NIN / Johnny Cash - Hurt

Submitted by confrita t3_z5kfdt in Music

Hi!

Today I was listening to 'The Downward Spiral' and remembered that Johnny Cash did a cover of the last song, 'Hurt'. I've listened it a couple of years ago, but oh man it didn't hit me so hard as today!

For some reason Cash's version it's sooo much powerful for me, to the point that I can listen to the original without a problem, but Cash's rendition makes me cry every damn time.

Why do you think about that cover? I know it's old by now, but today I rediscovered it and would like to know what other people think about that version?

Have a good day!

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Comments

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1clovett t1_ixwk7em wrote

I love Johnny Cash's cover. I believe that it hits so hard because Cash recorded th3 cover when old, he sang from a life time of having made poor decisions and reflection.

113

digitalray34 t1_ixwl1fo wrote

It's really good. Definitely a cover that makes people forget the original.

−6

jonnyinternet t1_ixwl73b wrote

NIN: probably the angriest thing I've ever heard. A masterpiece

JC: probably the saddest thing I've ever heard. A masterpiece

125

Notinyourbushes t1_ixwln77 wrote

Trent himself said that after Johnny sang it, it wasn't his song anymore. It was Johnny's.

Just going to edit this and including a link so anyone who's interested can hear the full story.

Trent video commentary

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AdHelpful7287 t1_ixwn1vf wrote

Loved it. I've heard someone say before about Cash that It's like he always makes them his own. That has never been more true than with that song.

The music video is so emotional too, intersplicing clips of a young Cash with an aging cash.

I really like his cover of Personal Jesus on the same album.

22

harleyspoison267 t1_ixwnas5 wrote

Yeah that song is one of his best and he didn't even write it but it really doesn't matter for that one. Another commenter is right that the music video is gutwrenching. It messes me up every time and i must have heard it a hundred times by now.

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Garland915 t1_ixwnywd wrote

There's a tremble in Cash's voice on the cover. Which makes the lyrics much more impact full. It's full of pain and regret, from a man at the end of his days. Trent Reznor may have written it, but in my eyes it's Johnny's song now. Plus the music video fits his version so much better. The shaky hands, the sad eyes. Reminiscing about the past. It all just fits so well together. It was the perfect cover all around.

3

davidsonrva t1_ixwooc9 wrote

One of the greatest covers of all time imo

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Publius_Enigma7796 t1_ixwotji wrote

Trent has praised Cash’s version so much and comparing to “like having your girlfriend stolen by your best friend” he has the utmost respect for it.

6

bluetriumphantcloud t1_ixwpda7 wrote

To me, this take is cliche, and laughable, at the same time. Let me finish before you downvote me to hell ;)

I'm not trying to be inflammatory, it's just how I feel.

I see why people like Cash's version, and how it introduced a lot of his fans to the music that he covered, but I can't imagine how you could say it's 'better' if you actually loved the original version.

They're totally different, and the NIN one is a masterpiece of modern music, and inspired a lot of followers. The Cash version is a novelty imo. It's cool, it's different. But better than the original? I guess if you don't like the original.

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20zilla t1_ixwpgui wrote

I like you because of this😊 thank you

−2

Rodgers4 t1_ixwprkl wrote

For me it’s 1a and 1b for Cash’s cover of Hurt and Michael Jackson’s cover of Eat It.

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2giga2dweebish t1_ixwq2sm wrote

I'll be honest - while I do get the appeal of Cash's performance, I prefer the sheer desolate, angry sound of NIN. It's very special as a closer to the Downward Spiral, and the other version is just a cover... a very good cover, but a cover nonetheless.

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confrita OP t1_ixwqck1 wrote

Replying to bluetriumphantcloud (#696,017)

Mmm I see your point here. To be honest I love the original too, but more in the context of the album that as a isolate piece of music. Don't get me wrong, Trent it the original composer, and without his creativity Cash's version would be obviously impossible, but for some reason I like the latter much more as a isolated song

1

Lopocalypse t1_ixwrg96 wrote

Try NIN’s And All That Could Have Been live album. NIN sounds better outside of the studio. I’m not sure if they have had another good live album since then.

