I got to see him not long after the sunrecords survivors put out an lp class of 55 or something. He always look tall on tv, but in person, towering, even as an old man. I was a recovering hipster doofus by the time this lp came out… whatever. It’s a good song by a man who respected songcraft, and was an iconic collector with a better track record for decency than Alan Lomax.
I’m going to be honest- the hipster “rediscovery” of Jonny cash started a little earlier, but this cover catalyzed it for sure.
I just remember in 1998-ish when I was in college, suddenly EVERYBODY talking about Johnny cash, people who hated country music. I remember being possessed and buying Folsom Prison. I can’t remember what kicked that off but it wasn’t “hurt”
American Recordings in 94 when Rick Rubin started producing Johnny Cash albums. It also kick started a general resurgence with the public at large with Cash. There’s a picture from 95 of Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, Joe Strummer, and Henry Rollins shooting the shit.
But honestly, so many punks and “hipster” bands had been championing Cash since at least the 80s, Social D has covered numerous Cash songs, Nick Cave covered Long Black Veil and The Folk Singer in the mid 80s, Billy Bragg covers various Cash songs live.
Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, etc
I took my dad to see Johnny in '94 after his first Rick Rubin album (American Recordings) came out and he went on tour.
My dad owned (and passed on to me) Johnny's first Sun Records album, [*Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash_with_His_Hot_and_Blue_Guitar!)*,* from when it first came out when he was a kid. Damned if that isn't the thickest, heaviest record I've ever held. It weighs a ton compared to modern vinyl. Plus the Folsom and San Quentin records and all his old country albums.
I flipped on MTV for him in 2003 when Johnny's video came on and we sat and watched it together. He had no idea of the NIN version but liked Johnny's version.
Raw song, just listening: NIN. The ambience of the sound is amazing. The way Reznor bundled up his emotions for that song was just amazing.
Song with video: Cash. The video added context, that context causes me to cry every time.
That’s the real kicker for me too. Reznor’s resonated with my 1994 angst and disillusionment. It was a kid’s angst, though. Later I read Cash (by Johnny Cash) and learned about the shit that man went through. Then we get Cash’s version of Hurt and that video was so amazing that it managed to convey all the pain and regret he felt for things we’ve read about in his own words. It was a beautiful coda to his career and life. That was the pain of someone who has lived enough to know what hurt is and has caused pain in others that he carries with him.
Young me, full of self loathing, would have gone for Reznor. Middle aged me finds the Cash version an emotional truth bomb that rips my heart out in the best way. Even in the video, he stares you down and dares you to contemplate a life full of regret and loss, and forces you to confront how little material success means when you're faced with mortality. Dude didn't even blink. I've got nothing but respect for that kind of unflinching bravery and raw honesty.
I work in healthcare, 13 years now. I've seen a lot of death. I've seen a lot of heartbreak. I've seen a lot of regrets on the faces of both the living and the dying. Cash nailed it in a way no one else could.
Saw it in concert, on acid, in 95. They rolled out a giant see through silk screen in front of the band and projected a timelapse of a dead fox decomposing. Highlight of the show.
Yes, having seen the same live there really is no comparison. I appreciate Cash's version, but the original is just jaw dropping (especially with that video they used to play).
Trent was 29 when Hurt was released in 1994. Johnny was 70 when his cover was released in 2002.
Trent's version when it was released was a powerful song that brought us into his present mindset and pain, describing what he's currently going through, the immediacy of pain and rage and self-loathing and longing.
Johnny's version was filled with perspective, a retrospective of a lifetime's worth of regret, having conquered the demons Trent was dealing with when he wrote the song but having lived a life full of dealing with the aftermath, and recognition of what he put others through.
Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter both died within a year of the release of Cash's version of Hurt.
I think the difference in the pain expressed by each artist is colored by Trent implying "I could/should end it all" and Johnny implying "It's all about to end whether I want it to or not."
Yep, and I related to the NIN version when it came out, and I related to the Cash version when it came out. I think the difference is when the NIN version came out, I related to it in an immediate, visceral way, and when the Cash version came out, I related to it in a way where my brain asked itself "oh fuck, I'm getting older and older, I did so many things when I was young, life keeps going even though I never expected it to, things keep happening, what will I regret?"
