Guess Things Happen That Way by Johnny Cash featuring The Tennessee Two aka Luther Perkins & Marshall Grant was released as a single in 1958, on Sun Records in the US and London Records in the UK. Cash's fourth #1 Stateside, but banned here as Canon Roy McKay, the BBC's Head of Religious Broadcasting, found the lyrics - about a man struggling after the love of his life has died - objectionable.
The above video is a clip from The Best Of The Johnny Cash TV Show in 1970, which is a delight from start to finish. Spinning to face the camera and proclaiming, "Hello, I'm John Carter Cash's daddy!" with a grin, Cash is on top form throughout, his throat clear at 0:57 barely breaking his stride. Less than a minute later, the guitar is slung to his side, the grin is back on display and the audience applause drowns out all else.
Here's a contemporary performance recorded 8th August 1959 from Los Angeles-based country music programme Town Hall Party (sponsored by Hadley's furniture store). A grainy. muddy recording but Johnny's (and band's) brilliance shining through.
Guess Things Happen That Way was the first of a 13-song, 35-minute set which you can find here. The picture and sound quality are better than the above clip, though sound and visuals are slightly out of synch and there's a whacking great headline logo watermark all the way through. Still worth a visit, though. This set was also released as a vinyl album, Live At Town Hall Party 1959, in 2003 with copies readily available on Discogs and other retailers.
The song has been covered many, many times and even revisited by The Man In Black himself with a little help from His Bobness. This 1969 version (Take 3, natch) didn't officially see the light of day for half a century, with the release in 2019 of Volume 15 in Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series. It's great, of course.
My pick of the covers is by Jonboy Langford & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts aka Jon Langford of Mekons with Jane Miller (vocals), Tom Ray (bass), Tracy Dear (mondolin), Steve Goulding (drums) and Guy Lawrence (squeezebox). This version from 1994 album Misery Loves Company: Jonboy Langford & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts Explore The Dark And Lonely World Of Johnny Cash, is slowed down and stretched out and gives a whole perspective on the song. Wonderful.
Well, you asked me if I'll forget my babyI guess I will, somedayI don't like it, but I guess things happen that wayYou asked me if I'll get alongI guess I will, some wayI don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
God gave me that girl to lean onThen He put me on my ownHeaven, help me be a man andHave the strength to stand aloneI don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
You asked me if I'll miss her kissesI guess I will, everydayI don't like it, but I guess things happen that wayYou asked me if I'll find anotherI don't know, I can't sayI don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
God gave me that girl to lean onThen He put me on my ownHeaven, help me be a man andHave the strength to stand aloneI don't like it, but I guess things happen that way
Looking at the lyrics it is hard to see why it was banned but the BBC have form in that department.
ReplyDeleteIt appears to have been the lines "God gave me that girl to lean on / Then He put me on my own / Heaven, help me be a man and have the strength to stand alone" that caused particular offence and resulted in the ban.
DeleteAlways interested to see Nick Lowe's comments on having the great man as a father in law - a fearsome prospect of ever there was one!
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine that Nick steered clear of any arguments at the after dinner family singsong about who was going to sing bass... ;-)
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