This is a take of my opinion of Johnny Cash's most underrated best songs. His music that I guess you could consider the dark horse of his albums throughout his music career.
5. Heart of Gold
Although this song has 19 million views on youtube alone and granted it's not even the video version just the audio. That's pretty impressive. However I feel like it doesn't get mentioned enough, so that's why I have included it as underrated. There is an old saying when Johnny Cash takes your song, it's no longer yours, its his. Cash Released his version of the song on his album called Unearthed. Originally taken from the singer Neil Young.
4. Peace in the Valley
This song was originally written by Thomas Dorsey. It was among one of the few songs during the 1950's that was originally a gospel song to reach one million copies. To be fair Elvis Presley was the one to truly make this song famous. However I prefer Cash's version of this the most. This song also appeared in the movie Frailty with a digitally remastered version. The song is about near the end times in religion. About how before judgement day there will be peace on Earth for however so many years.
3. Daddy Sang Bass
I just love the simplicity of this song. It also has all the elements of being a underrated song. It's easy listening. Which sometimes are my fav types of songs. The types that are good but you also don't have to think about the meaning of the song or even realize you are listening to it while driving your car.
2. Sixteen Tons
Released from the album essential country in 1987. The original song was written and recorded by Merle Travis. There are many different singers who sang this song including ZZ Top in 2016. However in my opinion Cash's version is the best. Like in the song says "I owe my soul to the company store." Because he owned this song and made it his in my opinion. This song is about how real life coal miners worked and how they lived their life during and after work.
Honorable mention. Sunday Morning Coming Down
Released by the Legends album this is a really good song. There is a funny story behind this. That's too long so I will give a summary of this story. Basically though there was this one guy who was a janitor who always wanted to be a singer. Idolizing Cash. His name was Kristofferson. Basically this song of his that he gave to Cash made him famous. Anyways he was too shy to ask or just go up to Cash and ask him if he could listen to his tape. So instead he became friends with his wife June. June Would always play Kristofferson's tapes. Every night Cash would throw his tapes out into the window or balcony of their house. One day June played this song called Sunday Morning. He ended up really liking it. Kristofferson not knowing Cash was even listening to any of his tapes went down with a helicopter with a beer in his hand sending his tape Sunday Morning down to Cash. Cash in his next concert performance would pull a plug and tell his audience that this song he was about to sing was by a man the name of Kris Kristofferson. Unfortunately for him Cash's version still is more famous than his version.
1. You are my Sunshine
Leave it to Cash to take a childrens nursery rhyme and make you love it. I feel like this is a song maybe a lot of people didn't even know that he sang. This is just the type of thing this man would pull off. He has done many tiny little humanitarian like things like this before. Among with others, such as singing at a Prison full of a bunch of prisoners, for the prisoners. This was at a San Quentin prison. This song he sang was never even released into any albums. However he did make the name of this prison after one of his albums.
When I record somebody else's song, I have to make it my own or it doesn't feel right. I'll say to myself, I wrote this and he doesn't know it.
What are your favorite underrated Johnny Cash songs?
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