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{{short description|Song popularized by Johnny Cash}}
{{Infobox Single
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
| Name = Ring of Fire
{{Infobox song
| Cover =
| Artist = [[Johnny Cash]]
| name = Ring of Fire
| from Album = [[Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash]]
| cover = Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash US picture sleeve A.png
| alt = A man holds a guitar; the neck reads "Johnny Cash".
| B-side =
| caption = Picture sleeve for the 1963 U.S. vinyl single
| Released = 1963
| Format = [[Gramophone record|Vinyl]]
| type = single
| Recorded = 1963
| artist = [[Johnny Cash]]
| Genre = [[Country]]
| album = [[Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash]]
| Length = 2:38
| B-side = I'd Still Be There
| Label = [[Columbia Records]]
| released = April 19, 1963
| Producer = [[Don Law]]
| recorded = March 25, 1963
| studio = [[Bradley Studios#Columbia Studios|Columbia]] (Nashville, Tennessee)<ref name="CMWW">{{cite magazine|last=Snoddy|first=Glen|title=Nashville, The Recording Center|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/72/Record-World-Country-Music-Who%27s-Who-1972_428.pdf|magazine=Country Music Who's Who|publisher=Record World|date=1972|access-date=10 May 2024}}</ref>
| Last single =
| venue =
| This single = "'''Ring of Fire'''"<br/>(1963)
| genre = {{hlist|[[Country music|Country]]}}
| Next single =
| Misc =
| length = 2:38
| label = [[Sony Music Nashville|Columbia Nashville]]
| writer = {{hlist|[[June Carter Cash|June Carter]]|[[Merle Kilgore]]}}
| producer = [[Don Law]]
| prev_title = [[Busted (Johnny Cash song)|Busted]]
| prev_year = 1962
| next_title = [[The Matador (Johnny Cash song)|The Matador]]
| next_year = 1963
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Ring of Fire
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Eric Burdon & the Animals]]
| album = [[Love Is (The Animals album)|Love Is]]
| B-side = I'm an Animal
| released = 1969
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Psychedelic rock]]|[[hard rock]]}} {{citation needed|date=April 2020}}
| length = 4:58 {{small|(album version)}}
| label = [[MGM Records|MGM]]
| writer = {{hlist|[[June Carter Cash|June Carter]]|[[Merle Kilgore]]}}
| producer = [[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]]
| prev_title = [[White Houses (The Animals song)|White Houses]]
| prev_year = 1968
| next_title = [[River Deep Mountain High]]
| next_year = 1969
}}
}}


{{Infobox song
"'''Ring of Fire'''" is a [[country music]] song popularized by [[Johnny Cash]] and co-written by [[June Carter]] (wife of Johnny Cash) and [[Merle Kilgore]]. The single appears on Cash's 1963 compilation album, ''[[Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash]]''. The song was recorded on [[March 25]], [[1963]] and became the biggest hit of his career, staying at number one on the charts for seven weeks.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:zt3ibkh9fa1q "Song Review"]. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref>
| name = Ring of Fire
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Alan Jackson]]
| album = [[34 Number Ones]]
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|2010|10|23}}
| recorded = 2010
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = [[Country music|Country]]
| length = 3:12
| label = [[Sony Music Entertainment]]
| writer = {{hlist|[[June Carter Cash|June Carter]]|[[Merle Kilgore]]}}
| producer = [[Keith Stegall]]
| prev_title = [[Hard Hat and a Hammer]]
| prev_year = 2010
| next_title = [[Long Way to Go (Alan Jackson song)|Long Way to Go]]
| next_year = 2011
}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Ring of Fire (1988 version)
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = [[Johnny Cash]]
| album = [[Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series]]
| A-side = [[Get Rhythm]]
| released = September 19, 1988
| recorded = October 1987
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = {{hlist|[[Country music|Country]]|[[rock and roll]]}}
| length = 2:44
| label = [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
| writer = {{hlist|[[June Carter Cash|June Carter]]|[[Merle Kilgore]]}}
| producer = [[Johnny Cash]]
| prev_title = [[I Walk the Line]]
| prev_year = 1987
| next_title = [[Ballad of Ira Hayes]]
| next_year = 1988
}}


The [[song]] "'''Ring of Fire'''" was made popular by [[Johnny Cash]] after it appeared on his 1963 compilation album ''[[Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash]]''. Written by Cash's eventual second wife, [[June Carter Cash|June Carter]], and songwriter [[Merle Kilgore]], "'''(Love's) Ring of Fire'''" was originally recorded by June's sister, [[Anita Carter]], on her 1962 album, ''Folk Songs Old and New''.
==Conception==
{{Sound sample box align left|Music sample:}}{{listen|filename=Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire.ogg|title="Ring of Fire" excerpt|description=From the album ''Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash''. This sample includes a portion of the chorus. Flourishes from the mariachi are also featured.|format=[[Ogg]]}}{{Sample box end}}
Although "Ring of Fire" sounds somewhat ominous, the term refers to falling in love - which is what June Carter was experiencing with Johnny Cash at the time. Some sources claim that June had seen the phrase, "Love is like a burning ring of fire," underlined in one of her uncle [[A. P. Carter]]'s [[Elizabethan]] books of poetry.<ref name="roots" /><ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990804/ai_n14247083 "Obituary: Anita Carter"]. The poem was "Love's Ring Of Fire by Bob Johnston, according to Johhny Cash by Stephen Miller. The (London) Independent. [[August 4]], [[1999]]. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref> <ref>http://books.google.com/books?id=NZDEbEHKMPsC&pg=PA117&dq=Love+is+like+a+burning+ring+of+fire&ei=0kLDSOSNLYaCjwGDt7HrDQ&sig=ACfU3U3mIboyeCkaw1zmY5_2DwbPYwZekQ "Google Books Search, Johhny Cash, by Steve Miller"]</ref> She worked with Kilgore on writing a song inspired by this phrase as she had seen her uncle do in the past. In the [[2005]] film, ''[[Walk the Line]]'' June is depicted as writing the song while agonizing over her feelings for Cash despite his [[drug addiction]] and [[alcoholism]] as she was driving home one evening. She had written: "There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns".<ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595932/ring_of_fire "Ring of Fire"]. RollingStone.com. [[December 9]], [[2004]]. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref>