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LordByrum t1_ixwrrsa wrote

Thirteen > Hurt but both are elite versions by Cash

1

queensnyatty t1_ixww17d wrote

Replying to 2giga2dweebish (#696,148)

Same words but one is about a young man’s heroin addiction and the other about an old man with a lifetime of regrets.

Depending on your life experience one or other might resonate with you more.

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FullRollingBoil t1_ixwwf5w wrote

I never got the hype of the Cash version. Same goes with his Rusty Cage cover. He just seems like an old man trying to be relevant

−2

Jonestown_Juice t1_ixwwxyx wrote

This has got to be on the Hall of Fame by now.

Edit: It is.

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Previous_Raccoon6305 t1_ixwxgiz wrote 

A man in the last years of his life who had lost the love of his life and was struggling with his own mortality.So beautiful,so painful.
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dratsablive t1_ixx1b18 wrote

Thing is Johnny wasn't just sing a cover version, he was "hurt" his whole life. Made a career singing about it.

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Master-File-9866 t1_ixx1toa wrote

Here is the thing.

2 different artists same lyrics.

2 absolutley different meanings.

Trent Reznor has come out on the record saying cashs version is so strong and powerful that it is his song now.

Reznor wrote it about drug use and regret about the impact drugs have on life.

Cash sang it still about regret but on the topic of his amazing life and all that happened in it. Also his deep powerful voice, that voice that has decayed over the years, well that just adds to the impact of his version of the song.

I can sit and listen to cash singing hurt in the back ground, and enjoy it for what it is. Alternatively I can dim the lights remove as many sensory items as possible and intently listen to the man in black sing the tale of his life and with enough focus get emotional as I can tap into just a tiny little bit of what he is feeling in the performance.

−1

mcgato t1_ixx2cgr wrote

I like the Cash version. I always thought it was Johnny Cash singing his own eulogy.

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hbxli t1_ixx2w9g wrote

As far as song parodies go, the Johnny Cash version is okay I guess

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team-evil66 t1_ixx5fb2 wrote

Dude even Trent said it's Cash's song now, it's an amazing cover from a different place but still so deep.

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Shemoose t1_ixx6cgj wrote

I've been listening to to mist days the past 3 weeks since my dad died. Its such a powerful song . Poetic and so sad. He knows his life is almost over and he has a excerstencial crisis. Its rekindled my love for this song.

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HunnyBunion t1_ixx84kp wrote

No question the original is better ( subjectively of course) The meaning and culmination of the story the album is hard to top .

Cover version is great because it's Johnny cash and carries a totally different gravitas because of who he is and what is life was.

But if you take away that it's Johnny cash , his version is kind of crap

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Gixxerfool t1_ixxcthe wrote

If no one here has seen it, Netflix has a show called Song Exploder which the interviewer goes in a deep dive with Reznor about this song. I thought this with Pretty Hate Machine and I believe it even more so today, Reznor is completely under appreciated.

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jaspex11 t1_ixxdqoj wrote

I recall an interview where rezner was asked his thoughts on Johnny Cash covering his song, and rezner corrected the interviewer by saying something like 'no, no. You don't understand . That's a Johnny Cash song, I just happen to have written it.'

−4

atbths t1_ixxf92k wrote

Replying to Gixxerfool (#699,509)

He's pretty well appreciated in the music world. It seems like anyone that has a deeper than surface level interest in music at least respects his work if not enjoys it.

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Gixxerfool t1_ixxfiwt wrote

Replying to atbths (#699,855)

That’s sort of what I was alluding to. I guess in a way that’s great for those of us who do appreciate as he never fell into the mainstream trap. He only did Reznor and nothing else. Anyone else dismissed him as noise or crazy and never actually gave him the time of day.

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kwali87 t1_ixxkmoh wrote

NIN version affected me a lot more than Cashs version. They’re both amazing, but i heard and felt the pain more through Trent. Perhaps as I get older and experience more of life’s negatives Cashs version will hit harder

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TheReginaProject t1_ixxl9ed wrote

So weird you mention this! I heard it a few hours ago on a local radio station and I thought—holy eff I never realized how powerful the lyrics were—he sings them so clearly and in a raw and real simple way that it gave me chills. I’ve heard it plenty of times before—especially Trent Reznor’s original…but today I felt it hard. Dang. Life is bizarre.

