The Man in Black

As sure as night is dark and day is light
I keep you on my mind both day and night
And happiness I've known proves that it's right
Because you're mine, I walk the line

You've got a way to keep me on your side
You give me cause for love that I can't hide
For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide
Because you're mine, I walk the line

Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line

I don't like country music. I find it trite and whiny. And there's something about the tonal quality of country music that just strikes me the wrong way. Living in the South, though, I am inevitably asked the question "sooo, are you a country fan?" And my answer is always the same: "I can't stand it.... except for Johnny Cash." They love Cash down here (along with Stevie Ray Vaughn and The Eagles) so that answer at least gets me somewhat good in their books.
Most people tend not to consider Cash 'country' per se, and I tend to agree. His music is not what I really think of when I think of country music. Yeah, he has the twangy guitar, the low voice, and the sad tales of woe. But there's something about Johnny Cash that just transcends basic country and this quality is the reason why he has so many fans in a multitude of genres. The thing about Cash is that he actually lived a lot of his songs, whether it was serving prison time or being addicted to drugs (for a good, quick bio on the early years of Cash take a look at Walk the Line). Most country today is barely disinguishable from regular pop music. It's the same old songs sung by people that sound exactly the same. But Cash was always able to find the true essence of 'country' in his music. His songs were dark, pessimistic, passionate. They were full of despair and warned against what could happen to people that strayed down the wrong track, with Cash using himself as the example. That is what country should be.
The music of Johnny Cash is truly timeless. And the man never lost his touch. Listening to his cover of Nine Inch Nail's "Hurt," which is what inspired me to write this, is a haunting experience. It will literally chill you to the core. Also, have a listen to his version of Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage." Just phenomenal. But despite the high standards of his later work, it is Cash's older stuff that are his true masterpieces and influenced an entire generation of musicians (both country and otherwise). Listening to "Folsom Prison Blues," "Highway Man," or "Burning Ring of Fire," among many other songs, is an emotional experience. You can feel Cash's heartache with each word and melancholy strum of the guitar. And when it came to analyzing relationships, drugs, or life in general, there really was no one like Cash. He was a poet. What Bob Dylan was to folk and Stevie Wonder was to soul, Cash was to country. And besides that, he was a total badass. He did what he wanted, when he wanted to. And who else could pull off an all-black wardrobe? Just fuckin pimp. A listen to Cash now and he still manages to utterly change your mood, to take you away to a place far from the city and into the solitude of the country. Cash wouldn't care for the country music of today. It's not heartfelt. It's not real. It's pop drivel played with a twangy guitar. It's the anti-Cash. Johnny was a rebel. He took everything that society expected of him and spit it back in its face. You want one of the true godfathers of punk and social music? Look no farther than Johnny Cash. And in that regard, he wouldn't give a damn what had become of 'country' music today. He'd simply down a fifth of whiskey, grab his guitar, and keep on playing. Long live the man in black.