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Soundgarden’s 1992 Classic Was Made for Chris Cornell’s Voice, but This Live Johnny Cash Rendition Is “Undoubtedly My Favorite”
In 1996, Johnny Cash put the final touches on his 82nd studio album, Unchained. Although known for his own songwriting abilities, the album included numerous covers like “Sea of Heartbreak,” “Southern Accents,” and “I’ve Been Everywhere.” The album was such a success that Cash won a Grammy for Best Country Album. But while the album came packed with covers, nothing compared to his take on Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage.” As one fan noted, Cash’s rendition “is undoubtedly my favorite”—and I have to say, it would be hard for me to disagree.
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Touring the country to promote his newest album at the time, Cash appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. What seemed like just another performance quickly turned into a haunting moment that included Cash stripping down the lyrics into something raw and unshakable. Although three decades have passed since that night, it continues to be a highlight of not just the legacy of Cash but also Soundgarden and Cornell.
Sadly, Cash passed away at 71 in 2003. As for Cornell, he passed away in 2017 after performing one last concert at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. He was 52. With both artists no longer here, the musical moment felt like a performance frozen in time.
[RELATED: 3 Johnny Cash Collaborations That Should Have Been Bigger Hits]
The Time Chris Cornell Met Johnny Cash
Once speaking with Rolling Stone about getting the opportunity to work with Cash, Cornell admitted he was awestruck when walking into the room with the man in black. “I was just awestruck. I was totally scared, even though he couldn’t have been more gentlemanly. I wanted the conversation to be over before I put my foot in my mouth.”
Able to make it out of the room before fumbling the conversation, Cornell soon found his legacy linked with Cash. “I started to get messages on my answering machine from people telling me how much they liked the lyrics [of ‘Rusty Cage’]. We put that song out five years earlier on Badmotorfinger, and nobody left me any messages. When you strip it down and Johnny Cash sings, you listen to what he’s saying. It’s a whole different angle.”
With Unchained produced by Rick Rubin, he explained it took some time to convince Cash to cover “Rusty Cage.” “After the success of the first record, Johnny was definitely more open to trying new things. The songs just had to be presented in a digestible, relatable version for him.”
In the end, that leap of faith paid off. When performing “Rusty Cage,” Cash didn’t just introduce the song to a new audience – he carved it into the history of country music.
(Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns)
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