When Johnny Cash recorded this, he let his daughter listen to it. She said: "It sounds like you're saying goodbye." He responded: "That's because I am." That gives me chills every time I think about it.

This is a perfect example of why music doesn't need to be "fixed" by tools and there is no Auto Tune. It is imperfect humans making music to be enjoyed by imperfect humans. Thanks for the wonderful analysis, Paul.

Your guitar ability, story telling and video editing is why you are the best at this. Great work Paul.

"Having Johnny Cash, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all time, want to cover your song, that's something that matters to me. It's not so much what other people think but the fact that this guy felt that it was worthy of interpreting.

This deep dive gave me chills at the end, it had the same narrative as the song. Slowly starting with Johny's life story and music theory just to end in an absoulte epic way.

My experience with this song was often while I was falling asleep as The Downward Spiral played in my headphones. That album is one of the great musical achievements of the 90's.

You and Rick Beato have the uncanny ability to allow you to listen to a song as if it's your first time because of all the layers you reveal, both big and small. Just brilliant.

❤❤Thank you for covering "HURT",This means alot to me. This song, "Hurt" is very personal to me because I can relate alot to the lyrics. Back in 1994 , I was a junkie /crackhead and spiraling downward more and more in addiction. The price of my addiction led me to lose custody of my 2 young kids, my son and my daughter, some stints in county jail, homelessness, detoxes,rehabs, whatever else drama and chaos happened . In 1998 , I had to relinquish my parental rights with my daughter. My mother couldn't take care of both of my kids financially and emotionally. It was the most difficult thing ,I had to do in my life but, I loved my daughter very much and I wanted her to have a life that I know in reality couldn't give her. But, after that, I felt like a failure, ashamed , guilty, "HURT". So,that gave me the excuse to keep doing what I was doin'. I pretty much gave up ; I didn't care anymore,escpecially what would happen to me. Also, I just want to say, THANK GOD FOR MY MOTHER because she used alot of "TOUGH LOVE " on me many , many times through my addiction. I truly believe, by her doing that, saved me and my life! God was watching over me too. Back in 2004, I saw on MTV , Johnny's rendition of, "HURT".Even though I was in a haze and a daze, it made such a huge impact on me, that I FINALLY decided to get myself clean and sober, FOR ME,NOT ANYBODY ELSE! ME! It was the 2nd hardest thing I had to do in my life. Getting clean and sober sucks at 1st, for a couple of years even. But, with alot of support and actually doing what I NEEDED TO DO,sticking with it at all costs......HERE I AM! I have been in recovery from crack and heroin since 2004;alcohol since 2011. I feel truly grateful and blessed. I should've been dead yeeeeeeeeeeeears ago! Life isn't perfect but it sure beats the hell of me being 6 feet under! When I still hear this song, I break down and cry. It's very cleansing for me and reminds me just how far I've overcame. Now,my mission is to help those strugglin' with addiction/ alcoholism and/or mental illness . ❤❤

An audiovisual masterpiece, both the song and this analysis

Bro how do you consistently put out some of the best content I've ever seen!

I don’t think a lot of folks realize just how much Rick Rubin has been involved with some of the most important tracks of our lifetime. Great breakdown!

When the creator of a song tells you it's not his song anymore You know it's a perfect rendition

The fact that Paul manages to take what many people think a simple song as Johnny Cash's version of Hurt and just show how complex the song really is are one of the biggest reasons why Paul's channel is one of my favorite channels here on youtube.

My friend Dave used to record mulitple tracks right, left and center with a 4 track and was able to make our vocals and instumentals sound listenable. He was a Genius at recording. R.I.P Dave

This song was originally written and performed by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. He once said in an interview, “That song doesn’t belong to me anymore. That’s Johnny’s song now.” I grew up thinking it was Johnny’s song and since it was one of the last things he ever recorded and shot a music video for it stuck with me because I truly fell in love with this song the first time I ever heard it and it was Johnny Cash playing and performing it. I remember thinking as a kid, if he can write and sing songs this good at his age, than that means music can be something special for the entirety of your life if you want it to be. As I got older I learned and finally listened to the original Trent Reznor recording. Still a powerful and beautifully recorded piece of music but I’ll never enjoy hearing it the way I do with Johnny’s cover. But the words and sheet music are half of the equation and prove that it doesn’t matter what genre or style of music you’re into. When you write or compose something amazing that the world embraces and loves, regardless of who’s performing it, real music will stand the test of time and transcend generations because it will touch your soul. And music without soul isn’t really music at all at that point.

The reason this song is amazing: Trent Reznor wrote it. His mind never stops creating music, and awesome music at that!