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JedExi t1_ixxo61t wrote

Replying to queensnyatty (#700,633)

One line in the song doesn't mean the song is centered around it. Hurt is the epilogue to the Downward Spiral, the song before features the protagonist's suicide. Heroin isn't the only problem he had.

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Coffeedemon t1_ixxolf2 wrote

I like Cash's cover but the production isn't great. Rubin just jacked the levels and it turns into another victim of the loudness war.

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mynewnameonhere t1_ixxplov wrote

Replying to Notinyourbushes (#695,427)

Someone says this in every thread about this song, but I’ve never seen a single source. Here’s a source of something Trent actually said, though.

>"I listened to it and it was very strange. It was this other person inhabiting my most personal song. I'd known where I was when I wrote it. I know what I was thinking about. I know how I felt. Hearing it was like someone kissing your girlfriend. It felt invasive."

https://www.musicradar.com/news/johnny-cash-trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-hurt

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intrepid_lemon t1_ixxpzvi wrote

I understand conceptually that Cash’s rendition is heartbreaking but it just doesn’t reach me emotionally. Team NIN

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mynewnameonhere t1_ixxqbkr wrote

Replying to Publius_Enigma7796 (#695,929)

No he didn’t. Here’s what he actually said.

>"I listened to it and it was very strange. It was this other person inhabiting my most personal song. I'd known where I was when I wrote it. I know what I was thinking about. I know how I felt. Hearing it was like someone kissing your girlfriend. It felt invasive."

https://www.musicradar.com/news/johnny-cash-trent-reznor-nine-inch-nails-hurt

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mynewnameonhere t1_ixxqk51 wrote

Replying to Notinyourbushes (#696,479)

I’ve looked for an actual source for that quote and I can’t find one. That article even says he said it but doesn’t provide a source. Without a source, it’s no better than a Reddit comment claiming he said it.

If you even read the actual article about the interview that article links to, he says the opposite. He says when he was initially asked if Cash could cover one of his songs, he was honored. But then when he heard Hurt, because he didn’t know which song he was going to do, it felt invasive.

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KO620181 t1_ixxr896 wrote

Why did I just go watch the Cash video? I knew what I was in for. Why did I do it? Why.

0

mynewnameonhere t1_ixxrddk wrote

Replying to -00-- (#701,551)

That article doesn’t provide a source. It simply says that he said it without saying when or where he said it or linking to a source. If you even read the actual article about the interview that article links to, he says the opposite. He says when he was initially asked if Cash could cover one of his songs, he was honored. But then when he heard Hurt, because he didn’t know which song he was going to do, it felt invasive.

1

OhShitItsSeth t1_ixxs7ck wrote

Johnny Cash's cover is understandably the most-loved version of the song, but I think NIN's original has its own greatness.

Sung by Trent Reznor in its original form, it's from the perspective of a man who is addicted to drugs and self-harm, and is likely jaded, having peaked years ago, and now just spends his days wallowing in his own sadness. "I wear this crown of shit" is a powerful line.

As for the Johnny Cash version, we see a man who is at the end of his life, has lost nearly everyone he's ever loved (especially his wife), and while he's had a life many only dream of, something in him just feels empty and full of regret. I like that he changed the aforementioned line to "I wear this crown of thorns", in reference to his Christian faith.

Yet, regardless of who sings it, both perspectives feel similar in a kind of eerie way. Two men just full of regret, full of hurt.

I'm probably playing Captain Obvious here, but yeah.

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TheKillingMoon30 t1_ixxu4s2 wrote

Original is still better; trents narcissism/emo self makes it better

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HitItAnd_Quidditch t1_ixxv2ud wrote

The Johnny Cash cover of “Hurt” is the greatest cover ever made of any song. Enough said.

