Johnny Cash for Americans is like Vladimir Vysotsky for Soviet citizens, his songs have become part of the cultural code. But there is a difference: Cash continued to delight and surprise with his work for almost 50 years, and Vladimir Semenovich left the mortal world before crossing the threshold of forty years, having lived a bright and short life. And Cash is different, most of all they quote songs from his late period, the American series of the 90s-2000s, as well as the early period of the 1950s.
Johnny Cash’s voice, which knows everything about everything, has known heaven and hell, is used in mystical and post-apocalyptic films and TV series when it comes to such fundamental concepts as good and evil, life and death, or when it is necessary to emphasize the character of complex near-mythical characters. Johnny Cash himself has always said that he has two personalities who are fighting with each other. Joaquin Phoenix said that when he was visiting Cash, the owner of the house impressed him as a kind family man, but just before Johnny left, with a leering grin and passion, he quoted a bloodthirsty sadistic monologue from his beloved role of Commodus in Gladiator – the contrast was striking.
17. I Hung My Head
I Hung My Head – Cash’s cover of Sting sounds more convincing than the original. “The Green Hornet”, Michel Gondry’s pretentious superhero movie, his Radiohead music videos and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, I liked much more.
16. Tennessee Stud
The song about the Tennessee Stud stallion is featured in “Jackie Brown” (1997), Tarantino’s blaxploitation film that I watched back in the 90s on videotape. This song was written by Jimmy Driftwood and taken from Cash’s first album of the American series. Then Cash broke up with his longtime producer Jack Clement and trusted Rick Rubin, who removed from his music everything unnecessary, leaving Cash alone with a guitar.
15. Solitary Man
The song is a cover of Neil Diamond from the album of the same name Solitary Man (American IV), is played in the TV series “Stargate. Atlantis” in the “Vegas” episode.
14. A Thing Called Love
Almost the same name as the by Peter Bogdanovich’s film “The Thing Called Love”, a wonderful and underestimated creation of country music, which failed at the box office and became River Phoenix’s last film. The 1972 song A Thing Called Love is also mentioned in the ballad “Pair Of Brown Eyes” by the Irish band The Pogues.
13. So Doggone Lonesome and All Over Again
The soundtrack of Fallout (2024) from episode 1 is accompanied by Cash’s songs: All Over Again (that is also repeated at the end of the series), and the minor guitar riff of So Doggone Lonesome depicts the Brotherhood of Steel, while our clumsy oaf Maximus gets the most out of the cesspools.
12. Guess Things Happen That Way
Guess Things Happen That Way is featured in the movie “American Gangster”, where the black mafia boss is played by the “The Equalizer” Denzel Washington.
11. Folsom Prison Blues
Cash’s main “prison” hit Folsom Prison Blues is played in the neo-noir “Red Rock West” (1993) starring Nicolas Cage. Limping like Gene Vincent, a former Marine gets out of prison after serving time for accidentally killing his wife’s offender in a fight. There’s also a Hey Porter song in the movie.
10. Ring Of Fire
Ring Of Fire is a song from the slot machine in “Silent Hill”, Rose wakes up at the bowling alley and hears the song. The carefree, cheerful Ranchera contrasts with the terrifying reality of an apocalyptic town. Among Akira Yamaoka’s music, this is almost the only song in the entire film.
9. Personal Jesus
It is played in the 10th episode of the 1st season of the TV series “Preacher”. When Cash recorded a Depeche Mode version of the song, Dave Gahan was asked if he probably cried with happiness after learning about it, but he said that he was not such a crybaby at all. As far as I’m concerned, such a crying would be more than appropriate.
8. Danny Boy
The traditional Irish ballad Danny Boy is played in the 1st episode of the 2nd season of “Peaky Blinders”.
7. I See A Darkness
I See A Darkness opens the 2nd season of the TV series “The Walking Dead”, and you definitely don’t have to wait for something good there.
6. Hurt
Hurt, one of Cash’s best recent songs, is also featured in TV series, specifically in the soundtrack of “Smallville” (season 3, episode 8), and also in the movie “Colombiana” (2011). It is so powerful in itself, especially when combined with the video sequence, that it can be considered an outstanding work in its own right. Trent Reznor’s original tune pales in comparison to Cash’s interpretation.
5. Satisfied Mind
The song Satisfied Mind is used in “Kill Bill: Volume 2” and is played in Budd’s (Michael Madsen) trailer, while the Bride is waiting for him in an ambush. The song is written by Red Hayes and Jack Rhodes, and it’s about how money doesn’t always decide everything, because only 1 in 10 rich people are happy with their lives. Actually, true wealth is a state of calm satisfied mind.
4. The Beast In Me
The 1st season of Mobland (2025) ends with a sad summing up, everyone got what they deserved, and Cash expertly, having once tamed his beast himself, reflects on the nature of people in the ballad of his son-in-law Nick Lowe. The use of this song in TV series is not new, it was once in the opening episode of the aforementioned TV series “Preacher”.
3. God’s Gonna Cut You Down
The alt-country God’s Gonna Cut You Down is heard in the second season in episode 10 of the cult TV series Supernatural, where at the same time there is quite a lot of southern Gothic, but the Winchester brothers themselves are from Kansas. And also in episode 12 of the 1st season of “Gotham” series.
2. Ain’t No Grave
This dark country song accompanies Tarantino’s film “Django Unchained” starring Jamie Foxx. The sound of the chains in it fits perfectly with this neo-revisionist western. It was also present in the “Westworld” series. Ain’t No Grave is one of the badass renditions of traditional songs ever recorded.
1. Man Comes Around
Man Comes Around has given an epic scale to the episode in the zombie apocalypse “Dawn Of The Dead”. I once lived in the back streets of Elmash in the suburbs and met some young roughnecks from the area when I was walking from a rehearsal with a guitar, I told them about rockabilly-country and they asked me if I could sing Johnny Cash to them – it turned out they know him because of this movie. The song was also played at the end of the movie “Hunted” starring Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones. Many years ago, I learned about Johnny Cash from this song. The series “Terminator. The Sarah Connor Chronicles” also did not ignore this track.
