Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”: The Story Behind The Final Masterpiece
Johnny Cash’s haunting cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” was filmed in February 2003 at the House of Cash museum in Hendersonville, Tennessee, just seven months before his death on September 12, 2003. Directed by Mark Romanek, this powerful music video juxtaposes footage of a frail 71-year-old Cash with archival clips from his vibrant past.
The video features poignant scenes of Cash’s abandoned museum, filled with memorabilia from his legendary career spanning five decades. His wife, June Carter Cash, makes a brief but powerful appearance, looking at her husband with profound emotion. She would pass away just three months after filming.
“Hurt” represented the culmination of Cash’s career renaissance with producer Rick Rubin, who had revitalized the Man in Black’s career through their American Recordings series that began in 1994. The song originally appeared on Cash’s album “American IV: The Man Comes Around” (2002).
Trent Reznor, who wrote “Hurt” for Nine Inch Nails in 1994, initially felt hesitant about Cash covering his deeply personal song but was moved to tears upon seeing the video, declaring “that song isn’t mine anymore.”
This transformative music video won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video and is widely regarded as one of the most powerful music videos ever made. It is a raw, unflinching meditation on mortality, legacy, and redemption from one of American music’s greatest storytellers.
