Nick and Johnny

Grinderman 2 is fucking amazing, and as I continue to dive into its endless awesomeness I become enamoured with one Nick Cave. A livng legend I've know in the past just by his face constantly poping up in music magazines, but never realizing or experiencing the pure genious he is. Looking into Nick Cave it is unsuprising to find he was a Cash disciple, and who in there right mind isnt. But unlike myself and so many others, Nick actually had a few run ins with one of his heroes, and this is the musical journey those run ins left behind. Enjoy.

As a fan Nick has covered several Cash tunes over the years and here are two of the more popular ones:


Nick and the Bad Seeds cover this tune that was actually penned by Bob Dylan but made famous by Cash. Here is Cash doing a less sleazy rock but equally awesome version at the San Quentin Prison Concert.



An obscure Cash number Cave put on his 1986 covers album.

Goddam, Nick you did an excellant cover but man oh fucking man the Man in Black lays that shit on thick and eleagant here. Really reminds me of that song Johnny did with U2.

Man I was really obsessed with this song for a long while.

Now with a little background knowledge we can see why Mr. Rick Rubin had Johnny cover one of Nick's songs for Vol. 3 of the amazing American Recording Albums. Nick was of course honored that Johnny wanted to cover one of his songs, espeically The Mercy Seat, which Nick described in the new issue of UnCut Magazine as his best song. Nick said once he heard Johnny's version he had to conclude of the song, "Fuck, that's pretty good..."


Johnny Cash stakes out claims in the songs he covers, converts them to his own discography often making them grander, darker, and evilly honest in comparison to their originals.


After listening to the recorded version of "Mercy Seat" I was going to say Johnny once again bested the original artist with his cover, but on this live version Nick's stricken voice strikes even deeper winning back his song from the man in black. A feat few have accomplished.

On Vol. 4, Rick called Nick again this time asking for a duet with Johnny. Nick recalls the recording in a 2003 interview with the Guardian: Then I was in Los Angeles at the beginning of this year and got another call from Rick Rubin saying Johnny Cash was recording and did I want to come and record with him. I said: "Of course." I had a couple of hours the next day before I had to leave. I chose a Hank Williams song - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. I got to the studio and was a bit early, and was waiting for Johnny Cash to arrive and wondering how I would be able to sing, to hold my own with this incredible voice.

When Johnny first came down those stairs into the studio he looked really frail and sick, but once he started singing he was really brought back to life. It was an incredible thing to see.

What an amazing recording. Two amazing men, legends of their generations, bring their unique and haunting voices together to cover the Old White Ghost, Hank Williams, the Grandfather of Country Music. A musician so inspiring and powerful in his painfully short career, that his voice still resonates today in any country worth a dam.

That was recorded in 1949.

"I'm so lonesome I Could Cry" was not the only duet recorded by Johnny and Nick. The duo also combined their vocals on the American folk song "Cindy" which appeared on the Johnny Cash: Unearthed boxset.

Sadly this is the only youtube version I could fine.

Not long after these recording sessions, the Man in Black sadly found death: For me it's a very sad thing that he's died, because there goes another one of these great voices. As far as I can see there aren't the people around to replace these people. That's the really sad thing about this.

As a tribute to his fallen hero, Nick penned "Let the Bells Ring" with the Bad Seeds.