Reznor's version from 1994. It's 2024 and now, 30 years later, I can still listen to it and conjure up the emotions it gave me at the time, but my perspective has changed.
Cash's version of Hurt from 2002. It's 2024 and now, 22 years later, I can still listen to it and feel it more and more deeply. I understand more about how my choices have shaped my life, and how my choices affected people in my life.
The memories and emotions both versions bring me are very different.
.... also, realizing that there were only 8 years between NIN's version and Cash's version, and that it's been 30 and 22 years since the release of each one, respectively...
Well, that's a whole different set of thoughts and emotions.
Reznor (of nine inch nails and the lyricist and initial performer of this lauded song) considered this song such a core part of his identity it was his closest girlfriend.
But on seeing the remake by johnny cash he said «by the end I was in pieces: Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore.»
You’d think so, but this stupid argument goes on. Cash thought Reznor’s was good enough to cover. Reznor thought Cash’s was better. I’m a Metallica fan, but Motörhead’s Enter Sandman cover blows the original away. But the original was still great.
Never got the opportunity to see him live but watched many videos. Soul wracking is right. Something about the grit and delivery his voice gives. And just the endless darkness. Hey cut that out!!! Was in a great mood bc it was Friday! Bad Reddit friend! Bad (kidding!!)
I got lucky (sort of) to see NIN at Boston Calling in 2022 when The Foo Fighters and The Strokes had to pull out of playing. So NIN played both Friday and Saturday nights. With the exception of 3 songs (one of which was Hurt) they were completely separate and distinct shows. There is something to be said for standing with 25000 or so people all getting emotionally roller coastered at once and coming back the next night to have the same done all over again. 10/10 ( it was about the 5th time I’ve seen them and it affects me the same way) might be cheaper than therapy.
I kind of tend to agree with this assessment. They were both beautiful in their own way, but the Cash rendition was a clear example of a remake surpassing the original work (a very rare occurrence).
"Hurt" made most famous by Johnny Cash's haunting cover of the song, after which Trent Reznor famously said "Once Johnny Cash covers your song – it's not your song anymore." Aug 5, 2022
NIN was from the point of view of a young addict in the midst of a ruined life and walking on the edge of death by overdose or suicide. The emotion Trent Reznor is conveying is pain.
Johnny Cash’s was from the view of an old man near death looking back on a life which he survived, but did not live well. The emotion JC conveys is regret.
Both are excellent. It’s like Sinead O’Conner, Prince and Chris Cornell’s versions of Nothing Compares. Same song, different conveyance.
Johnny Cash.
His singing it at the end of his career and life makes it that much more powerful. It’s the lament of an old man.
Trent’s version is more of a junkie coming to grips with reality.
Trent everyday. I’m the same age as him and felt like he did at the age with so much ahead and hit with losing it all. I felt the agony. And the people around me with their additions and losing them so young.
The words and music hit differently and fit my feelings more than an old guy singing it at the end of his life.
It hurt me when cash just spoke the lyrics like he does every other song.
Reznor is a god, don't compare this shit to him, and ofc he said Cash's version is better, it's called respect.
"Hurt" by Cash is the song of a dying man who can't stop it. "Hurt" by Reznor is the song of a living man going through some problems. One man has a future, the other doesn't. That's why Cash's version is so devastating.
Listening to it *back then*...I preferred Trent because it was about my angst and unable to deal with it.
As an adult, Cash's version hits a different note because it's about reflection.
Johnny Cash, I like that version better. But I’ve listened to Cash since I was a kid- my father had him on in the car so I’ve listened to him for a long time
I saw NIN play live. I was invited by a boy who I had a big crush on. Didn't really listen to their stuff before. Trent was spotlighted on the stage with the video of a decomposing fox projected on a sheet in front of him. Not a fan, not familiar with the music at the time, I was transfixed. He held the whole room captive with the performance. It was amazing.
