single, released March 2003.
- Producer Rick Rubin persuaded a reluctant Cash to record the Nine Inch Nails song.
- The track won a Grammy and two CMA Awards for Cash.
Explained simply
Johnny Cash recorded a cover of "Hurt," a song originally released in 1995 by industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Released in March 2003, just months before his death, it was the final single of his career and appeared on his last album released during his lifetime. Cash's performance as an ageing musician brought particular poignancy to the song's themes of regret and mortality, making it one of his most acclaimed final recordings.
The project came about when producer Rick Rubin identified the song and pressed Cash to record it, despite Cash initially rejecting it as unsuitable to his style. Cash eventually committed to the performance, rehearsing it roughly 100 times to make it his own rather than a mere imitation of the original.
The recording achieved significant critical and commercial success, winning a Grammy Award for Best Music Video and two Country Music Association Awards. The cover became a defining moment of Cash's final years, demonstrating how a song from an entirely different musical genre could resonate powerfully when reimagined by an artist near the end of his life.