It is argued frequently what constitutes a good cover song. Is it playing a song just like the original artist? Is it stripping it down and recreating it in the covering artists' style? Is it only good if you were not familiar with the original? But what happens when the cover takes on a new life, and changes the intended song and what it stands for?
'Hurt' (live) by Nine Inch Nails, from the Downward Spiral
The original 'Hurt' as shown in its officially released video version from Nine Inch Nails is in itself haunting. It speaks of a man questioning life in general and it's fragile existence. The video goes deeper showing the decay (in reverse) explicitly showing how everyone of us "goes away in the end"
If you've never experienced this live, watch the video closely. This is not some effect of editing superimposing Trent Reznor and band over a screen. There is a large translucent screen that the band plays behind and in front of, while the original video (from Closure) plays on the screen. I was lucky enough to see this on the Downward Spiral tour, and years later after it took on new meaning with Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash months before his death covering 'Hurt' from American IV: The Man Comes Around
The Johnny Cash version of this song adds another level entirely to this song. The lyrics come to live so much more. Instead of seeing a tormented young man questioning the validity of his life at the moment, you see a frail old man questioning the legitimacy of his entire life knowing that it is about to end. As you watch the video, you see the flashbacks of his life, and the shell of a man that used to be so larger than life. Watching the last 30 seconds of the Johnny Cash version it strikes you to the core, what the lyrics have within them, showing the regret and torment Trent Reznor may have felt a decade prior.
To learn more about the song and when or where it was featured check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_%28Nine_Inch_Nails_song%29
'Hurt' (live) by Nine Inch Nails, from the Downward Spiral
The original 'Hurt' as shown in its officially released video version from Nine Inch Nails is in itself haunting. It speaks of a man questioning life in general and it's fragile existence. The video goes deeper showing the decay (in reverse) explicitly showing how everyone of us "goes away in the end"
If you've never experienced this live, watch the video closely. This is not some effect of editing superimposing Trent Reznor and band over a screen. There is a large translucent screen that the band plays behind and in front of, while the original video (from Closure) plays on the screen. I was lucky enough to see this on the Downward Spiral tour, and years later after it took on new meaning with Johnny Cash.
Johnny Cash months before his death covering 'Hurt' from American IV: The Man Comes Around
The Johnny Cash version of this song adds another level entirely to this song. The lyrics come to live so much more. Instead of seeing a tormented young man questioning the validity of his life at the moment, you see a frail old man questioning the legitimacy of his entire life knowing that it is about to end. As you watch the video, you see the flashbacks of his life, and the shell of a man that used to be so larger than life. Watching the last 30 seconds of the Johnny Cash version it strikes you to the core, what the lyrics have within them, showing the regret and torment Trent Reznor may have felt a decade prior.
To learn more about the song and when or where it was featured check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_%28Nine_Inch_Nails_song%29
Love both versons of this song.
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