Great video but also demonstrated that I had my L/R speakers reversed. Thank you

I often record my acoustic guitar with two mics, one on the bridge and one on the 12th fret. Most of the time, I will pan the two mics close together, but sometimes I split them wide and treat them with different EQ and FX to get this sort of double-track effect without actually playing twice. :)

The true beauty of this song is how different it is from the NIN version. Its a cover, but Cash took the song and made it so completely different from Trent's version that he gave it a new identity. Each version is amazing and means something different while being the same song.

Thanks for revealing the mastery behind this haunting version of Hurt. I was lucky enough to see Johnny at a small horse arena in Farmington New Mexico. What a fantastic show by an incredible human being. He treated everyone like family and you could feel the love emanating from the stage as he performed hit after hit from his incredible repertoire.

Trent Reznor is a genius. Thank you Rick Rubin for planting the seed on this magnificent cover.

I'm 33 and bought my first guitar about 6 months ago. I can still barely play anything. This. This right here, is the sort of things that make me wanna learn. And made me want to buy one in the first place

Imagine how many times Johnny cash listened to this song and watched the video clip in his last few months balling his eyes out.

Johnny Cash was not only a unique talent but an American icon who's voice and style was a reflection of the working class hero and the underdog in the struggle of life.

When I first heard this song I was driving and the throbbing beauty of it hit me so hard I had to park the car and I couldn't hold the tears back. It spoke to me about his life and hurt and at the same time of the hurt in mine and me. It made me matter, this invisible bond that transcends and connects us all. Only one other song has affected me in this way and that is, a place to be with Nick Drake the home recording. He also died not so long after. Two wonderful human beings pouring their heart out in the most humble and unpretentious way.

This song is absolutely stunning. I remember as a kid watching MTV2 at a friend's house and we both went "Why's this old man on?" then we just sat in silence till it ended. We were just stunned. People overlook the rest of the album though, Sting's Hung my Head and Bridge Over Troubled Water are also beautiful covers on it.

Я под впечатлением от этого видео, подачи материала, качества, настроения, что даже не в силах сейчас пытаться написать этот комментарий на английском. Прекрасная работа! Thank you so much!

Some of Cash’s best work was done towards the end of his life. One of the few artists to get better as they got older. Cash’s recording of Hurt is pure honesty, which is something missing from so much music these days.

I think this is one of the best music breakdowns on the entire internet. Goes to show how songs don't necessarily need to be super complex in order to be powerful

The song will forever be a beautiful testament to the power of simplicity. One of the most basic chord progressions in music--played in literal millions of songs--and the thing still hits like a freight train.

I cried when he died and cried again when I saw the video. Rest in Peace Johnny.

This stands as one of the timeless classics in music. It's truly remarkable to be privileged enough to exist in an era where musicians, through their craft, have the power to articulate a myriad of emotions that resonate deeply within our lives. Johnny Cash, with utmost reverence for Trent Reznor's original masterpiece, imbued this song with his own poignant interpretation, evoking a sense of raw emotion that echoes the essence of the original composition. Within the lyrics, one can still discern the same profound ache, seamlessly woven into the fabric of the music.

Been one of my favorites for most of my life, since I was a teenager. My wife passed away a few years ago and the song utterly destroys me these days but I really appreciated the walk through the song. It's always felt like a song that does so much with so little bit the nice little extra bits make it so very rich. Masterful song!

Hey! I can make use of these videos now. About 8 months ago I picked up my wife's ancient Hondo H-18 and started to practice every day. That guitar was only a guitar in a technical sense. It was *horrible* to play but I played that thing every day. I didn't care how awful the action was or how the plastic knobs on the tuning pegs cracked and broke and left me using a pair of pliers to tune it. I just kept going and my beautiful wife bought me a real guitar for Christmas! HOLY cow! It's night and day different playing this thing! You know, I used to watch all your videos Paul and I'd think man, I wish I could play guitar and I'm sort of there now! I can kind of play a little. It's sensational. Thanks for the cool videos and the quiet inspiration. Your videos were like grains of sand carried by the wind eroding my fear of failure. One day that mountain of doubt was worn down to a small hill that I came to believe I could climb. Happy New Year and thank you from Canada.

Hurt is one of most cherished songs, tears everytime I hear it

Never heard this song until the day he died. I turned on the tv and there it was starting.... just from the song playing I knew he must have died. One of those moment that you never forget

I saw this music video two days before he passed, it really stuck with me and still does.

One of the most powerful songs of all time from a true master of music.

As a vocalist this is my favorite version of this song to sing and play. Truly the mans swansong

It's one thing to sit in the studio and do what you are destined to do. It is almost equally divine to break it apart for us mortals and lift it up even more.