Cash's version became one of the biggest hits of his career, staying at No. 1 on the [[Hot Country Songs|country chart]] for seven weeks. It was certified gold by the [[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] on January&nbsp;21, 2010, and has sold over 1.2&nbsp;million digital downloads.<ref name=paul1>{{cite web|url=http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/66353/chart-watch-extra-songs-from-the-last-century/ |title=Chart Watch Extra: Songs From The Last Century |last=Grein |first=Paul |publisher=[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen Business Media]]. [[Yahoo! Music]] |date=2010-09-24 |access-date=2012-03-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005090926/http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/66353/chart-watch-extra-songs-from-the-last-century/ |archive-date=2010-10-05 }}</ref> It was named the fourth greatest country song of all time by [[Country Music Television]], while ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' called it the number one greatest country song of all time and listed it as the 87th [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|greatest song of all time]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-country-songs-of-all-time-11200/|title=100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=1 June 2014}}</ref>
The song was originally recorded by June's sister, [[Anita Carter]], on her Mercury Records album ''Folk Songs Old and New'' (1962) as "(Love's) Ring of Fire".<ref> http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1051367/a/Ring+Of+Fire.htm "Ring of Fire CD"]. CDUniverse.com. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref> Mercury released Anita's version as a single and it was a featured "pick hit" in ''Billboard'' magazine.


In 1999, the 1963 recording of the song by [[Johnny Cash]] on the [[Columbia Records]] label was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref>https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#r {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>
After hearing Anita's version, Cash claims he had a dream where he heard the song accompanied by "Mexican horns".<ref name="roots">[http://www.bobdylanroots.com/ringfire.html "(Love's) Ring of Fire"]. BobDylanRoots.com. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref> Cash allowed some time for Anita's song to catch on, stating:
{{cquote|"I'll give you about five or six more months, and if you don't hit with it, I'm gonna record it the way I feel it."<ref name="roots" />}}


== Description ==
When the song failed to become a major hit for Anita, Cash recorded it his own way, adding the [[mariachi]]-style horns. This sound was later used in the song, "[[It Ain't Me Babe]]", which was recorded around the same time. [[Mother Maybelle]] and the Carter sisters are prominently featured in the Cash recording singing harmony. It is also of note that Cash tinkered with a few of the original phrases in Anita Carter's version of the song:
Most of the song is dedicated to a chorus that extends the metaphor comparing the passions of love with a "[[Ring of Fire (disambiguation)|ring of fire]]". It describes being [[Burn|burned]], and the [[Flame|flames]] rising, as the person continues falling for quite a distance ("down, down, down"), using the vocabulary of "[[falling in love]]". The song concludes without any resolution to the situation.


==Background==
Love is a burning flame<br />
{{listen|filename=Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire.ogg|title="Ring of Fire" excerpt|description=From the album ''Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash''. This sample a portion of the chorus. Flourishes from the mariachi are also featured.|format=[[Ogg]]}}
and it makes a fiery ring<br />
bringing hurt to the heart's desire<br />
I fell in the ring of fire<br />
I fell into, into the burning ring of fire<br />
I fell down, down, down, down into the deepest mire<br />
and it burns, burns, burns, burns<br />
the ring of fire, the ring of fire, the ring of fire<br />
The taste of love is sweet<br />
When two fiery hearts meet<br />
I believed you like a child<br />
Oh but the fire went wild<br />


Some sources claim that [[June Carter Cash|June Carter]] had seen the words "Love is like a burning ring of fire" underlined in an [[Elizabethan literature|Elizabethan poetry]] book owned by her uncle [[A. P. Carter]].<ref>[http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19990804/ai_n14247083 "Obituary: Anita Carter"]. The poem was "Love's Ring Of Fire by Bob Johnston, according to Johnny Cash by Stephen Miller. The (London) Independent. August 4, 1999. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NZDEbEHKMPsC&q=Love+is+like+a+burning+ring+of+fire&pg=PA117|title=Johnny Cash: The Life of an American Icon|first=Stephen|last=Miller|date=March 10, 2003|page=117|publisher=Omnibus|isbn=9780711996267|via=Google Books}}</ref> She worked with [[Merle Kilgore]] on writing a song inspired by this imagery, as she had seen her uncle do in the past. In her words: "There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060411193440/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595932/ring_of_fire "Ring of Fire"]. RollingStone.com. December 9, 2004. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.</ref>
Four years after the song was released, Carter and Cash were married which Cash states helped to stop his alcohol and drug addictions. Cash's daughter, [[Rosanne Cash|Rosanne]] has stated, "The song is about the transformative power of love and that's what it has always meant to me and that's what it will always mean to the Cash children."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3498749.stm "Cash family blocks haemorrhoid ad"]. BBC.com. [[February 18]], [[2004]]. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref>


