Forty Shades Of Green - Johnny Cash

Forty Shades Of Green - Johnny Cash

2:53

single, 1961

Written by Johnny Cash

A gentle, midtempo ballad that extols the places and geography of Ireland, as well as a certain lady that resides there.  "I miss the river Shannon / And the folks at Skibbereen / The moorlands and the meddle / With their forty shades of green / But most of all I miss a girl / In Tipperary town."  Obviously, it's a Cash song, but he makes it pretty authentic.  I could easily hear the Clancy Brothers doing this song.

The General Lee - Johnny Cash

The General Lee - Johnny Cash

2:52

The Dukes Of Hazzard Soundtrack, 1982

Written by Thom Bresh and Johnny Cash

Recorded for the TV show, this song is written from the point of view of the car from "The Dukes of Hazzard!"  It joins a small but undoubtedly proud group of songs narrated by vehicles.  "I'm the General Lee / A piston pumpin' steel belted cavalry / I'll never let you down when you're riding with me / Buckle up and I'll show you what I mean."  Well, you tap your toe, because Cash could make the phone book sound compelling, but the Dixie-themed jingoism doesn't really play well these days.

Everybody Loves a Nut - Johnny Cash

Everybody Loves a Nut - Johnny Cash 

2:04

Everybody Loves a Nut, 1966

Written by Jack Clement

This is a silly novelty song without the staying power or wit of, say, "The One on the Right is On the Left," which is on the same album  These lyrics tell of a caveman with a dead horse and a man who tried to put his pet tiger in a tank.  What do these poor saps have in common?  They're nuts!  Brains are in a rut! Like Columbus, who was.... uh, thrown out of Spain? by Queen Isabella for... saying the world isn't flat? Wait, what?  That didn't happen.  Well, they can't all be gems.  Even Cash's voice can't elevate this one.

Orange Blossom Special - Johnny Cash

Orange Blossom Special - Johnny Cash

3:06

Orange Blossom Special, 1965

Written by Ervin T. Rouse, 1938

A bluegrass fiddle tune given the John R. Cash treatment and turned into a country train standard.  Who doesn't love a song about trains?  I love Cash's harmonica playing and his vocal train noises, and the spoken word dialogue.  "I don't care if I do, die, do, die, do, die, do, die."  (Sidebar: This dialogue would be evoked, or parodied, 26 years later by the Violent Femmes in their song "Hey Nonny Nonny," which also later borrows from "Sympathy For the Devil."  Those imps!)  And jarring as it is, I even dig the yakkety sax horn break by Boots Randolph.  This song was deservedly a big hit and apparently Cash, ever generous with his celebrity, helped bring the writer, Ervin Rouse, to the public eye.