Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
| Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous | ||||
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| Studio album by Johnny Cash | ||||
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Publication |
1958 |
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admission |
1955-1958 |
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| Label (s) | Sun Records | |||
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
28:57 |
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Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous is the second studio album by country singer Johnny Cash . It was released on November 13, 1958 by Sun Records and was produced by Sam Phillips and Jack Clement . Shortly before the release, Cash had switched to Columbia Records . The album features three number-one hits on the country charts plus the re-release of Cash's first chart top-runner, I Walk the Line .
Content
In contrast to his first album With His Hot and Blue Guitar , the songs on this LP are mostly about love affairs. While Cash liked the background vocals on Ballad of a Teenage Queen , he found that the song Guess Things Happen That Way was "completely ruined" by it. Both titles reached the top of the country charts . Guess Things Happen That Way also peaked at # 11 on the pop charts , making it Cash's biggest hit on Sun Records on the pop singles chart.
Producer Clement, who wrote both songs, found Ballad of a Teenage Queen "so cute it could throw a diabetic into a coma". During a promotional tour in Canada, Cash chose the evening's Teenage Queen after every appearance in the audience . One of the winners died in tragic circumstances, which is why the runner-up moved up; it was the singer Joni Mitchell . According to most sources, Cash didn't like the number and rarely played it live after breaking up with Sun.
Other well-known tracks on the album are Big River and Home of the Blues . While the former is about a lost love, in the latter, Cash addresses his childhood, which was shaped by hard work in the cotton fields.
Track list
- Ballad of a Teenage Queen (Jack Clement) - 2:13
- There You Go (Cash) - 2:19
- I Walk the Line (Cash) - 2:46
- Don't Make Me Go (Cash) - 2:31
- Guess Things Happen That Way (Clement) - 1:52
- Train of Love (Cash) - 2:24
- The Ways of a Woman in Love (Bill Justis, Charlie Rich) - 2:16
- Next in Line (Cash) - 2:49
- You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven ( Jim Atkins , Cash, Hoyt Johnson ) - 2:42
- I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You) ( Hank Williams ) - 1:49
- Home of the Blues (Cash, Glen Douglas, Vic McAlpin) - 2:41
- Big River (Cash) - 2:35
Charts
Singles - Billboard
| year | title | Single charts | position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | "There You Go" | Country | 1 |
| 1957 | "Don't Make Me Go" | Country | 9 |
| 1957 | "Home of the Blues" | Country | 3 |
| 1957 | "Home of the Blues" | pop | 88 |
| 1957 | "Next in Line" | Country | 9 |
| 1957 | "Next in Line" | pop | 99 |
| 1957 | "Train of Love" | Country | 7th |
| 1958 | "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" | Country | 1 |
| 1958 | "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" | pop | 14th |
| 1958 | "Big River" | Country | 4th |
| 1958 | "Big River" | pop | 14th |
| 1958 | "Guess Things Happen That Way" | Country | 1 |
| 1958 | "Guess Things Happen That Way" | pop | 11 |
| 1958 | "The Ways of a Woman in Love" | Country | 2 |
| 1958 | "The Ways of a Woman in Love" | pop | 24 |
| 1958 | "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" | Country | 5 |
| 1958 | "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven" | pop | 24 |