The song was originally recorded by June's sister, [[Anita Carter]], on her [[Mercury Records]] album ''Folk Songs Old and New'' (1963) as "(Love's) Ring of Fire". Mercury released Anita's version as a single and it was a featured "pick hit" in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine. After hearing Anita's version, Johnny Cash claimed he had a dream where he heard the song accompanied by "Mexican horns". The [[mariachi]] horn sound had recently been popularized on American radio with 1962 hit song "[[The Lonely Bull (song)|The Lonely Bull]]" by [[Herb Alpert]]. Cash said, "[...] I'll give you about five or six more months, and if you don't hit with it, I'm gonna record it the way I feel it."<ref>{{cite book|last = D'Ambrosio|first = A.|author-link = Antonino D'Ambrosio|date = 2009|title = A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears|location = New York|publisher = [[Nation Books]]|page = 153|isbn = 9781568586076}}</ref> Cash noted that adding trumpets was a change to his basic sound.<ref name=pc10>{{Pop Chronicles |10 |3 |Johnny Cash}}</ref>
==Legacy==
{{Infobox Single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
| Name = Ring of Fire
| Cover =
| Caption =
| Artist = [[Eric Burdon & The Animals]]
| from Album = [[Love Is]]
| B-side = I'm an Animal
| Released = 1969
| Format = [[7" single]]
| Recorded =
| Genre = [[R&B]], [[Rock music|rock]], [[soul]], [[psychedelic]]
| Length = 5:25
| Label = [[MGM]]
| Writer = [[June Carter Cash]]
| Producer = [[Tom Wilson (producer)|Tom Wilson]]
| Certification =
| Chart position =
| Last single = "[[White Houses (The Animals song)|White Houses]]" <br/>(1968)
| This single = "Ring of Fire" <br/>(1969)
| Next single = "[[River Deep Mountain High]]" <br/>(1969)
}}


When the song failed to become a major hit for Anita, Cash recorded it his own way, adding the ''mariachi''-style horns from his dream. This sound was later used in the song "[[It Ain't Me Babe]]", which was recorded around the same time. [[Mother Maybelle]] and [[the Carter Sisters]] are prominently featured in the Cash recording singing harmony. Cash tinkered with a few of the original phrases in Anita Carter's version of the song. Cash's daughter [[Rosanne Cash|Rosanne]] said, "The song is about the transformative power of love and that's what it has always meant to me and that's what it will always mean to the Cash children."<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3498749.stm "Cash family blocks haemorrhoid ad"]. BBC.com. February 18, 2004. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.</ref>
Numerous [[cover versions]] of "Ring of Fire" have been produced, the most commercially successful version being by [[Social Distortion]], who released their [[punk rock]] version on the album, ''[[Social Distortion (album)|Social Distortion]]'' (1990). The single reached #25 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, 27 years after the single was first recorded by Cash.


== Other accounts and uses ==
The song has also been covered by [[singer]] and [[satirist]], [[Frank Zappa]]. Zappa's version is a deconstructed, [[reggae]] rendition which appears on their album, ''[[The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life]]'' (1991). The arrangement was concocted in anticipation of a guest appearance by Cash in Europe which was canceled at the last minute.
In 2004, Merle Kilgore, who shared writing credit for the song with June Carter, proposed licensing the song for a [[hemorrhoid]] cream commercial. When performing the song live, Kilgore would often "mock dedicate" the song to the "makers of [[Preparation H]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/cash-family-draws-line-around-ring-of-fire/ |title=Cash Family Draws Line Around 'Ring of Fire' |date=25 March 2015 |publisher=[[Fox News]] |access-date=2016-09-27}}</ref> However, June's heirs were not of a like mind, and they refused to allow the song to be licensed for the ad.


In her 2007 autobiography, Cash's first wife, [[Vivian Cash|Vivian]], wrote: "One day in early 1963, while gardening in the yard, Johnny told me about a song he had just written with Merle Kilgore and Curly [Lewis] while out fishing on [[Lake Casitas]]. 'I'm gonna give June half credit on a song I just wrote,' Johnny said. 'It's called "Ring of Fire."' 'Why?' I asked, wiping dirt from my hands. The mere mention of her name annoyed me. I was sick of hearing about her. 'She needs the money,' he said, avoiding my stare. 'And I feel sorry for her.'" Vivian also noted: "To this day, it confounds me to hear the elaborate details June told of writing that song for Johnny. She didn't write that song any more than I did. The truth is, Johnny wrote that song, while pilled up and drunk, about a certain private female body part. All those years of her claiming she wrote it herself, and she probably never knew what the song was really about."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cash |first1=Vivian |last2=Sharpsteen |first2=Ann |date=4 September 2007 |title=I Walked The Line: My Life with Johnny |publisher= Scribner |isbn= 978-1-4165-3862-2}}</ref>
"Ring of Fire" ranked #4 on ''[[CMT]]'s 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music'' in 2003 and #87 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'''s list of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]].


==Chart performance==
The [[Eric Burdon & The Animals]] version who was recorded in the end of 1968, charted in 1969 in the following countries: UK: #25, GER: #19, AUS: #10, AU: #8, NL: #4, it failed to chart in the US.
===Johnny Cash version===

{|class="wikitable sortable"
===Cover versions===

<div style="font-size: 95%">
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
|-
|-
!Chart (1963–68)
!style="background: #f2f2f2;"|'''Year'''
!Peak<br />position
!style="background: #f2f2f2;"|'''Artist'''
!style="background: #f2f2f2;"|'''Album'''
!style="background: #f2f2f2;"|'''Notes'''<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:1291614 "Ring of Fire"]. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://www.secondhandsongs.com/song/5555 "Song: Ring of Fire - Anita Carter"]. SecondhandSongs.com. [[July 31]], [[2003]]. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2007]].</ref>
|-
|-
|U.S. ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Songs|Hot Country Singles]]<ref>{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944&ndash;2006|edition=2nd|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=75}}</ref>
| 1963
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| [[Johnny Cash]]
| ''Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash''
|
|-
|-
|U.S. [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]<ref>{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=111}}</ref>
| 1964
| style="text-align:center;"| 17
| [[Roy Drusky]]
| ''Pick of the Country''
|
|-
|-
|German Singles Chart
| 1964
| style="text-align:center;"| 27
| [[Kitty Wells]]
| ''Especially for You''
|
|-
|-
|Swiss Singles Chart
| 1965
| style="text-align:center;"| 77
| [[The Carter Family]]
|}
| ''Best of the Carter Family''

