The 1989 Song About Elvis Presley That Johnny Cash Later Asked to Cover: “That’s Like Elvis Asking”

When Depeche Mode released “Personal Jesus” as the lead single off their seventh studio album, Violator, the man whom Martin Gore wrote the song about was long gone. He died twelve years earlier, following a steady decline in both his physical health and commercial popularity. Depeche Mode’s tribute to the late star metaphorically deified him, focusing on the way he took over the world and dominated the lives of those around him.

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In a 1990 interview with Spin, Gore revealed his “Top Ten list of topics” for songwriting. “These include: relationships, domination, lust, love, good, evil, incense, sin, religion, immorality.” And indeed, the band’s 1989 single, “Personal Jesus”, seemed to touch on several of these topics simultaneously, all within the context of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley’s marriage.

“It’s a song about being a Jesus for somebody else,” Gore continued. “Someone to give you hope and care. It’s about how Elvis was her man and her mentor, and how often that happens in love relationships. How everybody’s heart is like a god in some way. We play these god-like parts for people, but no one is perfect. And that’s not a very balanced view of someone, is it?”

Another Elvis-Like Figure Asked to Cover “Personal Jesus” Years Later

Elvis Presley might have been a relic by the time “Personal Jesus” came out. But he wasn’t the only mega star with powerful influence of his time, even if he did don the title of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Years after Depeche Mode released Violator, one of those mega stars approached the band, asking if they could cover the band’s hit song: the Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash. The inquiry was certainly an honor, coming from Cash, but songwriter Martin Gore wasn’t sure it was the right fit.

Depeche Mode vocalist Dave Gahan recalled the moment Gore first told him that Cash was interested in the song. “He was kind of umming and ahhing about it, whether to give permission. And I was like, ‘What? Are you crazy? That’s like Elvis asking! Of course you let him do it!’” Gahan said. In the end, Gahan said Cash’s rendition was a “great version, just fantastic.”

He continued, “It really propelled the song to another dimension. Our version is our version, and it always changes a little bit live, the way it swings, what you do with it. And you can do a lot with it because it’s a great rock ‘n’ roll song.”

To Gore’s credit, he wasn’t the only one skeptical of allowing Cash to cover their work. Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails was also hesitant to give Cash permission to cover “Hurt”. But, just like with “Personal Jesus”, both bands felt that Cash honored their original compositions, even with his country background. Cash’s perspective as a septuagenarian imbued both songs with new meaning and melancholy, something Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails came to appreciate.

Photo by R. Diamond/WireImage