3 of Johnny Cash’s Best Crossover Pop Hits of His Career

Johnny Cash is rightfully known as one of the best country artists of all time. But Cash also had numerous songs that did well at rock radio. These are three of Cash’s best crossover hits, finding success on more than one chart.

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“I Walk The Line”

Cash’s third single and first No. 1 hit at country radio, “I Walk The Line” is on Cash’s debut album, With His Hot And Blue Guitar. Written by Cash, the song is also his first Top 20 on rock radio.

One of Cash’s signature songs, “I Walk The Line” says, “I find it very, very easy to be true / I find myself alone when each day is through / Yes, I’ll admit that I’m a fool for you / Because you’re mine, I walk the line.”

When Cash wrote “I Walk The Line”, he was inspired by thinking about his then-wife, Vivian Liberto.

“I was newly married at the time, and I suppose I was laying out my pledge of devotion,” Cash says.

“Ring Of Fire”

Like “I Walk The Line”, “Ring Of Fire” remains one of Cash’s most noteworthy tunes. Ironically, the song is written by his future wife, June Carter, and Merle Kilgore. The song is inspired by Carter’s feelings for Cash after meeting backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Sparks flew, even though Cash was married at the time.

“Ring Of Fire” says, “Love is a burning thing / And it makes a fiery ring / Bound by a wild desire / And I fell right into a great ring of fire / And I fell into a burning ring of fire / I went down, down, down as the flames were rising higher / And it burns, burns, burns, / And it burns, burns, burns / In a ring of fire.”

“Johnny Cash took me by the hand and said, ‘I’ve always wanted to meet you,’” Carter recalls in the liner notes for his Love, God, Murder album, out in 2000. “The strangest feeling came over me. I was afraid to look him in the eyes. It was one of the things I did best. I never stammered and still found myself not able to say much of anything.”

“Ring Of Fire” became a No. 1 country single and a Top 20 on the rock chart.

“A Boy Named Sue”

A No. 1 on both the country and Adult Contemporary charts, “A Boy Named Sue” came out in 1969. On his live At San Quentin album, the clever story song is written by Shel Silverstein.

“A Boy Named Sue” is a fictitious story about a boy whose parents named him Sue, with him later getting revenge on his absentee father, who is responsible for his name. The song begins with, “My daddy left home when I was three / And he didn’t leave much to ma and me / Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze. Now, I don’t blame him cause he run and hid / But the meanest thing that he ever did / Was before he left, he went and named me ‘Sue’.”

Cash heard “A Boy Named Sue” while both he and Silverstein were at a guitar pull, playing and listening to music. June Carter, who married Cash in 1968, suggested he perform the song at San Quentin prison for his live record.

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