|Columbia CL - 2319
===Eric Burdon and the Animals version===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|-
!Chart (1969)
| 1966
!Peak<br />position
| [[Dave Dudley]]
| ''Free and Easy''
|
|-
|-
|Australian Single Chart<ref name="Animals charts">[http://tsort.info/music/yc4bcm.htm The Animals chart entries], Tsort.info.</ref>
| 1967
| style="text-align:center;"| 10
| [[Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones]]
| ''Green, Green Grass of Home''
|
|-
|-
|Dutch Charts<ref name="Animals charts"/>
| 1968
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
| [[Eric Burdon]]
| ''Love Is''
|
|-
|-
|German Singles Chart<ref name="Animals charts"/>
| 1969
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
| [[Lynn Anderson]]
| ''Big Girls Don't Cry''
|
|-
|-
|South Africa ([[Springbok Radio|Springbok]])<ref>{{cite web|title=SA Charts 1965–March 1989|url=http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(B).html|access-date=22 November 2020}}</ref>
| 1969
|align="center"|6
| [[Tommy Cash]]
| ''Your Lovin' Takes the Leavin' Out of Me''
|
|-
|-
|[[UK Singles Chart]]<ref name="Animals charts"/>
| 1969
| style="text-align:center;"| 35
| [[Country Joe McDonald]]
|}
| ''Tonight I'm Singing Just for You''

|
===Sandy Kelly & Johnny Cash version===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
|-
!Chart (1990)
| 1970
!Peak<br />position
| The Willis Brothers
| ''Best of the Willis Brothers''
|
|-
|-
|{{singlechart|Ireland2|21|song=Ring of Fire|access-date=November 24, 2020}}
| 1970
| [[Hank Williams, Jr.]]
| ''Great Hits of Johnny Cash''
|
|-
|-
|}
| 1970

| [[Ray Charles]]
===Social Distortion version===
| ''Complete Country & Western Recordings (1959-1986)''
{|class="wikitable"
|
|-
|-
!Chart (1990)
| 197?
!Peak<br />position
| [[King Tubby]] (Jamaican Dub Pioneer)
| ''Crucial Dub (1986)''
| ''Release of 1970s instrumental dub version'' Dub Experience.
|
|-
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardalternativesongs|25|artist=Social Distortion|artistid=72801}}
| 1971
|}
| The Buckaroos

| ''Play the Hits''
===Alan Jackson version===
|
{|class="wikitable"
|-
| 1972
| [[Earl Scruggs]] w/[[Linda Ronstadt]]
| ''I Saw the Light with Some Help from My Friends''
|
|-
| 1974
| [[The Eric Burdon Band]]
| ''Sun Secrets''
|
|-
| 1977
| [[Olivia Newton-John]]
| ''Making a Good Thing Better''
|
|-
| 1980
| [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]]
| ''Roadie''
|
|-
| 1980
| [[Carlene Carter]]
| ''Musical Shapes''
|
|-
| 1980
| [[Wall of Voodoo]]
| ''Wall of Voodoo EP''
|
|-
| 1985
| Sleepy LaBeef
| ''Nothin' but the Truth''
|
|-
| 1986
| [[Dwight Yoakam]]
| ''Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.''
|
|-
| 1990
| [[The Bobs]]
| ''Sing the Songs of...''
|
|-
| 1990
| [[Social Distortion]]
| ''[[Social Distortion (album)|Social Distortion]]''
|
|-
| 1991
| [[Frank Zappa]]
| ''The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life''
|
|-
| 1992
| The McPeak Brothers
| ''Classic Bluegrass''
|
|-
| 1992
| Paul Lloyd Warner
| ''Mountains''
|
|-
| 1993
| Doyle-Whiting Band
| ''Buried Bones''
|
|-
| 1994
| [[Mark Collie]]
| ''Unleashed''
|
|-
| 1994
| [[Ed Kuepper]]
| ''Character Assassination''
|
|-
| 1994
| [[Dick Dale]]
| ''Unknown Territory''
|
|-
| 1994
| [[Dan Lund]]
| ''Wood & Steel''
|
|-
| 1995
| [[Martin Belmont]]
| ''Big Guitar''
|
|-
| 1995
| [[Stop]]
| ''Never''
|
|-
| 1996
| [[Bob Dylan]]
| ''Feeling Minnesota (soundtrack)''
|
|-
| 1996
| [[Bhundu Boys]] & [[Hank Wangford]]
| ''Friends on the Road''
|
|-
| 1996
| [[The Vinaigrettes]]
| ''Gross Negligee''
|
|-
| 1997
| [[Cable (British band)|Cable]]
| ''Freeze the Atlantic''
|
|-
| 1997
| [[The Levellers]]
| ''Celebrate''
|
|-
| 1997
| [[Mark A. Humphrey]]
| ''Burning Love''
|
|-
| 1998
| [[David Allan Coe]]
| ''Johnny Cash is a Friend of Mine''
|
|-
| 1998
| [[Grace Jones]]
| ''Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions''
|
|-
| 1998
| [[Willie Evans]]
| ''Willie Evans Trio''
|
|-
| 1998
| [[Earls of Suave]]
| ''Basement Bar at the Heartbreak Hotel''
|
|-
| 1998
| [[Jim Sundquest]]
| ''Big Requests''
|
|-
| 1999
| [[June Carter Cash]]
| ''Press On''
|
|-
| 1999
| [[The Caravans]]
| ''Saturday Nite's Alright''
|
|-
| 1999
| [[The Earls of Suave]]
|
|
|-
| 2000
| [[Henry Boy]]
| ''Americana: Tribute to Johnny Cash''
|
|-
| 2000
| [[The Mighty Echoes]]
| ''A Capella Doo Wop''
|
|-
| 2000
| [[Slim Whitman]]
| ''Get Rhythm: A Tribute to the Man in Black''
|
|-
| 2000
| [[H-Blockx]] feat. Dr. Ring Ding
| ''Get in the Ring''
|
|-
| 2001
| [[The Du-Tels]]
| ''No Knowledge of Music Required''
|
|-
| 2001
| [[Three Bean Salad]]
| ''Shut Up and Eat Your Beans''
|
|-
| 2001
| [[Mingo Saldivar]]
| ''American Roots Music''
|
|-
| 2001
| [[Earl Scruggs]] & [[Billy Bob Thornton]]
| ''Oxford American CD # 5 (Southern Music)''
|
|-
| 2002
| [[Billy Burnette]]
| ''Dressed in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash''
|
|-
| 2002
| [[Latz]]
| ''Twinnings''
|
|-
| 2002
| [[The String Cheese Incident]]
| ''On the Road''
|
|-
| 2002
| [[David Edwards]]
| ''Do Wah Diddy (bonus track)''
|
|-
| 2003
| [[This Kid Named Miles]]
| ''Rewind! 3''
|
|-
| 2003
| [[James Carr (musician)|James Carr]]
| ''A Man Needs a Woman (Bonus Tracks)''
|
|-
| 2003
| [[Michel Montecrossa]]
| ''Country Heroes''
|
|-
| 2005
| [[The Regulars]]
| ''Vegas''
|
|-
| 2005
| [[Joaquin Phoenix]]
| ''[[Walk the Line (soundtrack)]]''
|
|-
| 2005
| [[Joe Rohan]]
| ''These Days''
|
|-
| 2006
| [[Dario G]]
|
|
|-
| 2006
| [[Leningrad Cowboys]]
| ''Zombie's Paradise''
|
|-
| 2007
| [[Lucy Kaplansky]]
| ''Over the Hills''
|
|-
| 2007
| [[Dilana]]
|
|
|-
| 2007
| [[George Canyon]]
| ''[[Classics (George Canyon album)|Classics]]''
| Peaked at #26 on Canadian Country Singles
|-
| 2007
| [[Art Paul Schlosser]] and Robin Good
| ''Our Tribute To Shari Elf''
|
|-
| 2007
| [[Maleńczuk & Waglewski]]
| ''Koledzy''
|-
| 2008
| [[Allison Moorer]]
| Mockingbird
|
|-
|-
!Chart (2010)
| 2008
!Peak<br />position
| [[Bowling for Soup]]
| [[Live and Very Attractive]]
| Live
|
|-
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|45|artist=Alan Jackson|artistid=72801}}
| 2008
| [[Roch Voisine]]
| Americana
|}
|}
</div>


