I Walk The Line (1970 Film)
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"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts. The song remained on the record charts for over 43 weeks, and sold over two million copies. It has also been used on many LPs released from Sun Records, such as ''
With His Hot and Blue Guitar With or WITH may refer to: * With, a preposition in English * Carl Johannes With (1877–1923), Danish doctor and arachnologist * With (character), a character in ''D. N. Angel'' * ''With'' (novel), a novel by Donald Harrington * ''With'' (album ...
'', ''
Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous ''Johnny Cash Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous'' is a compilation album by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, originally released on December 1, 1958 by Sun Records. The album is made up of songs Cash recorded for Sun prior to leaving ...
'', and '' Sings Hank Williams''. It was the title song for a 1970 film starring
Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
and a 2005 biopic of Cash starring Joaquin Phoenix. The song captures Johnny Cash's "boom-chicka-boom" sound by Johnny putting a dollar bill in the neck of his guitar.


Background of the song

The unique chord progression for "I Walk the Line" was inspired by the backwards playback of guitar runs on Cash's tape recorder while he was stationed in Germany as a member of the United States Air Force. Later in a telephone interview, Cash stated, "I wrote the song backstage one night in 1956 in Gladewater, Texas. I was newly married at the time, and I suppose I was laying out my pledge of devotion." After writing the song, Cash had a discussion with fellow performer
Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...
, who encouraged him to adopt "I Walk the Line" as the song title. Cash originally intended the song to be a slow ballad, but producer Sam Phillips preferred a faster arrangement; in the end, Cash agreed to the change, and the uptempo recording met with success. On one occasion, while performing "I Walk the Line" on his TV show, Cash explained to the audience the reason for his humming during the song: "People ask me why I always hum whenever I sing this song. It's to get my pitch." The humming was necessary since the song required Cash to change
keys Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...
several times while singing it. The song's lyrics discuss resisting temptation, being accountable, and remaining faithful to Vivian Liberto during his first marriage. However, Johnny Cash would eventually divorce Vivian Liberto and then marry June Carter. Liberto would write a book called ''I Walked the Line'' about her time with Cash. "I Walk the Line" was originally recorded at Sun Studio on April 2, 1956, and was released on May 1. It spent six weeks at the top spot on the U.S. country Juke Box charts that summer, one week on the C&W Jockey charts and number two on the C&W Best Seller charts. "I Walk the Line" crossed over and reached #19 on the pop music charts. The song was performed with the help of Marshall Grant and Luther Perkins, two mechanics who were introduced to Cash by his older brother Roy after Cash was discharged from the Air Force. Cash and his wife, Vivian, were living in Memphis, Tennessee, at the time. Cash became the front man for the group and precipitated their introduction to Sam Phillips of Sun Records. In 1955, they began recording under the Sun label. It was re-recorded four times during Cash's career: in 1964 for the '' I Walk the Line'' album, again in 1969 for the '' At San Quentin'' album (a live performance), in 1970 for the ''I Walk the Line'' soundtrack, and finally in 1988 for the '' Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series'' album. Additional live performances have been released since Cash's death, along with a demo version recorded prior to the formal 1956 recording session that was released on ''Bootleg Vol. II: From Memphis to Hollywood'' (Columbia/Legacy) in 2011.


Writing and composition

The song is very simple and like most Cash songs, the lyrics tell more of a story than the music conveys. (''You've got a way to keep me on your side/You give me cause for love that I can't hide/For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide''). It is based upon the "boom-chicka-boom" or "freight train" rhythm common in many of Cash's songs. In the original recording of the song, there is a key change between each of the five verses, and Cash hums the new root note before singing each verse. The final verse, a reprise of the first, is sung a full octave lower than the first verse, the root note lowered from F3 down to F2. When performing this song in recording, and in later live and television appearances, Cash would place a piece of paper under the strings of his guitar towards the tuning end. As he explained during a 1990s appearance on The Nashville Network, he did this in order to simulate the sound of a
snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...
, an instrument to which he did not have access during the original Sun session.


Legacy

The song is included in "The 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", a permanent exhibit at the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...
. In 2004, '' Rolling Stone magazine'' ranked the song at  30 on its list of the
500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
. and also ranked it #1 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time in June 2014.In many countries like Ireland the song was recycled to reopen closed railway lines. In 1998, the 1956 recording of the song on Sun Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.


Covers

*
Jaye P. Morgan Jaye P. Morgan (born Mary Margaret Morgan) is a retired American popular music singer, actress, and game show panelist. Early life Morgan was born in Mancos in Montezuma County in far southwestern Colorado. Her family moved to California by t ...
covered the song in 1960, the single charting at No. 66. *The Everly Brothers covered the song on their 1963 album
The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits ''The Everly Brothers Sing Great Country Hits'' is an album by the Everly Brothers, originally released in 1963. It was re-released on CD in 2005 on the Collectors' Choice Music label. Reception Allmusic stated in their review: "The singing is so ...
. *Cash's former son-in-law Rodney Crowell adapted the song to a new melody and in 1998 recorded his version as a duet with Cash. This version was titled "
I Walk the Line Revisited "I Walk the Line Revisited" is a song recorded by Rodney Crowell with Johnny Cash, who sings the lyrics of his song " I Walk the Line" to a new melody. Released as a single in 1998, it peaked at number 61 on U.S. ''Billboard'' country chart for ...
" and peaked at No. 61 on the country music charts. The song later appeared on Crowell's 2001 album ''
The Houston Kid ''The Houston Kid'' is the 10th album by American country music singer Rodney Crowell. It was released through Sugar Hill in 2001. The album includes the single " I Walk the Line Revisited", recorded in collaboration with Johnny Cash, which peake ...
''. (The cover does not utilize the original melody of the song, instead lyrics from the song, sung by Cash to a different melody, are incorporated into a new song by Crowell.) *In 2014,
Craig Wayne Boyd Craig Wayne Boyd (born December 31, 1978) is an American country singer and songwriter. A native of Dallas, Texas, Boyd is based out of and resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for winning Season 7 of NBC's reality TV singing compet ...
covered this song during season 7 of '' The Voice''. The cover reached the Top 15 on the iTunes US Country charts. *
Tapio Rautavaara Kaj Tapio Rautavaara (8 March 1915 – 25 September 1979) was a Finnish singer (bass-baritone), athlete and film actor. Life Early years Tapio Rautavaara was born in the municipality of Pirkkala (now Nokia), a suburb of the industrial city ...
made a Finnish-language version of the song, called "Yölinjalla" (‘On the night line’). The Finnish lyrics tell about the hard life of truck drivers, who often had to drive through the night. The melody was originally credited as Rautavaara's own composition but this was revised in 2008. * Halsey recorded a cover that appeared on the deluxe version of her 2015 album '' Badlands'' as well as the trailer for the 2017 film '' Power Rangers''. *
Chris Daughtry Christopher Adam Daughtry (; born December 26, 1979) is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Daughtry, which he formed after placing fourth on the fifth season of ''American I ...
covered the track in the Top 11 episode of Season 5 of American Idol.


Chart positions


Certifications and sales


Laurent Wolf version

The song was covered by
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
DJ and producer Laurent Wolf and released in August 2009 as ''Walk the Line Remix''.


Track listing


Charts


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:I Walk The Line 1956 singles 1998 singles Johnny Cash songs The Everly Brothers songs Glen Campbell songs Rodney Crowell songs Burl Ives songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs written by Johnny Cash Live (band) songs Brother Clyde songs Song recordings produced by Sam Phillips Sun Records singles 1956 songs