−3

-00-- t1_ixxv2yd wrote

Replying to mynewnameonhere (#701,598)

Try this one on for size. At the end.

https://www.grunge.com/294136/why-trent-reznor-was-initially-hurt-after-johnny-cash-did-a-cover-of-his-song/

Edit: add a link to the FT. Quote from TR at the end.

https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/hurt.html

"At the end of the video, Cash, silhouetted by a harsh yellow light, closes the lid of the piano and rests his ageing hands on top of it. Reznor’s “valentine to the sufferer” at that point became Cash’s swan song. After watching it, Reznor said: “That song isn’t mine any more.”

The song is haunting. The video is intense.

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RedditorNumber679260 t1_ixxxhot wrote

If you like that song???

“Something I can Never Have” - NIN on “Pretty Hate Machine”

^ That song is like Hurt, just as heart wrenching

1

Fluffy_Little_Fox t1_ixxxqu2 wrote

Replying to jonnyinternet (#695,367)

Someone will disagree but I think JC's "Hurt" cover and his cover of "If You Could Read My Mind" by Gordon Lightfoot are on equal...... footing ...

That was not planned. I just kinda backed myself into it.

3

Tobias_flenderz t1_ixxywh0 wrote

Less heavy, but Johnny's cover of Soundgarden's essential track Rusty Cage is such a cool reimagining. It's overshadowed by Hurt, and deservedly so, but I'll always petition for people to check it out when I'm replying in threads about covers.

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GOM27 t1_ixxz1et wrote

If you know he was sick and dying when he recorded his version, if you know his history and all the shit he went through, what he put his family through.... It makes that song hit really hard.

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Bryn79 t1_ixy0smq wrote

Replying to kwali87 (#700,660)

That’s the thing with great songs. They follow you through life and reveal new meaning and emotions. There are songs that are great when you’re young but fewer that will resonate as strongly when you get old.

The River and Hurt are two such songs.

2

Bear_Hoonden t1_ixy1oiv wrote

I heard about an interview Trent Reznor did where he stated that he felt like the song was no longer his and compared it to having a girlfriend stolen from him. He was appreciative and honored, or something like that.

2

ChefCory t1_ixy2pwl wrote

NIN version hits me harder.

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dinketry t1_ixy4f1t wrote

When Trent Reznor heard Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt”, he said “I don’t think that’s my song anymore.”

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ObiWanSkippy t1_ixy6mla wrote

I convinced my ex wife to teach her high school English students these two songs and the affect that tone has on the words. One, NIN version, has a whole lot of self pity and self doubt. But when you play the other, Cash, it’s a deathbed confessional/apology.

Both very powerful and moving but the tone give them each a very different meaning.

1

YoshimiUnicorns t1_ixy6nsz wrote

Replying to 2giga2dweebish (#696,148)

That's true, but even if it's just a cover it hits even harder than NIN's version ever could when you consider Cash pretty much sang it as a closer to his life, and all the loss and regret that came with it. Trent's version is a story, Johnny's is a memoir

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ObiWanSkippy t1_ixy6q9w wrote

Johnny Cash also does a version of Personal Jesus! He rocks out on that one!

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AerynBevo t1_ixy8rdc wrote

Just curious about something. Those of you who prefer the NIN version, how old are you?

Asking because I wonder if the Cash version hits harder for those of us who are older.

No judgement at all. Just a thought. Ignore if you prefer.

2

mynewnameonhere t1_ixy9yq1 wrote

Replying to Notinyourbushes (#703,502)

That’s it? Wow you people have completely taken that out of context. This is actually making me mad now.

First he said the song sounded weird to him because it was his song being played differently. Then he said after seeing the video, it didn’t sound like his anymore. He’s saying “it wasn’t my song anymore” meaning he wasn’t hearing his song being played differently; he was hearing a completely different song. How you got that he meant the song belonged to Cash now, I have no idea. That’s completely crazy.

0

auracles060 t1_ixya8d9 wrote

One of my favourite songs ever and means so much to me. I discovered it when I was 15 after going through a terrible months-long depression and self harm and it made feel cathartic and level for the first time at the time. Felt safe hearing it.

1

Notinyourbushes t1_ixybkrq wrote

Replying to mynewnameonhere (#703,796)

You're hearing what you want to hear. You don't say you finish watching a video with “tears welling, silence, goosebumps” just because its "being played differently."