==Certifications==
=== Parody versions ===
{{certification Table Top}}
* Country music parodist [[Cledus T. Judd]] recorded a Christmas-themed parody, called "Tree's on Fire", on his 2002 album ''[[Cledus Navidad]]''.
{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Johnny Cash|title=Ring of Fire|award=Platinum|certyear=2022|relyear=2004|id=13005-1888-1|access-date=19 April 2022}}
* On [[Rush Limbaugh]]'s radio program, comedian Paul Shanklin parodies former Vice President [[Al Gore]] in singing "Ball of Fire" regarding the issue of [[global warming]].
{{certification Table Entry|type=ringtone|note=Mastertone|region=United States|artist=Johnny Cash|title=Ring of Fire|award=Gold|access-date=6 September 2021}}
* Doc Adams of Sarcasticgamer.com, recorded a version of Ring of Fire parodying the failure rate of [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox 360]], also known as the Red Rings of Death.
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true| noshipments=true}}


==Legacy==
===In popular culture===
Numerous [[cover versions]] of "Ring of Fire" have been produced, the most commercially successful version being by [[The Animals|Eric Burdon & the Animals]] on their 1968 album [[Love Is (The Animals album)|''Love Is'']]. Their version was recorded at the end of 1968, and made the top 40 in four countries.<ref name="Animals charts"/> In 1970, [[Ray Charles]] released a version on his album ''[[Love Country Style]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2021/08/16/country-music-hall-fame-class-2021-announced/8144849002/|title=Country Music Hall of Fame 2021 inductees include Ray Charles, The Judds|first1=Dave|last1=Paulson|first2=Matthew|last2=Leimkuehler|date=August 19, 2021|website=The Tennessean}}</ref> In late 1974, [[Eric Burdon|the Eric Burdon Band]] released a [[hard rock]] version for their album [[Sun Secrets|''Sun Secrets'']]. [[Wall of Voodoo]] debuted with a cover of the song on their self-titled 1980 EP and featured a pulsing synthesizer. A [[Rock music|rock]] version by [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] appears in the 1980 film ''[[Roadie (1980 film)|Roadie]]''. [[Dwight Yoakam]] covered it on his 1986 debut album ''[[Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.]]''<ref>Paula J. Bishop and Jada E. Watson, ''Whose Country Music?'' (2022), p. 169.</ref> [[Punk rock]] band [[Social Distortion]] covered it on their 1990 [[Social Distortion (album)|self-titled LP]]. In 1991, [[Frank Zappa]] released a [[reggae]]-style live version on the album ''[[The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life]]'', after claiming to have met Johnny Cash in the elevator before the show and inviting him to perform the song with his band that night. Cash did not follow through on the invitation, but the band played the song anyway. A cover of the song by [[Alan Jackson]] with guest vocals from [[Lee Ann Womack]] was released as a single on December 6, 2010. It served as the lead-off single to his ''[[34 Number Ones]]'' compilation album, and peaked at #45 in the Hot Country Songs, becoming his first single to miss the top 40 since "Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair" peaked at #51 in 2004.<ref>[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=alan jackson|chart=Country Songs}} Alan Jackson USA chart history], Billboard.com. Retrieved June 11, 2012.</ref> It was his last single released by [[Arista Records]]. The [[ska]] band [[Swim Herschel Swim]] covered the song on their 1994 album ''Burn Swim Burn''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vice |first1=Jeff |title=LOVE WAS ON THE LAM AT RAM SLAM SHOW |url=https://www.deseret.com/1991/8/26/18939016/love-was-on-the-lam-at-ram-slam-show |website=Deseret News |language=en |date=26 August 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Swim Herschel Swim – Ring O Fire | website=[[YouTube]] | date=November 23, 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKkj_EUooEM |access-date=21 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The English [[power metal]] band [[DragonForce]] recorded a cover as the closing track to the standard edition of their 2014 album, ''[[Maximum Overload]]''. The Swedish [[rockabilly]] band [[The Go Getters]] recorded a cover on their 2017 album ''Love And Hate''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://open.spotify.com/track/0nutiwEP1JFioCHssjO3Oz?si=d4beb46de8a0495b | title=Spotify | website=[[Spotify]] }}</ref>
The song was among a number of Cash songs covered by [[Joaquin Phoenix]] for the [[2005]] film, ''[[Walk the Line]]''. A duet version of the song, recorded by [[Jeff Bridges]] and [[Kim Carnes]], can be heard in the opening scene in the 2000 film ''[[The Contender]]'', although the track is notably absent on the movie soundtrack and has, in fact, never been released. The song briefly plays in one scene of the 2006 [[horror film]], ''[[Silent Hill]]''. It is also featured on the [[CBS]] [[reality television]] show, ''[[Rock Star: Supernova]]'', performed by [[Dilana Robichaux]]. Dilana is scheduled to release the [[Gilby Clarke]] produced cover on [[February 20]], [[2007]] on [[iTunes]], [[Napster]] and other digital download websites. This song was included in the [[soundtrack]] to ''[[Tony Hawk's Underground 2]]'' and British dance group [[Dario G]] released a mix of the famous tune in time for the FIFA [[2006 FIFA World Cup|World Cup 2006]]. A recent cover version is by Tim Speed, Apollo 440 and Ian McCulloch and it was Liverpool FC's official 2006's FA Cup song. The song was also included in the [[Singstar]] game [[Singstar Legends]]. Ring of Fire was also featured in an episode of [[My Name is Earl]] and in the 12th episode of the 3rd season of [[Numb3rs]] entitled, "Nine Wives". [[Travis Barker]] and [[DJ AM]] also used the song for their new "Fix Your face" mixtape.


