"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, 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 by

wealth Wealth is the abundance of valuable financial assets or physical possessions which can be converted into a form that can be used for transactions. This includes the core meaning as held in the originating Old English word , which is from an I ...

y politicians, mass incarceration, and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by 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 Vietnam a ...

. 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 in 2020. In 1991, Christian punk band One Bad Pig 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 ...

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