Johnny Cash Archives - Page 7 of 10

Jewel as June

In an upcoming LIfetime biopic, Ring of Fire, Jewel plays Johnny Cash’s wife June Carter. This clip gives an idea of Jewel’s performance. While it is not surprising that Jewel has the singing chops on such songs as “Wildwood Flower,” it is interesting to see her capturing Carter’s humor. It will be hard to top Reese Witherspoon’s fine performance in Walk the Line (2005), but Carter deserves her own film and this clip shows the film has potential. Check it out.

The movie is based on the book, Anchored In Love, by Johnny and June’s son, John Carter Cash. Ring of Fire premieres on May 27.

For a bonus video, check out the Carter family singing the same “Wildwood Flower” song in 1990 in this video, featuring June, Helen, and Anita Carter.

Will you watch Jewel as June Carter? Leave your two cents in the comments.

The 1977 Johnny Cash Christmas Show

Is Kris Kristofferson’s Greatest Song “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”?

Clarence Ashley: “The Cuckoo” & “Little Sadie”

Rosanne Cash Takes a Stand With “Crawl Into the Promised Land”

Johnny Cash’s Journey and “The Gift”

Louis Armstrong and Jimmie Rodgers: “Blue Yodel 9” (Duet of the Day)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Now Johnny Cash Can Be On Your Tear-Stained Letter

The U.S. Postal Service is issuing a new Forever stamp later this year that will feature country singer Johnny Cash. The stamp will be the first in the Postal Service’s new Music Icons series, although it has not announced the date for the Cash stamp yet.

The Postal Service explains that the stamp is designed to look like a 45 rpm record sleeve. Frank Bez took the photo during a photo shoot for the album, Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash (1963). Greg Breeding designed the stamp.

And what better way to celebrate the news than with one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs from his American Recordings period, “Tear-Stained Letter.” The song, written by Cash, appeared on 2003’s American IV: The Man Comes Around, but it actually goes back much further. Another version of the song appeared on Cash’s 1972 A Thing Called Love, which apparently was never released on CD (but is available as an MP3).

The original 1972 version of “Tear-Stained Letter” is a slow sad song, as a lover makes one last attempt to win back his love. But Cash reworked the song for the 2003 version, adding some new lyrics and upbeat music. With the changes, Cash turned the sad plea into a message to make the ex-lover feel guilty (“I’m gonna to bring back to your mind / What you said about always being true.”). Here is the updated 2003 version.

Here is the 1972 version of “Tear-Stained Letter.” (Note that the Johnny Cash song is not the song of the same name written by Richard Thompson and recorded by other artists like Jo-El Sonnier and Patty Loveless).

Now, whether sending a sad or happy tear-stained letter, you can include Johnny Cash on the envelope taking the letter on its journey to your lost love. Or you can just use it to pay your bills.

Which version of “Tear-Stained Letter” do you like best? Leave your two cents in the comments.

“Bird on a Wire” and the Return of the Bald Eagle

Is Kris Kristofferson’s Greatest Song “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”?

Clarence Ashley: “The Cuckoo” & “Little Sadie”

Rosanne Cash Takes a Stand With “Crawl Into the Promised Land”

Johnny Cash’s Journey and “The Gift”

Louis Armstrong and Jimmie Rodgers: “Blue Yodel 9” (Duet of the Day)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Cartoonish Gunfire But Brutal Slavery in “Django Unchained” (Review)

To give you an idea of my perspective of Quentin Tarantino’s directing work so you know how to judge my take on Django Unchained (2012): I think Pulp Fiction (1994) is a masterpiece, thoroughly enjoyed Reservoir dogs (1992), and liked Jackie Brown (1997). I was not a big fan of Kill Bill 1 (2003), but liked Kill Bill 2 (2004) a little better. While Inglourious Basterds (2009) had some great moments, I could not get into rooting for the sadistic hero, as I discussed in a previous post. Because of the way Tarantino used the simplified moral landscape of good guys versus Nazis in Basterds, I was expecting more of the same using a slavery landscape in Django Unchained. Considering I also am not a big fan of movies that condone violent vengeance for solving problems, I expected not to like Django Unchained. But I liked it a lot.

Maybe I liked the new film because of my lowered expectations for a director who has yet to repeat the wonders of his early work. Maybe I liked the film’s nod to Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. Maybe the music — featuring Jim Croce, Johnny Cash and Ennio Morricone — won me over. Maybe I was just in the mood for what the film had to offer. Or maybe I found the hero’s violence less offensive because he was acting out of love and not revenge. But Django Unchained features a compelling story, great acting, and sympathetic characters with real feelings.

The movie tells the story of Django, played by Jamie Foxx, who is a slave rescued by a bounty hunter and then the two go on a quest to free Django’s wife from slavery. Christopher Waltz gives one of his best performances as the eloquent bounty hunter, and the reliable Leonardo DiCaprio stretches his acting chops to convincingly play one of the nastiest characters in recent movie history. Samuel L. Jackson also appears in an important role. While the last part of the film, where Django seeks out his wife, does not live up to the high quality of the first part of the film featuring Django’s education as a bounty hunter, the entire film is worthwhile.

The movie, which was recently nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, has generated some controversy. It is a violent film, but much of the gunfire violence from the heroes is so cartoon-ish with blood splattering everywhere and bodies flying through the air when hit by gunfire that it reminded me more of The Three Stooges type of violence (but with lots and lots more blood). On the other hand, the violence surrounding slavery is portrayed more realistically and almost unbearable to watch. While the movie does not really present a moral lesson beyond that slavery is bad, there are some moral complexities to the film, such as where Django questions his role as a bounty hunger and killing as a way of achieving his goal.