I heard this song a million times, but I feel like I listened to it for the first time. Thank you for that analysis. 🙏🏻😊

More analysis of songs please. A great idea.

Made me cry, you bastard! Thank you. My dad was a huge fan of his and they died a few weeks apart. Love that song...

0:47 that dramatic blow off of the clip is an entire personality of its own.

So glad you’re looking at this song Paul! Keep making great content :0

The best cover ever recorded, for me at least. So powerful. So emotional. When Johnny closes the piano lid at the end... 😢

I'll never forget the first time I heard this song listening to MTV in the morning waiting to go to school.

This is one of the best covers of all time. Especially when I see jun Carter. I tear up.

This song will always hold a special place in my heart. I play this regularly on my own guitar

Johnny Cash had much more experience, than he let on, to the Public!

This is an absolutely beautiful breakdown of this absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking version of this song. This song still makes me tear up every time I hear it. Both songs are extremely powerful in their own way, but this version definitely hits harder the older that I get.

Great breakdown. Most people can agree when a particular song grabs them and takes them to different places but your dissection of this simple yet so complicatedly layered piece was beautifully done.

A fantastic song, and the combination of Johnny Cash’s extraordinary singing and of Rick Rubin’s incredible arrangement and production (not only of Hurt but of all of Johnny Cash’s American Recording Albums). To me this is the best collaboration between artist and arranger/producer since the Beatles and George Martin

This comment is directed towards Pauls delivery of this material. He is an excellent storyteller and witty to boot!. Makes it so fun to watch listen and learn what he has to present on this video topic. Well done Sir !!

at 7:43 "Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry, You don't know how lovely you are" Fits perfectly

This is one of the first songs i learned on acoustic guitar. His voice gives me cold chills still. One of the greatest covers of all time.

I've struggled for a long time to be able to appreciate the Cash version of the song because people will relentlessly proclaim that it is superior to the original, to the point that the first time I saw NIN live, someone drunkenly screamed "woooooo, Johnny Cash!" about 4 chords into the song, completely ripping me out of the moment. I wish that people would just let the two versions be distinct from one another. They're almost different songs about different things. That being said, the performance, the arrangement, and the production of the Johnny Cash version is something incredibly special and beautiful in it's captured pain, and this analysis does make me appreciate it even more. Thank you, Paul.

these guitars tell a story of off a full lived live with ups and downs , bears on the road, cracks in the porselain...... i agree with you Paul...The most beautiful cover recorded ever

Im a drummer.. I just watch Johnny Cash last show here on yt... and i came here again to watch this video Thank you ❤

It is an amazing cover. I was blown away the first time I heard it. Then to hear him cover In My Life made me tear up so bad. A beautiful swan song to an amazing career....❤️

I was always such a fan of the original that I don’t think I gave this a fair chance. I’m going to go give it an unbiased listen.

Not sure what’s more impressive… the production of the song or the editing of this KZfaq video. 👏🏼🎬very impressive

I think THIS is why AI won't touch true music for a long time. Because computers can't feel... yet.

Magnificent! My singing coach told me the story of the rising gain to the edge of break up in this track, but you’ve gone deep with the guitars too - a beautiful video about an epic track.

Ironically watching this on the anniversary of my father's passing. Good song to play for the day. Thanks again for another great video.

8:15 gave me chills... perfection!!

Thank you so much Paul. This is one of my favourite songs to play and sing. Not because of its simplicity but for its sheer beauty, passion and (above all) its emotion. Mate, you have really captured the raw essence of this Johnny Cash version and you are absolutely right about the details of it being his Goodbye to the World song. And it not being a perfect song, is what made/makes it a perfect song. I have no idea 🤷🏻‍♂️ if anything I just said made any sense 🤣 but I don’t really care, I know what I was trying to say, lol 😂. Cheers! From Your Mate That’s Always Jamming In His Wheelchair Downunder!!!

I’ve been playing guitar for years, and the acoustic guitar is my go to, and find satisfaction in coaxing it’s sweet sounds out. So if I had to pick only one for the rest of my life it’s this humble instrument. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, and Johnny Cash Hurt are in my playlist, hundreds more. Endless possibilities!!

This song epitomizes us old guitarist that once were young but now have arthritis you can really feel this music … thx

The buzzing in the guitar. The harsh sounds of the piano. When it busts through the levels and everything sounds blown out. Chills... everytime.

This song always brings tears to my eyes. Probably the most beautiful recording of all time

I always loved that song but also i always was wondering how this kind of distortion could happen in such a high quality production…never thought about it was on purpose! Thanks for having a closer look to that masterpiece!

The Secret of perfection is imperfection.

