Entertainment & Arts

Johnny Cash's Top 10 Best Songs

He was originally known as a country singer, but quickly became much more than just that. Known as the man in black because he mostly would wear black clothes, but also given that name because of his depressing lifestyle and battles with drug addiction. Even in the early and current 2000's like 2018 people still love his songs and occasionally one of his songs will play in movies and even the new current Hollywood movies. Anyways here are my top ten favorite songs of his.

Legends never die <3.
Legends never die <3.

10. Beans For Breakfast

You can't get anymore country than this song. What better way to start this countdown list than to start out with this awesome song from the album The Mystery of Life released in 1991. Even though this was one of his newer songs it's still a classic.

9. Ballad of Ira Hayes

Released in 1964 from the album Bitter Tears Ballads of the American Indian. Fun fact Bob Dylan also did a version of this song nine years later. This song was originally about a marine during World war II who who raised the flag on Mount Suribachi.

8. Highwayman

Another one of his newer songs released in 1999 from the album Big River. The song was originally written by Jimmy Webb. It's about a highwayman, a sailor, and construction worker on Hoover Dam. It was about a soul with incarnations in four different places in time and history inspired by the real life hanged highwayman.

7. Ghost Riders in the Sky

This song really gets me pumped up. From his album Silver released in 1979. A song originally written by actor and songwriter Stan Jones in 1948. This song is very catchy and talks about steel hooved cattle chasing damned spirited cowboys in the sky. This song has 50 different versions.

6. I Walk the Line

Also the title of Johnny Cash's movie "Walk the Line." This movie was about compilations of his life. The movie shows his rise to fame starting from when he moves out of his hometown Arkansas and to join the Air Force in Germany. Anyways this song is one of his most popular songs and for good reason.

5. God's Gonna Cut You Down

Another very famous song of his, which is even more the impressive considering that this song was released late in his life. Most artists as they age their released songs aren't nowhere near as good or they don't know how to remain popular with the new current mainstream media and generation. Not for this man though. This song has 75 million views. The song was recorded when he was 71. Which was the same year of his death as well.

4. I've Been Everywhere

This song is incredibly catchy. It derives away from most of Cash's original type of songs, but I still like it. It just went to show how diverse he was. This is like a country rap song. Very good up beat song. He sings about all the places in the U.S. he had traveled and even outside the U.S.

3. Ring of Fire

Possibly his most notorious famous song that people know of. Believe it or not this song was written by his wife June Carter. It was also originally recorded by her sister Anita Carter, on her Mercury Records album "Folk Songs Old and New." The song was about June's feelings towards Cash at the time. The words in the song "ring of fire" refers to her falling in love with him. In 2014 Rolling Stones ranked the song at number 27 on its list of the 100 greatests country songs of all time. This song also played in the movie Silent Hill. The timing of the song was just perfect.

2. Hurt

The very last song that Cash recorded before he passed away. There is really no reason for me to explain what this song is about since it pretty much describes everything in this video. There are a few things that some viewers may have missed though. Although he doesn't exactly come out and say it in this song. He also in another way talks about his regret about all the drugs he used to get into when he was younger.

1. When the Man Comes Around

Drum roll and number one is here. I strongly urge you guys to type Dawn of the Dead intro. This song plays in that movie. It's played in some other movies as well. Another really good song of his released late in his life. In 2002 one year before his untimely demise. This song also has a lot of references from the bible. Mostly from the King James version of the bible. Revelation 5:11 talking about millions of angels in up in heaven. One of my favorite words in this song is when Cash talks about 100 million angels singing. Revelation 18:22 in the bible.

Honorable mentions- Won't Back Down This was taken from Tom Petty's version . Ain't No Grave, and Rusty Cage

Although he made a lot of bad decisions in his life the man is a legend. One of my favorite all time singers ever. If anything his songs became more famous as time went by. Some of his songs have withstood the test of time. May you R.I.P.

Johnny Cash's Top 10 Best Songs
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