The other way the film has generated controversy is its language, and in particular its use of the n-word. I will leave it others to debate the role of such language in film, but the use of race and violence in Django Unchained has led to more debate on those issues than any other recent movie. The film even depicts the horrors of slavery more than a recent movie about the sixteenth president working to free the slaves. And it’s not a bad thing when entertainment provokes discussion of these important issues.

Conclusion? If you are planning to see a Quentin Tarantino movie, you have some idea of what to expect. And if you appreciate the actors in this film and like spaghetti westerns, you might find Django Unchained is some of Tarantino’s best work yet.

Other Reviews Because Why Should You Trust Me?: Rotten Tomatoes gives Django Unchained high scores, with an 89% critics rating and a 94% audience rating. Bob Cesca on the Huffington Post writes that Django Unchained is one of the most important films of the year because of its depiction of slavery. By contrast, Anthony Lane at The New Yorker praises the first half of the film depicting the liberation and education of Django, but he argues that the movie goes south in more than one way when it relocates to Mississippi. Flickering Myth makes a similar argument, noting that the back stories of some of the characters could have been developed more. E Online discusses some of the controversy generated by the film. Not surprisingly, Tarantino is enjoying the attention from the arguments about the film.

How does Django Unchained hold up next to Tarantino’s other films? Leave your two cents in the comments.

Buy from Amazon

8 Things About Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight”

Controversial Video of the Week: “DJesus Uncrossed”

What If “Pulp Fiction” Were a 1980s Video Game?

2013 Pawscars Award Winners Announced

Army of Shadows vs. Inglourious Basterds

American Tune: We Came on a Ship in a Blood Red Moon

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

World Series Songs: “One Piece at a Time”

The success of the Detroit Tigers in making it to the World Series gives us several options for this year’s edition of World Series Songs featuring songs related to the championship team’s name or locale. There are several famous songs with Detroit in their title, such as “Detroit Rock City” by Kiss. Other songs mention the city, like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” (“Just a small town boy, livin’ in South Detroit”). For today’s feature, we go with another song set in Detroit about the city’s most famous industry: “One Piece at a Time,” made famous by Johnny Cash’s 1976 recording.

In “One Piece at a Time,” the singer tells us he left Kentucky in 1949 “An’ went to Detroit workin’ on an assembly line.” The product, of course, is cars, and since the worker is making Cadillac cars, we know that the employer is General Motors. Realizing that he could never afford the cars he was making, the singer decides to take parts home “one piece at a time” in his lunchbox and a friend’s motor home to assemble his own car. Eventually he begins assembling his car from the stolen parts, realizing that all of the pieces are from different models. But he perseveres and assembles his odd car (“Well, it’s a ’49, ’50, ’51, ’52, ’53, ’54, ’55, ’56 ’57, ’58’ 59′ automobile. It’s a ’60, ’61, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’65, ’66, ’67 ’68, ’69, ’70 automobile”).

“One Piece at a Time,” which was Johnny Cash’s last number one song on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, was written by performer and songwriter Wayne Kemp. Kemp’s other songs include “I’m The Only Hell (My Mama Ever Raised)” and “Love Bug.” But his “One Piece at a Time” may be the only song that has inspired a new type of car.

Although it is not unusual, Detroit Tigers owner Mike Ilitch put together the 2012 team from different sources, keeping some players, getting some players in trades, getting some through free agency, etc. For example, in the winter he signed Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214-million contract. You might say the Tigers were put together one piece at a time. And while you may be surprised to see them in the World Series, the combination of the random pieces may be enough to take them down the road to the world championship.

What is your favorite song about Detroit? Leave your two cents in the comments. Also, check out our past Super Bowl Songs.

Is Kris Kristofferson’s Greatest Song “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down”?

Clarence Ashley: “The Cuckoo” & “Little Sadie”

Rosanne Cash Takes a Stand With “Crawl Into the Promised Land”

Johnny Cash’s Journey and “The Gift”

Louis Armstrong and Jimmie Rodgers: “Blue Yodel 9” (Duet of the Day)

Sheryl Crow & Johnny Cash: “Redemption Day”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Harvest Moon Will Smile, Shine On All the While

The Harvest Moon is the full moon that falls closest to the autumnal equinox and gained its name because in the days before electricity, the moon aided farmers harvesting when the sun was not up. What mainly distinguishes the Harvest Moon from other moons is that this time of year there is less time between successive moonrises than usual.

For more information on the Harvest Moon and its special appearance, check out the EarthSky website. If you prefer a video explanation, check out this video:

The Harvest Moon is also responsible for inspiring a classic Tin Pan Alley song from the early 1900s. There is some dispute about the song’s authors, but “Shine On, Harvest Moon” was originally credited to the couple of Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth, who were married at the time they wrote the song but later divorced. Both Bayes and Norworth had other successes, including that Norworth wrote the lyrics to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” but during their lives they were probably most famous for “Shine On, Harvest Moon.”

The song has been performed by a number of artists on TV and in film, including an appearance in the 1944 film Shine On, Harvest Moon, as well as on an episode of The Mickey Mouse Club by a young Britney Spears. Johnny Cash sang it with Emmylou Harris on TV too. My favorite performance, though, is by Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, who always lit up the screen during one of their musical performances. Check out Laurel & Hardy singing “Shine On, Harvest Moon” below from the film The Flying Deuces (1939).