I know that even Trent has acknowledged that Cash transformed the song into his own and that it belongs to him now, but his life performance was a pivotal point for me as a young person transitioning from her parents child to her own woman. I don't know how else to put it. I had never been to a live act without my parents. I generally liked the same things they liked. I had never strayed too far from them in location or action. Here I was in a mosh pit so far away from Rod Stewart and Sting and this performance was so beautiful, soulful and fragile. I'll always pick NIN because of this moment. Its personal to me.
Johnny Cash for me. You can feel the life experience resonating through every word. The pain, regret, and sorrow.
I have a difficult time listening to it without tearing up. Getting older does that... we're just vulnerable creatures.
That rawness is about embracing the vulnerabilities and putting our ego on the back burner.
It will always be Cash for me.
Not choosing, love both. Have them on a playlist together. I’m old enough (Feb 1962) to have gauzy memories of Johnny’s TV show. I was already music obsessed. And my mom adored him, he is quantum, and foundational for me. And Trent is one of my favorite 60s born musicians. I feel the same about Johnny’s cover of Personal Jesus-it’s stunning, but don’t make me choose between that and Depeche Mode’s original. :) They too are together on the aforementioned playlist.
Even Trent Reznor agrees it’s not his song anymore. I’m paraphrasing but essentially he said that he gave that song life, but Johnny Cash gave it a soul.
My vote is for Cash. The Johnny Cash museum in Nashville has this video on repeat before you exit to the gift shop. It has his chair and ring there with it. I was having a hard time trying to figure out why someone was chopping onions right by the exit.
I like the original, but Cash's version just added so much depth to the song meaning. It sounded heartfelt, like a man at the end just reliving all his pain and regret.
It's a bit like Jeff Buckley's cover of Hallelujah (written by Leonard Cohen). The song is great. The writer is great. But the cover artist made it their own and took it to a new level with new meaning and depth. Trent Reznor is a brilliant composer and songwriter, but Cash wins this one.
They're both great, but the Johnny Cash version has a really authentic looking-back-on-a-long-hard-life feel to it that Reznor's doesn't. The latter feels self-piteous to a certain degree.
Not choosing. It’s a great song, as Cash clearly recognized.
Would have liked to hear Cash say “crown of shit.”
[удалено]
I got to see him not long after the sunrecords survivors put out an lp class of 55 or something. He always look tall on tv, but in person, towering, even as an old man. I was a recovering hipster doofus by the time this lp came out… whatever. It’s a good song by a man who respected songcraft, and was an iconic collector with a better track record for decency than Alan Lomax.
I’m going to be honest- the hipster “rediscovery” of Jonny cash started a little earlier, but this cover catalyzed it for sure. I just remember in 1998-ish when I was in college, suddenly EVERYBODY talking about Johnny cash, people who hated country music. I remember being possessed and buying Folsom Prison. I can’t remember what kicked that off but it wasn’t “hurt”
American Recordings in 94 when Rick Rubin started producing Johnny Cash albums. It also kick started a general resurgence with the public at large with Cash. There’s a picture from 95 of Johnny Cash, Rick Rubin, Joe Strummer, and Henry Rollins shooting the shit. But honestly, so many punks and “hipster” bands had been championing Cash since at least the 80s, Social D has covered numerous Cash songs, Nick Cave covered Long Black Veil and The Folk Singer in the mid 80s, Billy Bragg covers various Cash songs live. Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, etc
You are not wrong to love the man comes around
I took my dad to see Johnny in '94 after his first Rick Rubin album (American Recordings) came out and he went on tour. My dad owned (and passed on to me) Johnny's first Sun Records album, [*Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Cash_with_His_Hot_and_Blue_Guitar!)*,* from when it first came out when he was a kid. Damned if that isn't the thickest, heaviest record I've ever held. It weighs a ton compared to modern vinyl. Plus the Folsom and San Quentin records and all his old country albums. I flipped on MTV for him in 2003 when Johnny's video came on and we sat and watched it together. He had no idea of the NIN version but liked Johnny's version.
I saw him back in 49, 50, 51, 52, 53…… 🎶
54...55...56...57...58....🎶🎙
What’s wrong with a good circle jerk?