Cash's version of "Ring of Fire" was never released as a single in the UK. However, in 1993 and 1994, it gained significant radio airplay in the UK after it was used in a popular television commercial for [[Levi's Jeans|Levi's]]. In 2005, [[Liverpool FC]] fans began singing the song at matches during the run-up to [[2005 UEFA Champions League Final|that year's Champions League Final]], and it has been a staple song for the team's fans ever since.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goal.com/en-bh/news/why-do-liverpool-fans-sing-ring-of-fire-champions-league/nv4xrauhxogw1s5lx6xpk4jyh|title=Why do Liverpool fans sing 'Ring of Fire'? Champions League chant explained &#124; Goal.com|website=www.goal.com}}</ref>
===In sports===
"Ring of Fire" was first adopted by supporters of the Irish football club [[Shamrock Rovers F.C.]] at an [[FAI Cup]] replay against [[Bohemian F.C.]] in 1994 and has been sung by the club's fans ever since. The song had been sung sporadically by the "Hoops" faithful long before then but became a chant synonymous with Shamrock Rovers fans in [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] following the fixture which famously saw supporters dancing around a fire on the away terrace at [[Dalymount Park]] and singing the song.<ref>{{cite book | last = Rice | first = Eoghan | title = We Are Rovers | publisher = Nonsuch | year = 2005 | chapter = The Homeless Years | isbn = 1845885104 }}</ref>
It was first sung in the [[United Kingdom|UK]] by [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool Football Club]] fans in the year 2002, with the song growing in popularity as the team and its supporters travelled across Europe en route to the 2005 [[UEFA Champions League]] final in [[Istanbul]].<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070210193710/http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N152258060505-0922.htm "LFC Aiming for no.1 with cup final song"]. LiverpoolFC.tv. [[May 5]], [[2006]]</ref> The song was played by the Liverpool football team prior to their victory on May 25th and is frequently played during half-time at Anfield.<ref>[http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2005/nov/14/N150564051114-1420.htm "Revealed: The tunes that inspired Euro glory"]. Hothersall, Steve. LiverpoolFC.tv. Retrieved on [[March 23]], [[2006]]</ref>


Wall of Voodoo's cover version was featured in the 1981 [[avant-garde]] [[pornographic]] film ''[[Nightdreams]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nightflight.com/nightdreams-filmmaker-rinse-dreams-visionary-and-surreal-first-foray-into-the-world-of-x-rated-adult-films/|title="Nightdreams": Filmmaker Rinse Dream's visionary and surreal first foray into the world of X-rated adult films|website=Nightflight.com}}</ref>
The song was later played by the [[English cricket team|England cricket team]] at lunch in the [[Changeroom|dressing room]] on the final day of the 3rd Test match against India on [[22 March]] [[2006]]. The English cricketers were inspired and came out and took seven wickets for 25 runs in the space of 89 balls to complete their first victory on Indian soil in 21 years.<ref> [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2006/03/23/scindi23.xml "England summon Ring of Fire to ignite triumph"] by Derek Pringle, Daily Telegraph, 23 March 2006, retrieved 23 March 2006 </ref>
[[Andrew Flintoff]] and [[Matthew Hoggard]] of the [[England cricket team]] played it before they came out to play on the last day of the [[2005 Ashes series]] between them and [[Australian cricket team|Australia]] to spur them on {{Fact|date=August 2007}}.


Since 2004, the [[Calgary Flames]] of the [[NHL]] have used the song as a victory song after every home win.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bretkenworthy.com/portfolio/2021/5/6/ring-of-fire | title=Ring of Fire | date=10 October 2018 }}</ref>
The [[National Hockey League|NHL]]'s [[Calgary Flames]] played the song on the [[tannoy]] of the [[Pengrowth Saddledome]] during their 2004 [[Stanley Cup]] run and also sang it in the dressing room after each win. It was also constantly played on the [[Red Mile]] during the run, and has become the team's victory song. The [[Saskatoon Blades]] of the [[Western Hockey League|WHL]] began to use this song as their victory song during the 2006 playoffs. It continues to be played after each victory by the team.


