"Man in Black" (or "The Man in Black") is a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

written and recorded by singer-songwriter

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 ...

, originally released on his 1971 album of the same name. Cash himself was known as "The Man in Black" for his distinctive style of on-stage

costuming Costume is the distinctive style of dress or cosmetic of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, profession, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch. In short costume is a cultural visual of the people. The term also was tradition ...

. The lyrics are an after-the-fact explanation of this with the entire song a protest statement against the treatment of

poor people Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

wealth Wealth is the abundance of Value (economics), valuable financial assets or property, physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for financial transaction, transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the ...

y politicians, mass incarceration, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. In the intro to his first performance of the song, Cash revealed he had talked to some of the audience members from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

that weekend, and was inspired to write "Man in Black," revising it a few times just before the concert on Wednesday. He performed the song using cards with the just-revised lyrics. At the end of the song he received a standing ovation. The song was the opening track of the posthumous Cash album,

Johnny Cash and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ''Johnny Cash and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra'' is a posthumously released album by Johnny Cash. It was released on November 13, 2020 by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. The album features Cash's original vocals with new orchestral a ...

in 2020. In 1991, Christian punk band

One Bad Pig One Bad Pig is a Christian punk and metal crossover band from Austin, Texas, which formed in 1985. The ''Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music'' describes them as "quite possibly the most popular hard-punk act ever to arise within the C ...

recorded a version on their album ''I Scream Sunday'', in which Johnny Cash made a guest appearance. In 1993, Spanish rock band

Loquillo y Trogloditas Loquillo may refer to: * Loquillo (singer), rock singer from Spain * Loquillo (chief) Loquillo may refer to: * Loquillo (singer), rock singer from Spain * Loquillo (chief), Taino Cacique (Chief) of the area of Luquillo (named after him) located in ...

recorded a cover of the song in Spanish for their album ''Mientras respiremos''. In 2020,

Andy Allo Andy Allo is a Cameroonian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actress. She released her first of three albums in 2009, and joined Prince's band, The New Power Generation, in 2011. She had a recurring role in three episodes of the comed ...

released a cover of this song.

Chart performance

References

* * Johnny Cash songs Protest songs 1971 singles Songs written by Johnny Cash Columbia Records singles 1971 songs {{1970s-country-song-stub