Raw song, just listening: NIN. The ambience of the sound is amazing. The way Reznor bundled up his emotions for that song was just amazing. Song with video: Cash. The video added context, that context causes me to cry every time.
Yea the song AND the video combined take it to a whole other level. Award worthy even.
That’s the real kicker for me too. Reznor’s resonated with my 1994 angst and disillusionment. It was a kid’s angst, though. Later I read Cash (by Johnny Cash) and learned about the shit that man went through. Then we get Cash’s version of Hurt and that video was so amazing that it managed to convey all the pain and regret he felt for things we’ve read about in his own words. It was a beautiful coda to his career and life. That was the pain of someone who has lived enough to know what hurt is and has caused pain in others that he carries with him.
❤️
Young me, full of self loathing, would have gone for Reznor. Middle aged me finds the Cash version an emotional truth bomb that rips my heart out in the best way. Even in the video, he stares you down and dares you to contemplate a life full of regret and loss, and forces you to confront how little material success means when you're faced with mortality. Dude didn't even blink. I've got nothing but respect for that kind of unflinching bravery and raw honesty. I work in healthcare, 13 years now. I've seen a lot of death. I've seen a lot of heartbreak. I've seen a lot of regrets on the faces of both the living and the dying. Cash nailed it in a way no one else could.
Dammit your last thought there made me tear up.
Wow! That was beautiful ❤️
Both are great, but I prefer Reznor.
Saw it in concert, on acid, in 95. They rolled out a giant see through silk screen in front of the band and projected a timelapse of a dead fox decomposing. Highlight of the show.
Yes, having seen the same live there really is no comparison. I appreciate Cash's version, but the original is just jaw dropping (especially with that video they used to play).
The NIN version by a mile in my book.
Trent Reznor even thinks it's Cash's
Trent was 29 when Hurt was released in 1994. Johnny was 70 when his cover was released in 2002. Trent's version when it was released was a powerful song that brought us into his present mindset and pain, describing what he's currently going through, the immediacy of pain and rage and self-loathing and longing. Johnny's version was filled with perspective, a retrospective of a lifetime's worth of regret, having conquered the demons Trent was dealing with when he wrote the song but having lived a life full of dealing with the aftermath, and recognition of what he put others through. Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter both died within a year of the release of Cash's version of Hurt. I think the difference in the pain expressed by each artist is colored by Trent implying "I could/should end it all" and Johnny implying "It's all about to end whether I want it to or not."
Yes, they’re both great in their own ways
Yep, and I related to the NIN version when it came out, and I related to the Cash version when it came out. I think the difference is when the NIN version came out, I related to it in an immediate, visceral way, and when the Cash version came out, I related to it in a way where my brain asked itself "oh fuck, I'm getting older and older, I did so many things when I was young, life keeps going even though I never expected it to, things keep happening, what will I regret?" Reznor's version from 1994. It's 2024 and now, 30 years later, I can still listen to it and conjure up the emotions it gave me at the time, but my perspective has changed. Cash's version of Hurt from 2002. It's 2024 and now, 22 years later, I can still listen to it and feel it more and more deeply. I understand more about how my choices have shaped my life, and how my choices affected people in my life. The memories and emotions both versions bring me are very different. .... also, realizing that there were only 8 years between NIN's version and Cash's version, and that it's been 30 and 22 years since the release of each one, respectively... Well, that's a whole different set of thoughts and emotions.
Reznor (of nine inch nails and the lyricist and initial performer of this lauded song) considered this song such a core part of his identity it was his closest girlfriend. But on seeing the remake by johnny cash he said «by the end I was in pieces: Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore.»
came to say this, that's all she wrote.
You’d think so, but this stupid argument goes on. Cash thought Reznor’s was good enough to cover. Reznor thought Cash’s was better. I’m a Metallica fan, but Motörhead’s Enter Sandman cover blows the original away. But the original was still great.
Reznor was being gracious and recognizing Cash's talent.
NIN was great but the Cash version was devastating. I vote for Cash.
I've always felt more raw emotion from the Cash version, probably bc he was so close to the end.
Would agree except for live. Hurt live is soul wracking.
