As we all know Johnny Cash died some time ago. And a movie was made about him, but that is besides the point. At school I was listening to Hurt but Nine Inch Nails, and my friend saw me playing it and he said "Oh wow, my friend loves that song! But his one is by Johnny Cash." I was soon going on my ranting about Nine Inch Nails and there musical sophistication (ignoring of course "I want to fuck you like an animal") and later in the change rooms and PE, another one of my friends publically exclaimed that the only Nine Inch Nails song that he liked was Johnny Cashs version of Hurt. I was soon going around asking people who had any sense in music (ie those that knew songs outside the charts, and those that DIDN'T believe that just because a song is old it means it sucks) and soon almost ALL said that Johnny Cashs version was better.
A soon went and acquired the Johnny Cash version, and after listening to both versions one by one, repeatedly, a said to myself "Jesus Christ, the Johnny Cash version ain't that great." For one, he sounds to old. This isn't some evil plan I have on killing all old musicians, but at heart we all know Hurt is about teenage angst. Trent Reznor expresses that angst, through a grainy, upset and awesomely angst voice. Johnny Cash makes it into a country song, possible about euthanasia (wait...thats not right). He also makes the song move to fast. Everything just kind of comes and goes, whereas Nine Inch Nails lets you savour the music. The only thing good that Johnny Cash does good is replace "crown of shit" into "crown of thorns" (which makes sense as we all know).
At that, I must admit, the song is good, even when Johnny Cash sings it. But to me, Hurt is incredibly better with Nine Inch Nails. It might just be my absolute love for The Downward Spiral, but all in all, Johnny Cash is now dead, so as not to ruin any more Nine Inch Nail songs. Of course its not a good thing he's dead...but you know- ok I'm going to end this now.
[POLL FEATURE #1] There are only 2 options, so no more voting for my joke options!
[POLL FEATURE #2] You can now change votes, so you can listen to both again, and choose the NIN version