==References==
Cardiff City FC have started using it as their celebratory winning song. They have revamped the song to get the crowd excited when they score a goal at home. It is also played before [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.]] matches as the players take to the field to create more atmosphere. It was adopted by [[Hereford United F.C.|Hereford United]] in the 2005/06 season and is chanted at almost every game. After the team won the playoffs, players for Hereford United were seen chanting the song in celebration at Walker's Stadium in Leicester. The song is a crowd favorite at [[Adelaide United]] games, [[Rotherham United]], [[Leicester City]], [[Walsall FC]] and [[Wolverhampton Wanderers]] games. It is sung for Adelaide United young Talent [[Nathan Burns]]. This song is also played before every [[Wellington Phoenix]] home game. [[Southend United F.C.|Southend United]] away fans also have adopted the song, as a means of encouraging and lifting the players away from home. QPR have also recently adopted the song. The song is also played at Ipswich Town F.C. as the players emerge from the Tunnel at Portman Road.
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
The song has also been used in an [[ESPN]] promotional ad for [[NASCAR]].
* {{YouTube|1WaV2x8GXj0|Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire|link=no}}

* {{YouTube|gSJdB7f9O9o|Eric Burdon & the Animals – Ring of Fire|link=no}}
==Charts==
* {{YouTube|LUfRBKvMa9o|Sandy Kelly & Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire|link=no}}

{{start box}}
{{succession box
| before = "[[Act Naturally]]" by [[Buck Owens]]
| title = [[Billboard charts|Billboard]] [[1963 in country music|number one country hits]]
| years = [[July 27]] [[1963]]
| after = "[[Abilene (song)|Abilene]]" by [[George Hamilton IV]]
}}
{{end box}}

==References==
{{reflist}}


{{Johnny Cash|song}}
{{Johnny Cash|song}}
{{Alan Jackson singles}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1963 songs]]
[[Category:1963 singles]]
[[Category:1963 singles]]
[[Category:1990 singles]]
[[Category:1969 singles]]
[[Category:2010 singles]]
[[Category:2014 singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Merle Kilgore]]
[[Category:Johnny Cash songs]]
[[Category:Johnny Cash songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles]]
[[Category:Dwight Yoakam songs]]
[[Category:Social Distortion songs|Ring Of Fire]]
[[Category:Mark Collie songs]]
[[Category:George Canyon songs]]
[[Category:George Canyon songs]]
[[Category:Liverpool F.C. songs]]
[[Category:Alan Jackson songs]]
[[Category:The Animals songs]]

[[Category:Social Distortion songs]]
[[da:Ring of Fire]]
[[de:Ring of Fire (Lied)]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:Columbia Nashville Records singles]]
[[pl:Ring of Fire]]
[[Category:MGM Records singles]]
[[simple:Ring of Fire (song)]]
[[Category:Epic Records singles]]
[[Category:Sony Music singles]]
[[Category:Mercury Nashville singles]]
[[Category:Arista Nashville singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by June Carter Cash]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Don Law]]

Latest revision as of 20:00, 30 December 2024

"Ring of Fire"
A man holds a guitar; the neck reads "Johnny Cash".
Picture sleeve for the 1963 U.S. vinyl single
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash
B-side"I'd Still Be There"
ReleasedApril 19, 1963
RecordedMarch 25, 1963
StudioColumbia (Nashville, Tennessee)[1]
Genre
Length2:38
LabelColumbia Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Don Law
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Busted"
(1962) 		"Ring of Fire"
(1963) 		"The Matador"
(1963)
"Ring of Fire"
Single by Eric Burdon & the Animals
from the album Love Is
B-side"I'm an Animal"
Released1969
Genre
[citation needed]
Length4:58 (album version)
LabelMGM
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Tom Wilson
Eric Burdon & the Animals singles chronology
"White Houses"
(1968) 		"Ring of Fire"
(1969) 		"River Deep Mountain High"
(1969)
"Ring of Fire"
Single by Alan Jackson
from the album 34 Number Ones
Released23 October 2010 (2010-10-23)
Recorded2010
GenreCountry
Length3:12
LabelSony Music Entertainment
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Keith Stegall
Alan Jackson singles chronology
"Hard Hat and a Hammer"
(2010) 		"Ring of Fire"
(2010) 		"Long Way to Go"
(2011)
"Ring of Fire (1988 version)"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series
A-side"Get Rhythm"
ReleasedSeptember 19, 1988
RecordedOctober 1987
Genre
Length2:44
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"I Walk the Line"
(1987) 		"Ring of Fire (1988 version)"
(1988) 		"Ballad of Ira Hayes"
(1988)

The song "Ring of Fire" was made popular by Johnny Cash after it appeared on his 1963 compilation album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. Written by Cash's eventual second wife, June Carter, and songwriter Merle Kilgore, "(Love's) Ring of Fire" was originally recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her 1962 album, Folk Songs Old and New.

Cash's version became one of the biggest hits of his career, staying at No. 1 on the country chart for seven weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA on January 21, 2010, and has sold over 1.2 million digital downloads.[2] It was named the fourth greatest country song of all time by Country Music Television, while Rolling Stone called it the number one greatest country song of all time and listed it as the 87th greatest song of all time.[3]

In 1999, the 1963 recording of the song by Johnny Cash on the Columbia Records label was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[4]

Description

[edit]

Most of the song is dedicated to a chorus that extends the metaphor comparing the passions of love with a "ring of fire". It describes being burned, and the flames rising, as the person continues falling for quite a distance ("down, down, down"), using the vocabulary of "falling in love". The song concludes without any resolution to the situation.

