American IV: The Man Comes Around

Untitled

American IV: The Man Comes Around is the fourth album in the American series by Johnny Cash (and his 87th overall), released in 2002. This is the last album released before his death in 2003. The majority of songs are covers which Cash performs in his own spare style, with help from producer Rick Rubin. For instance, for the song "Personal Jesus", Rubin asked then-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante to re-work an acoustic version of Martin Gore's song, which featured a simple acoustic riff that stripped down the song to a blues style. He receives backing vocal assistance from various artists, including Fiona Apple, Nick Cave, and Don Henley. American IV was the final Cash album released during his lifetime; though the Unearthed Box Set was compiled prior to his death, it was not released until two months later. It was also his first non-compilation album to go gold (selling over 500,000 copies) in thirty years. Additionally, the album won "Album of the Year" award at the 2003 CMA Awards. It was certified Gold on 4/24/2003 and Platinum on 11/21/2003 by the R.I.A.A.

The video for "Hurt", a song written by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails in 1994, was nominated in seven categories at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards and won the award for Best Cinematography. In February 2003, mere days before his 71st birthday, Cash won another Grammy Award for Best Country Male Vocal Performance for "Give My Love To Rose," a song Cash had originally recorded in the late 1950s. The music video for "Hurt" also won a Grammy for Best Short Form Video at the 2004 Awards.

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor admitted that he was initially "flattered" but worried that "the idea [of Cash covering "Hurt"] sounded a bit gimmicky," but when he heard the song and saw the video for the first time, Reznor said he was deeply moved and found Cash's cover beautiful and meaningful.^[1]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
Robert Christgau	A− link
Los Angeles Times	link

Track listing

1. "The Man Comes Around" (Cash) – 4:26
2. "Hurt" (Reznor) – 3:38

   Originally recorded by Nine Inch Nails for The Downward Spiral (1994)

3. "Give My Love to Rose" (Cash) – 3:28

   Originally recorded by Cash for Sun, appears on Sings Hank Williams (1960), also appears on At Folsom Prison (1968)

4. "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (Simon) – 3:55

   Originally recorded by Simon and Garfunkel for Bridge over Troubled Water (1970)

5. "I Hung My Head" (Sting) – 3:53

   Originally recorded by Sting for Mercury Falling (1996)

6. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" (MacColl) – 3:52

   Was a number one hit for Roberta Flack (1972)

7. "Personal Jesus" (Gore) – 3:20

   Originally recorded by Depeche Mode for Violator (1990)

8. "In My Life" (Lennon–McCartney) – 2:57

   Originally recorded by The Beatles for Rubber Soul (1965)

9. "Sam Hall" (Ritter) – 2:40

   Originally recorded by Cash for Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965)

10. "Danny Boy" (Weatherly) – 3:19

    First published in 1910, previously recorded by Cash for Orange Blossom Special (1965)

11. "Desperado" (Frey/Henley) – 3:13

    Originally recorded by The Eagles for The Eagles (1973)

12. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" Duet with Nick Cave (Williams) – 3:03

    Originally recorded by Hank Williams; previously recorded by Cash for Now, There Was a Song! (1960)

13. "Tear Stained Letter" (Cash) – 3:41

    Originally recorded by Cash for A Thing Called Love (1972)

14. "Streets of Laredo" – 3:33 (Traditional)

    Previously recorded by Cash for Sings the Ballads of the True West (1965)

15. "We'll Meet Again" (Hughie Charles/Ross Parker) – 2:58

    Most famously a hit for Vera Lynn (1939)

LP bonus tracks

Various editions of the album were released. Some include an extra interview disc or a DVD of the video for "Hurt". The vinyl edition of the album featured a slightly different track list and two bonus tracks which were subsequently released, slightly modified (Wichita Lineman with an additional guitar sound layer), on the box set Unearthed:

• "Wichita Lineman" (Jimmy Webb)
• "Big Iron" (Marty Robbins)

Personnel

• Johnny Cash - vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar, arranger, adaptation
• Don Henley - drums, keyboards, vocals
• Fiona Apple - vocals
• Nick Cave - vocals (12)
• Mike Campbell, John Frusciante, Randy Scruggs - acoustic guitar, guitar
• Thom Bresh, Jeff Hanna, Kerry Marx, Marty Stuart - acoustic guitar
• Smokey Hormel - acoustic guitar, slide guitar, guitar
• Jack Clement - Dobro
• Joey Waronker - drums
• David R. Ferguson - Ukulele (9), engineer, mixing
• Laura Cash - fiddle, production assistant
• Terry Harrington - clarinet
• Benmont Tench - organ, piano, harmonium, keyboards, Mellotron, vibraphone, pipe organ, Wurlitzer
• Roger Manning - piano, Tack piano, Harmonium, Mellotron, Chamberlin, orchestra bells
• Billy Preston - piano, keyboards (7,13)

Additional personnel

• Rick Rubin - producer
• John Carter Cash - producer, engineer
• Thom Russo, Andrew Scheps, Chuck Turner - engineers
• Vladimir Meller - mastering
• Christine Cano - art direction, design
• Martyn Atkins - photography
• Lindsay Chase - production coordination
• Dwight Hume, Jimmy Tittle - production assistants

Chart performance

Chart (2002)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums	2
U.S. Billboard 200	22

In popular culture

• "The Man Comes Around" was used during the opening sequence of the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead, as well as the closing scenes of Generation Kill. It was used in the soundtrack to the "Elephant's Memory" episode of Criminal Minds. It was used in the final episode of the first season of The Sarah Connor Chronicles. "The Man Comes Around" is used in the closing credits of the 2003 film The Hunted, as well in a scene in the 2008 film My Best Friend's Girl. It was also used in the end credits of the film Insomnia with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. The song can also be heard during series 4, episode 1 of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, as well as in the opening sequence of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "Better Off Dead" (season 10, episode 10). It is also heard in the opening of the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
• "Hurt" was used in the tribute video to late professional wrestler Eddie Guerrero who died from heart failure in late 2005. It was also used in the same Criminal Minds episode as "The Man Comes Around". The song was also featured in a documentary on Amy Winehouse. "Hurt" was also featured in the closing credits of the eighth episode of Smallville`s third season. It was also featured in the end credits of the 2011 action film Colombiana Alongside this, it played during the intro during the Person Of Interest episode The Devil's Share.
• "I Hung My Head" was played during the montage of the end of the season 6 premiere of FX's The Shield and during a scene in the television movie The Trial of Tony Blair. It was also used at the start of the 2011 film The Green Hornet.
• "In My Life" was played during a promotional commercial for Kennedys’ Family Movies airing on The Learning Channel on January, 30 2011.
• "Personal Jesus" was played during Boston Public during episode twelve of season three when Scott Guber walks in on a student poker game.

References

• ^ Alternative Press #194. September, 2004.