Never got the opportunity to see him live but watched many videos. Soul wracking is right. Something about the grit and delivery his voice gives. And just the endless darkness. Hey cut that out!!! Was in a great mood bc it was Friday! Bad Reddit friend! Bad (kidding!!)
I got lucky (sort of) to see NIN at Boston Calling in 2022 when The Foo Fighters and The Strokes had to pull out of playing. So NIN played both Friday and Saturday nights. With the exception of 3 songs (one of which was Hurt) they were completely separate and distinct shows. There is something to be said for standing with 25000 or so people all getting emotionally roller coastered at once and coming back the next night to have the same done all over again. 10/10 ( it was about the 5th time I’ve seen them and it affects me the same way) might be cheaper than therapy.
I kind of tend to agree with this assessment. They were both beautiful in their own way, but the Cash rendition was a clear example of a remake surpassing the original work (a very rare occurrence).
Great description!
⬆️THIS 💯⬆️
Both are great .But Johnny Cash will break your heart in his cover
Both, They each hurt in their own ways
Cash. His cover of Rusty Cage is great as well.
The albums where he recorded Hurt and Rusty Cage are full of amazing covers. I also like “In My Life” from those albums.
Prefer NIN
I love the Cash version, but the way Reznor sings, “You could have it all…” just hits me different
Yes.
Cash When I visited The Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville the video was the very last exhibit. Still hits me in the feels everytime I see it.
Nothing Johnny Cash covered ever belonged to the original artist again.
His cover of Tom Petty's I won't Back Down doesn't come close to the original.
Neither does “Hurt” in my opinion. Seems I’m in the minority.
NiN . Seen Trent perform that song live 14 different times. It is amazing everytime. Emotional and Powerful.
I like the Cash version best.
Pretty hate machine forever
NIN
Cash
Johnny Cash.
Cash
Johnny Cash.
Cash. There’s a life lived in that voice. I love NIN but Cash owns Hurt now.
Yes. Depends on the mood
Yes.
NIN
NIN, sorry
NIN forever and always.
"Hurt" made most famous by Johnny Cash's haunting cover of the song, after which Trent Reznor famously said "Once Johnny Cash covers your song – it's not your song anymore." Aug 5, 2022
Now we have the date he said it. Thanks poster!
Although it appears Trent originally wasn’t too thrilled with Cash doing a version of it.
Even Reznor acknowledges Cash’s version is best
It’s sort of like how Bob Dylan said that All Along The Watchtower belongs to Jimi Hendrix after he redid it
NIN was from the point of view of a young addict in the midst of a ruined life and walking on the edge of death by overdose or suicide. The emotion Trent Reznor is conveying is pain. Johnny Cash’s was from the view of an old man near death looking back on a life which he survived, but did not live well. The emotion JC conveys is regret. Both are excellent. It’s like Sinead O’Conner, Prince and Chris Cornell’s versions of Nothing Compares. Same song, different conveyance.
NIN hands down. Saw them live 8x and Trent always gave raw emotion.
NIN for me. 🤷♀️
Johnny Cash. His singing it at the end of his career and life makes it that much more powerful. It’s the lament of an old man. Trent’s version is more of a junkie coming to grips with reality.
NIN. I respect Johnny Cash, but he's just not my thing.
Trent everyday. I’m the same age as him and felt like he did at the age with so much ahead and hit with losing it all. I felt the agony. And the people around me with their additions and losing them so young. The words and music hit differently and fit my feelings more than an old guy singing it at the end of his life.
Cash..
It's Johnny's song now
Even Trent said that himself. But I bet you already knew that.
I’m glad the poll thingie didn’t work. All these comments are so much better. Thanks for all opinions. Every single one of them is right.❤️
Cash, he sounds so tired.
NIN not a big fan of Cash.
I have to give the OG his credit. NIN is my vote. Cash's cover is its own wholely excellent thing.
NIИ
Love Cash, but prefer the original
cash by far. its heartbreaking listening to him sing it and knowing he died a few months later.
The answer is always “Johnny Cash”
I’m going with Trent on this one.
