Two great Johnny Cash music videos to watch on The Man in Black's 85th birthday

The great Johnny Cash would have turned 85 today had the Grim Reaper not intervened. But never mind: He remains immortal anyway.

To celebrate his birthday, I am looking back at two extraordinary music videos featuring The Man in Black. The first, completed after Cash’s passing, is for “God’s Gonna Cut You Down.” It was the brainchild of Justin Timberlake, but directed by Tony Kaye, who was on hand to introduce it when I first saw the video at the 2007 Nashville Film Festival. (I have a fond memory of helping him fold up a recalcitrant baby carriage for his young daughter after the screening.) Look closely, and you’ll see celebs ranging from Woody Harrelson to Dennis Hopper to Chris Rock to Keith Richards paying tribute to the gone-but-not-forgotten superstar.




The second — my all-time favorite music video of any sort — is director Mark Romanek’s emotionally wrenching video for “Hurt,” the Nine Inch Nails song that Cash claimed as his own when he covered it for his 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around. I first saw it late one night years ago while net surfing in my home office, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I wept so hard and noisily when it concluded that I woke my wife, who rose from bed to check whether I was having some sort of health issue. More recently, I saw it for the umpteenth time last week during my second visit to The Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. (Spoiler alert: It's the last exhibit you see before the exit door.) I was able to keep from crying that time, but just barely. 



As Bono notes in this “Making Of” mini-documentary: "Trent Reznor was born to write that song. But Johnny Cash was born to sing it. And Mark Romanek was born to film it." True dat.

First, Nine Inch Nails. Then, Johnny Cash. And now... 2Cellos

Maybe it's because I've listed Johnny Cash and Ludwig Van Beethoven as faves on Pandora. Whatever the reason, I had Pandora all cranked up on my new Samsung tablet while I was taking a shower this morning, and heard this. And was suddenly, breathlessly transfixed.

As soon as it ended, I immediately got out of the shower and started Googling to find out more about -- and hear more by -- these guys. Eventually -- after drying myself off, of course -- I ordered two CDs from Amazon. Yeah, that's right: CDs. In some regards, technology-wise, I'm still old school.

And while I'm greatly impressed by 2Cellos -- this is, to me, the definitive "Hurt," rendered in a classic music video I recently watched again during my first visit to the new Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville. As Bono notes in this "Making Of" mini-documentary: "Trent Reznor was born to write that song. But Johnny Cash was born to sing it. And Mark Romanek was born to film it."



Still, I think all those folks would agree with me that what 2Cellos have done with "Hurt" is pretty damn impressive on its own terms. And I bet Bono approves of what they do with U2's "With Or Without You."

"God's Gonna Cut You Down"

Tony Kaye directed this version of the tradtional song sung by Johnny Cash. But Moby had a different take on it. Both, I think, are great. Can I hear an amen?

And the Grammy goes to...

Among the early Grammy Award winners announced Sunday: Short Form Music Video. The winner: Johnny Cash's version of "God's Gonna Cut You Down," directed by Tony Kaye (American History X, Lake of Fire). Great, great choice. And props to Justin Timberlake.

And, while we're at it, props to another Grammy winner.

The ten carols of Christmas: No. 8

Have a White Christmas with The Man in Black...

Tony Kaye + Johnny Cash + God = Great video

Caught this last spring at the Nashville Film Festival, and should have posted it then. Better late than never, I guess. Director Tony Kaye worked some magic here with Johnny Cash and several of The Man in Black's admirers. And while it's not the best music video ever to showcase Cash, it's mighty damn close.

Ring of fire

The late, great Johnny Cash's longtime lakeside home in Tennessee burned to the ground Tuesday. The 13,800-square-foot house -- where Johnny and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived from the late 1960s until their deaths in 2003 -- was a showcase where he wrote many of his best songs and entertained U.S. presidents, music royalty and visiting fans. It was also where director Mark Romanek filmed most of Johnny's most famous music video -- for my money, maybe the greatest and definitely the most affecting music video ever made -- available for viewing here.