Johnny CashImage via Achim Scheidemann/picture-alliance/Cover Images
By
Karly B.
Published 22 minutes ago
Karly B. is a music news journalist at Collider, specializing in the Western and Asian music industries. With a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Media and Web Technology, she has dedicated part of her career to covering the latest music trends, breaking news, and album releases.
Her work also appears in various other publications, such as the South Korean-focused music publication Kpop Wise, where she serves as a contributor and interviewer.
Beyond her work in IT and journalism, Karly is an avid Tudor history buff. She operates her own historical blog, 'Before the Queen's Crown, ' which explores the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth I.
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Johnny Cash hardly needs an introduction; the American-born singer and songwriter was known for his deep voice and defiant persona. During his lifetime and after his death, he became one of the most influential icons in American music history. His many successful songs, such as "One Piece At A Time" and "Ring of Fire", have added to his credentials as a raw storyteller and musician with deep emotional depth. In fact, one of his most profound songs, "Holy Land," was actually inspired by a real-life miracle that happened to the singer.
The Biblical Miracle That Inspired Johnny Cash's "He Turned Water Into Wine"
In January 1969, Johnny Cash released his third gospel album and 30th studio album titled The Holy Land. The album featured 20 songs, most of which were written entirely by Cash and featured narration. Cash was inspired to record the album after visiting Israel with his wife and singer June Carter, a place in which he also recorded many of the songs. Although the album often gets lost in the shuffle compared to Cash's other prolific work, The Holy Land is undoubtedly one of the legendary music icons' most insightful and unique works. For example, in the track "He Turned Water Into Wine", Cash drew inspiration from a religious miracle.
The miracle in question can be found in John 2:1-11 in which Jesus was passing through Canan and was distracted by a nearby wedding celebration. Disturbed by the fact that the bride and groom’s respective families were not rich enough to afford wine for the festivities, Jesus miraculously produced several gallons of wine out of water and proclaimed to the couple, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
During his famous 1969 performance at San Quentin, Cash further revealed the story behind the writing process for the song:
"We went into the little town of Canaan just over the hills from Nazareth and there’s a church that sits over the cistern where the water came from that Christ turned to wine, where the first miracle was performed”. He added: “We went into the church, saw the cisterns; you can hear the sounds of the water in there, hear the echo. I was so impressed when I came out of the church. If I ever had an inspiration, I had one then from seeing what I had just seen and heard. And I said under my breath, ‘He turned the water into wine,’ of all things. On the way to Tiberius in the car in the next few minutes I wrote this song.”
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"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” Johnny Cash once sang those resolute and profound words in the song "Walk The Line," which would go down as one of his most iconic songs. Written by Cash, the song is an ode to his first wife, Vivian Liberto, with whom Cash promises to remain faithful while he is on the road. The country song was released in May 1956 on his debut album With His Hot and Blue Guitar!, which was also the first LP that the crooner released on Sun Records. The nearly 3-minute-long track became Cash’s first #1 Billboard hit, with the single remaining on the record charts for over 43 weeks, and selling well over 2 million copies.
The song was later immortalized in a movie released in 2005 of the same name, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as Cash and Reese Witherspoon as his second wife, June Carter, chronicling their public and private lives. While Cash died in 2003, stemming from complications from diabetes, just two years before the film's release, he said this about the song that made him famous: “I was newly married at the time, and I suppose I was laying out my pledge of devotion.” However, despite the song's popularity and emotional connection to the star, it was also his least favorite track. According to the publication AS Entertainment, Cash made the startling revelation to Sam Phillips, head of Sun Records, after hearing it on the radio for the first time. He even asked Phillips to stop sending it out. The reason Cash didn't like the record is that he thought it sounded awkward and didn’t like how it came out in the studio.
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