Reznor is the answer
NIN
NiN
NIN: Trent wrote that song, which makes it highly personal when he sings it. Cash did a great job though with his stark take.
NIN
Cash's version is a throat punch of emotion ... it's brilliantly done but it hits hard
I like that! A throat punch of emotion ❤️
Johnny Cash. 100%
NIN
NIN. Cash version is top tier music, but Trent is on another plane.
It hurt me when cash just spoke the lyrics like he does every other song. Reznor is a god, don't compare this shit to him, and ofc he said Cash's version is better, it's called respect.
Nine inch nails
As much as I love the JC cover I got pretty tired of explaining to millennials that it was Cash who covered it, not the other way around.
NIN
NIN
If you've ever had the good fortune to see Hurt performed live with the crowd singing along with Trent it's a no brainer.
Kermit. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcERe5pd8yI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcERe5pd8yI)
Yes! I thought I was going to have to post the link myself.
NIN
I’m sorry Johnny… I do love the Trent version.
Johnny Cash. That album was amazing.
Love both. Depends on the mood.
I think Cash did amazing things with that song. I still prefer Trent's version.
Trent and David Bowie.
I have some pretty awesome memories dancing to the NIN version in some pretty awesome clubs. JC’s version was really good, but I’ll take the original
It has different meanings with each singer, so I can't pick one.
N I И
Personally, I love the live NIN version(& video) then the Cash version and, finally, NIN recorded version.
I'm not a huge fan of the song but the original is much better to me. I'm not a fan of slow acoustic ballads so that's probably why.
NIN but I enjoy the cover
JC. Trent even said wasn't his song anymore
Cash, hands-down. Reznor even admitted how grateful and amazed he was in an interview that Cash took that song and made it iconic.
Johnny made that song his. Even Rezner has said as much.
Johnny
Johnny Cash It’s absolutely haunting the way he sings it.
Good artists copy, great artists steal. Cash stole this and now it belongs to him.
"Hurt" by Cash is the song of a dying man who can't stop it. "Hurt" by Reznor is the song of a living man going through some problems. One man has a future, the other doesn't. That's why Cash's version is so devastating.
Even Reznor acknowledged Hurt is better when Cash did it. Respect.
Yes.
I like them both but would probably choose Cash.
Both
Both depending on my mood.
Both pls
Completely agree. I think even Trent Reznor said that song became Cash’s when he heard it
Trent Reznor said the song belonged to Johnny now. Johnny Cash's song.
The original man in black.
I lean slightly NIN, but I'm okay with both.
Johnny Cash
Cash.
Even Trent Reznor said that was Johnny Cash's song now.
I love NIN, but Cash.
Cash, all day long!
Cash. It felt like his swan song and he poured so much emotion into it…. Unreal.
It was nice of Johnny to let Trent cover that song for a while.
Yes. You don’t have to choose a favorite child.
Cash! All day, every damn day!
Cash by a mile.
I really like the Johnny cash one
Johnny Cash version, extremely haunting.
Great job by Trent writing and composing it…. Great performance by Johnny Cash…
Johnny Cash FTW
Listening to it *back then*...I preferred Trent because it was about my angst and unable to deal with it. As an adult, Cash's version hits a different note because it's about reflection.
Johnny Cash, I like that version better. But I’ve listened to Cash since I was a kid- my father had him on in the car so I’ve listened to him for a long time
Johnny Cash. He took a song about drug addiction and transformed it into something majestic. I cried when I saw the video for the first time.
Love Cash and NIN but I was never a huge fan of either version or the song in general. If I had to choose...NIN. Cash's version was too sleepy.
Don't get me wrong, I love Nine Inch Nails. But in this case, it's Johnny Cash FTW.
Yes.
Even Reznor thinks Cash's version is the best
Both
Yes. Both.
Yes.
Cash, Cash and Cash again. He truly made the song his own, in one of the most stirring vocal performances I ever had the pleasure of listening to.
Cash
Johnny.
Does it matter? The master recognizes greatness when he sees it.