“What I had written in my diary was now superimposed on the life of this icon and sung so beautifully and emotionally. It was a reminder of what an important medium music is. Goosebumps up the spine. It really made sense. I thought: ‘What a powerful piece of art.’ I never got to meet Johnny, but I’m happy I contributed in the way I did. It wasn’t my song any more.”

If you don't see it, it's because you either don't want to or you don't understand what he's saying when he uses the word superimposed.

−1

potatoYeetSoup t1_ixybqzc wrote

His cover is brilliant. Cash made it his own like any great cover should be, and personally I prefer his version. It sort of became the swan song to his career

−1

littleb3anpole t1_ixyfm0l wrote

Cash rented it but Trent owns it.

Disclaimer - I am a huge NIN fan. Have loved them for 22 years. Cash’s version comes nowhere near Trent’s original for emotional gut punch for me.

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Soulsingin1 t1_ixyg6k3 wrote

Johnny Cash version all the way for me.

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goboxey t1_ixyicmz wrote

Cash's version all the way. This guy knows what regret and lament means.

1

Nasty_Ned t1_ixymo6z wrote

Replying to VolkspanzerIsME (#699,165)

To me it showed what was valuable to him and in the end what was not. The accolades, the fame and the money were not important. People, where you were from and those that you cared about were what mattered.

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highafwolf420 t1_ixyn0ml wrote

Dude I thought he was the original artist for the song someone else did the original, who???

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guano-crazy t1_ixyv24e wrote

Cash’s cover is just devastating.

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Head-like-a-carp t1_ixyv46l wrote

That whole final album is an emotional tour de force but your right his version of Hurt is especially powerful

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Albus_Q t1_ixyxt2f wrote

Even Trent likes Cash’s version better. I did hear Bowie sing it back in 1995 when he toured with NIN. That was pretty special too.

1

Balrog71 t1_ixz09gg wrote

It's been my karaoke pick a few times.

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Averen t1_ixz7beb wrote

The cover is fantastic. I believe you can find it where Trent basically relinquishes ownership of the song over to cash because he liked the cover so much

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Ok_Caterpillar4181 t1_ixzf51l wrote

I enjoy the Johnny Cash. I even used to cover it when I was into music. It's one of his best songs really. It had a lot of meaning bc he was older at the time. It just makes sense.

1

beraleh t1_ixzgrhz wrote

It's on my playlist so it comes around once in a while. But sometimes, out with the dog on a walk or while stoned I focus on the nuances of the hoarse voice, the lyrics and the arrangement with the dramatic piano and it hits me really hard. One of those rare cases of a cover possibly eclipsing the original. Although the original is pretty heart wrenching too.

2

confrita OP t1_ixzlxdt wrote

Replying to hbxli (#698,019)

Wow you think it's that bad? I mean, I know his cover would never replace the original piece, but I think Cash did an amazing job at giving another interpretation to the feeling of the song

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dpman48 t1_ixzn5b1 wrote

Replying to queensnyatty (#697,049)

Johnny cash also struggled with addiction (amphetamines, alcohol and sedatives). Wouldn’t be surprised if there was heroin as well. But many of his lifetime of regrets are related to the same things we associate the original recording with.

1

highafwolf420 t1_ixzwt1p wrote

Replying to Averen (#708,286)

Dude really??? The fact that they were the original artist for the song is such dog shit, the audio mixing is so horrid or maybe I am just listening to bad versions but that breakdown was the worst I ever heard can't even bear listening too

−1

Ok-Basket2305 t1_iy02401 wrote

Mumford & Sons covered this song too. I liked it.

1

The__Groke t1_iy027xx wrote

I love that Johnny Cash changed the word ‘shit’ to ‘dirt’. It just makes the whole thing classier.

1

Limburger52 t1_iy0gyj7 wrote

What makes Cash’s version so powerful is the video that went with it. You see him as a young man. You see his wife June Carter (my dearest friend) who passed away not long after the video was recorded. You see Cash himself surrounded by the trappings of his succes and you see the wreck if a man who is near the end and reflects on his life singing in his creaking but recognizable voice. You forget all about that the original lyrics were about drug abuse. He shuts the lid on the piano and that is the end. All done. No more. He is finished.

1