Nine Inch Nails versus Johnny Cash

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Which Version Of “Hurt” Would You Prefer?

Nine Inch Nails versus Johnny Cash

The song “Hurt” written by Trent Reznor and originally performed by his band Nine Inch Nails is a melancholy, haunting song. Nine Inch Nails’ version was recorded in 1994 and rerecorded and released by Johnny Cash in 2002. Each of the performers has a style, which some people would argue is at opposite ends of the spectrum of popular music; one is what is referred to as “Industrial Rock”, the other is country. Indeed, the musical genres are diverse; however, the song “Hurt” transcends the boundaries between old and new, hard and soft, and especially the differences and similarities between these men.

Nine Inch Nails is known for their industrial rock sound which combines synthesizers and percussion to produce sounds that remind you of a steel yard in Pennsylvania. This is probably a testament to the fact that the bands’ lead singer, Trent Reznor was born and raised near those steel yards (“The Nine Inch Nails Wiki,” 2012). Johnny Cash’s version speaks to those familiar with growing up during a rough time or not having much; people considered the down-trodden. Growing up in a religious family in Arkansas seems ingrained in the way Cash performs the song. Johnny lived a hard life on a cotton farm (“Johnny Cash,” 2012).

Reznor and Cash both graduated from high school. Cash set his sights on the United States Air Force while Reznor decided to go to college to study production. Cash was seeing the world in 1950; he was assigned to Germany, specializing in Morse code used to spy on the Soviets. It was Johnny Cash who would be the first radio operator to pick up the news of Joseph Stalin’s death (“Johnny Cash,” 2012). On the other hand, Reznor d...

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... song represent each man almost equally in that each man has a difficult, dark past. Each song, while different at first, have many similarities in their result. So if the industrial version by Nine Inch Nails does not appeal to you, maybe the country/gospel version by Johnny Cash is right up your alley.

References

“Hurt Lyrics.” (2012). Retrieved on March 28, 2012 from http://www.elyrics.net/read/j/johnny-cash-lyrics/hurt-lyrics.html

“Johnny Cash. Biography.” (2012). Retrieved on March 30, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/johnny-cash-9240610?page=5

Sharples, K. Johnny Cash, 'Hurt' & Trent Reznor - A review. (2011). Retrieved on March 30, 2012 from http://www.stagepassnews.com/articles/vox/johnnycash_hurt.html

“The Nine Inch Nails Wiki.” (2012). Retrieved on March 30, 2012 from http://www.ninwiki.com/Trent_Reznor#The_Early_Years

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