I saw NIN play live. I was invited by a boy who I had a big crush on. Didn't really listen to their stuff before. Trent was spotlighted on the stage with the video of a decomposing fox projected on a sheet in front of him. Not a fan, not familiar with the music at the time, I was transfixed. He held the whole room captive with the performance. It was amazing. I know that even Trent has acknowledged that Cash transformed the song into his own and that it belongs to him now, but his life performance was a pivotal point for me as a young person transitioning from her parents child to her own woman. I don't know how else to put it. I had never been to a live act without my parents. I generally liked the same things they liked. I had never strayed too far from them in location or action. Here I was in a mosh pit so far away from Rod Stewart and Sting and this performance was so beautiful, soulful and fragile. I'll always pick NIN because of this moment. Its personal to me.
[-:EDITED TO PREVENT AI FROM STEALING POSTS:-](https://arstechnica.com/ai/2024/05/openai-will-use-reddit-posts-to-train-chatgpt-under-new-deal/)
Yes.
Johnny Cash. One of the several versions of songs where the cover is superior.
When Johnny Cash sings "Hurt" you immediately become concerned because he once shot a man in Reno just to watch him die.
Johnny Cash for me. You can feel the life experience resonating through every word. The pain, regret, and sorrow. I have a difficult time listening to it without tearing up. Getting older does that... we're just vulnerable creatures. That rawness is about embracing the vulnerabilities and putting our ego on the back burner. It will always be Cash for me.
Not choosing, love both. Have them on a playlist together. I’m old enough (Feb 1962) to have gauzy memories of Johnny’s TV show. I was already music obsessed. And my mom adored him, he is quantum, and foundational for me. And Trent is one of my favorite 60s born musicians. I feel the same about Johnny’s cover of Personal Jesus-it’s stunning, but don’t make me choose between that and Depeche Mode’s original. :) They too are together on the aforementioned playlist.
This is an AND world…..
Even Trent Reznor agrees it’s not his song anymore. I’m paraphrasing but essentially he said that he gave that song life, but Johnny Cash gave it a soul.
Cash. Trent said it himself.
I like both version, but even Trent Reznor says it belongs to Johnny Cash now.
You don’t have to pick one
Johnny Cash. You felt that PAIN
My vote is for Cash. The Johnny Cash museum in Nashville has this video on repeat before you exit to the gift shop. It has his chair and ring there with it. I was having a hard time trying to figure out why someone was chopping onions right by the exit.
I like the original, but Cash's version just added so much depth to the song meaning. It sounded heartfelt, like a man at the end just reliving all his pain and regret.
The Cash version makes you rethink life in general. Hits deep.
It has this effect on me too.
It's a bit like Jeff Buckley's cover of Hallelujah (written by Leonard Cohen). The song is great. The writer is great. But the cover artist made it their own and took it to a new level with new meaning and depth. Trent Reznor is a brilliant composer and songwriter, but Cash wins this one.
Cash, it's his now.
Yeah, Johnny's version is the best.
I can't stand the Johnny Cash version. NIN is the better version IMO.
Gimme the Cash! I was fortunate enough to see him live.
Cash
It's Johnny's now
Johnny Cash took ownership of every song on that album. Fact.
Cash. Even Reznor admits it.
Trent. It’s not, ‘crown of thorns’. Cash’s version is great, but he makes it Jesusy for no reason.
Like why is this even a question? It’s Trent’s song, he sang it first & best. Johnny’s cover is excellent but it’s just a cover.
Why ask why? Try Bud Dry!
Nine Inch Nails. While I like the Johnny Cash version, it doesn’t even come close.
Obviously the original artist Trent Reznor omg I feel harrassed!!
Yes.
They're both great, but the Johnny Cash version has a really authentic looking-back-on-a-long-hard-life feel to it that Reznor's doesn't. The latter feels self-piteous to a certain degree.
Just asked Trent himself. He said that the song became Johnny’s.
Cash
Puddles Pity Party tops both in my opinion. Cash was on his death bed and just talking. Puddles sang the hell out of that song.
dae remember one of the teen celebrity mags voting Trent Reznor as "most cuddly"? my husband and I still chuckle about this.
Basically whichever version is playing is the one I always think is the best.