I am really sorry to see no-one paying any attention to the one who wrote the song. You know, if Trent Reznor had not written this song, this beautiful melody wouldn't exist. There is no question about he beauty of Cash's cover but still that is only a matter of taste. What counts more is the one who brought this "baby" to the world and not the one who dressed it better !

The imperfection in this record is what makes it great. It was indeed his final form. Rick Rubin pushed him to reach ist best performance. It is this imperfection what makes the most debut records of many bands great. The low budget of the first record brings many imperfection in the records. This is what holds the spirit and the uniquity of a musician. As soon as it get polished to hard, the human factor is getting wiped away. Its hundreds of records i could name here. But im pretty sure you know what i mean. Nice video. Great respect for your channel. Peace and Love

Thanks Paul for opening my eyes and ears for this masterpiece from Johnny. When that song first was released on his farewell album I cried . I hadn’t heard such emotions in his voice like that ever . Then to hear about his passing away only months later cemented this song as one of my all time favorites . Your breaking it down this way was Awesome. Thanks again for All you post and share with us all , and may 2023 be a great year for you , and all of us . Much appreciated Mr. Davids 👍👍

Unbelievablly real and charismatic teacher bridging the gap between the presentation of information and rich storytelling. All while masterfully bringing each instrument he touches to life!

Life goals.... Watch Johnnys' video and get through it without tears rolling down my face... One day... It may happen.

Beautifully explained and presented!

So much of Johnny's catalog is simple, yet beautiful, its almost a hallmark of his career. Cash was a legend, constantly taking such simple themes and turning them into the masterpieces that we recognize today, and the story telling ... jeezzzzuuuusss ... Boy Named Sue, Cocaine Blues and Get Rhythm will always be some of my favorite stories/songs :D Thanks for the great video as always!

The Cash video of this song is great too. I love the bit where he pours the wine over the table.

This was such a great episode. I've watched it 3 times now.

have always enjoyed your passion for music Paul. Thank you and wishing you the best for this year!

Awesome as always sir! I always appreciate your insight to not only the chords and techniques, but music theory and production as well. Keep up the great videos, love every one of them!

Passion, Feeling, can sometimes override what technique cannot convey. This is art. Perfection.

The first time I saw the video was also the first I had heard the recording. By the end of it I was in tears.

What an awesome breakdown of a great song, I got cold chills when you brought it all together!

THANK YOU for finally putting an end to my eternal struggle to get the sound just right on this song! It's been one of my main songs to play for years and years, and even up to yesterday I have been constantly listening to the song and adjusting my playing over and over again, frustrated that I was unable to get it to sound as good as the recording and wondering what I was doing wrong. Now I know why. Incredible song, incredible cover, incredible artist. RIP Johnny Cash.

I found you on KZfaq 3 days ago - but I learned more about understanding playing guitar and making music than in my last 30 years. The way you analyse songs, split it into small steps, describe the „special sound“ of the chords and the best way to play is absolute genius. And furthermore you emphasize that playing music is emotion, not just technique. Last but not least you are absolute congenial. You’re my favorite on KZfaq!

Who is cutting onions over here? What a song this is!!

Whats also fun try finding the spine chilling minor notes to play at the end of the first A minor chord to replicate the original NIN version!

Yes, yes, yes! This song makes the hair on the back of my neck rise, grabs my full attention and puts me in a deeper place of meaning. Johnny Cash made this great song even greater and introduced it to a wider audience. Raw emotion benefits from raw playing, just like in days gone by. Great video David. Also, I started your Next Level Playing course last year and it's really great! Love it. Well worth every penny! Why not do a deal on the looper course for those already learning? I would sign up right away (nudge, nudge)

Randomly tearing up grown man here. Great work.

No matter what you do, always an inspiration to watch.

this video gave me chills, thanks for the deep dive into this amazing song

I love this song. Makes me feel so many emotions. I'm gonna put on a Johnny Cash playlist today and pay my respect. Beautiful video Paul!

Perfection is found in the imperfect, In surrender we find victory, & it's only when we lose ourselves do we find who we truly are.

This is one of the best "what makes this song great" episodes I've seen!

This song is, in my opinion, the single best "cover" ever recorded...I even struggle to call it a cover because it's so different and powerful (#2 is Little Wing by SRV). Cash's & Rubin's version is hard to put to words, but you've done that. It's the only song I can think of that hits just as hard and deep on the 100th listen as it did the 1st. Incredible. I always felt the distortion at the end was a production masterstroke, and the way you articulated it was truly perfect. Thanks for putting this together.

What a beautiful presentation on such a beautiful song. Thankyou Trent, Johnny and Paul.