1970s Country Icon’s Reimagining of an Alt-Rock Classic Ranked No. 1 All-Time 'Country Cover'

Melinda LorgeSat, February 21, 2026 at 2:16 AM UTC

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In 2002, Johnny Cash transformed a metal/rock hit into a song that would give him a final comeback before his passing at age 71 one year later.

That song was “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails.

The tune landed in Cash’s hands following a departure from his record label, Columbia Records, of 25 years. At the time, the Man in Black was fighting his way back from a drug addiction relapse, but his health was deteriorating, according to LoudWire. In the process of revitalizing his career, fate intervened with the connection of Rick Rubin, co-founder of Def Jam Records.

Cash and Rubin pulled together various songs for the country legend to cover, regardless of genre. Cash would focus on the lyrics of the songs, offering a bare-bones stripped-back take, with an acoustic guitar.

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“When I sent [Johnny Cash] the Nine Inch Nails song, he just thought I was crazy,” Rubin shared of his suggestion to reinvent the track from NIN’s 1994 studio album The Downward Spiral, according to Whiskey Riff. “....It’s one of the only songs that I probably sent him three times in these compilations I’d send of songs to consider. I said….’ Just read the lyrics.’ And I think that’s what convinced him. [Johnny] said, ‘I’ll only do it when we’re together.'”

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The Remake of the Song Appeared on His Final Studio Album

Widely regarded as one of his finest recordings, Cash’s remake of “Hurt” ended up appearing on his final album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. The track took the No. 56 spot on the Billboard Country Songs chart. Although it never claimed the No. 1 spot, the song became one of the most beloved performances of Cash’s career. With his timeworn vocals, he transformed the lyrics into something deeply personal, reshaping a song originally from the perspective of a young man spiraling into self-destruction into one of a man confronting the end of his life.

The Music Video Was Also a Success

In addition to the track, Cash released an accompanying music video that has stood out as a success all its own. Directed by Mark Romanek, the clip was shot in Tennessee at his house and the House of Cash Museum with video footage of Cash’s earlier years spliced into various segments. That music video resonated with audiences everywhere and received six MTV Video Music Awards nominations, as well as a Music Video of the Year award in 2003 at the CMA Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video in 2004.

Flattered that Cash would consider cutting his song, NIN’s Trent Reznor, who penned “Hurt,” gave the go-ahead, and later spoke about Cash’s release of the music video, telling Rolling Stone, "We were in the studio, getting ready to work — and I popped it in. By the end, I was really on the verge of tears. I’m working with [Rage Against the Machine's] Zach de la Rocha, and I told him to take a look. At the end of it, there was just dead silence. There was, like, this moist clearing of our throats and then, ‘Uh, okay, let’s get some coffee.'”

Of the song itself, he said, per The Alternative Press, via NINHOTLINE, “I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. Some-f—ng-how that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning – different, but every bit as pure.”

Cash’s cover of “Hurt” has been ranked at No. 1, beating out 29 other contenders on the ‘Best Country Covers of Non-Country Songs’ list in 2024, according to Taste of Country. Other artists who made the cut include Pam Tillis for her version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way,” Kenny Chesney’s rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and Tim McGraw’s “Tiny Dancer,” an Elton John hit, just to name a few.

Related: ‘80s No. 1 Heartfelt Hit Ranked Best Country Song That ‘Defined the Decade’

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”