Background

[edit]
"Ring of Fire" excerpt
From the album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. This sample a portion of the chorus. Flourishes from the mariachi are also featured.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Some sources claim that June Carter had seen the words "Love is like a burning ring of fire" underlined in an Elizabethan poetry book owned by her uncle A. P. Carter.[5][6] She worked with Merle Kilgore on writing a song inspired by this imagery, as she had seen her uncle do in the past. In her words: "There is no way to be in that kind of hell, no way to extinguish a flame that burns, burns, burns".[7]

The song was originally recorded by June's sister, Anita Carter, on her Mercury Records album Folk Songs Old and New (1963) as "(Love's) Ring of Fire". Mercury released Anita's version as a single and it was a featured "pick hit" in Billboard magazine. After hearing Anita's version, Johnny Cash claimed he had a dream where he heard the song accompanied by "Mexican horns". The mariachi horn sound had recently been popularized on American radio with 1962 hit song "The Lonely Bull" by Herb Alpert. Cash said, "[...] I'll give you about five or six more months, and if you don't hit with it, I'm gonna record it the way I feel it."[8] Cash noted that adding trumpets was a change to his basic sound.[9]

When the song failed to become a major hit for Anita, Cash recorded it his own way, adding the mariachi-style horns from his dream. This sound was later used in the song "It Ain't Me Babe", which was recorded around the same time. Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters are prominently featured in the Cash recording singing harmony. Cash tinkered with a few of the original phrases in Anita Carter's version of the song. Cash's daughter Rosanne said, "The song is about the transformative power of love and that's what it has always meant to me and that's what it will always mean to the Cash children."[10]

Other accounts and uses

[edit]

In 2004, Merle Kilgore, who shared writing credit for the song with June Carter, proposed licensing the song for a hemorrhoid cream commercial. When performing the song live, Kilgore would often "mock dedicate" the song to the "makers of Preparation H".[11] However, June's heirs were not of a like mind, and they refused to allow the song to be licensed for the ad.

In her 2007 autobiography, Cash's first wife, Vivian, wrote: "One day in early 1963, while gardening in the yard, Johnny told me about a song he had just written with Merle Kilgore and Curly [Lewis] while out fishing on Lake Casitas. 'I'm gonna give June half credit on a song I just wrote,' Johnny said. 'It's called "Ring of Fire."' 'Why?' I asked, wiping dirt from my hands. The mere mention of her name annoyed me. I was sick of hearing about her. 'She needs the money,' he said, avoiding my stare. 'And I feel sorry for her.'" Vivian also noted: "To this day, it confounds me to hear the elaborate details June told of writing that song for Johnny. She didn't write that song any more than I did. The truth is, Johnny wrote that song, while pilled up and drunk, about a certain private female body part. All those years of her claiming she wrote it herself, and she probably never knew what the song was really about."[12]

Chart performance

[edit]

Johnny Cash version

[edit]
Chart (1963–68) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[13] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[14] 17
German Singles Chart 27
Swiss Singles Chart 77

Eric Burdon and the Animals version

[edit]
Chart (1969) Peak
position
Australian Single Chart[15] 10
Dutch Charts[15] 4
German Singles Chart[15] 24
South Africa (Springbok)[16] 6
UK Singles Chart[15] 35

Sandy Kelly & Johnny Cash version

[edit]
Chart (1990) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[17] 21

Social Distortion version

[edit]
Chart (1990) Peak
position
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[18] 25

Alan Jackson version

[edit]
Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[19] 45

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[20] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[21]
Mastertone 		Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Legacy

[edit]

Numerous cover versions of "Ring of Fire" have been produced, the most commercially successful version being by Eric Burdon & the Animals on their 1968 album Love Is. Their version was recorded at the end of 1968, and made the top 40 in four countries.[15] In 1970, Ray Charles released a version on his album Love Country Style.[22] In late 1974, the Eric Burdon Band released a hard rock version for their album Sun Secrets. Wall of Voodoo debuted with a cover of the song on their self-titled 1980 EP and featured a pulsing synthesizer. A rock version by Blondie appears in the 1980 film Roadie. Dwight Yoakam covered it on his 1986 debut album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.[23] Punk rock band Social Distortion covered it on their 1990 self-titled LP. In 1991, Frank Zappa released a reggae-style live version on the album The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life, after claiming to have met Johnny Cash in the elevator before the show and inviting him to perform the song with his band that night. Cash did not follow through on the invitation, but the band played the song anyway. A cover of the song by Alan Jackson with guest vocals from Lee Ann Womack was released as a single on December 6, 2010. It served as the lead-off single to his 34 Number Ones compilation album, and peaked at #45 in the Hot Country Songs, becoming his first single to miss the top 40 since "Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair" peaked at #51 in 2004.[24] It was his last single released by Arista Records. The ska band Swim Herschel Swim covered the song on their 1994 album Burn Swim Burn.[25][26] The English power metal band DragonForce recorded a cover as the closing track to the standard edition of their 2014 album, Maximum Overload. The Swedish rockabilly band The Go Getters recorded a cover on their 2017 album Love And Hate.[27]

Cash's version of "Ring of Fire" was never released as a single in the UK. However, in 1993 and 1994, it gained significant radio airplay in the UK after it was used in a popular television commercial for Levi's. In 2005, Liverpool FC fans began singing the song at matches during the run-up to that year's Champions League Final, and it has been a staple song for the team's fans ever since.[28]

Wall of Voodoo's cover version was featured in the 1981 avant-garde pornographic film Nightdreams.[29]

Since 2004, the Calgary Flames of the NHL have used the song as a victory song after every home win.[30]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Snoddy, Glen (1972). "Nashville, The Recording Center" (PDF). Country Music Who's Who. Record World. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  2. ^ Grein, Paul (September 24, 2010). "Chart Watch Extra: Songs From The Last Century". Nielsen Business Media. Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on October 5, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2012.
  3. ^ "100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 1, 2014.
  4. ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#r [bare URL]
  5. ^ "Obituary: Anita Carter". The poem was "Love's Ring Of Fire by Bob Johnston, according to Johnny Cash by Stephen Miller. The (London) Independent. August 4, 1999. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  6. ^ Miller, Stephen (March 10, 2003). Johnny Cash: The Life of an American Icon. Omnibus. p. 117. ISBN 9780711996267 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Ring of Fire". RollingStone.com. December 9, 2004. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  8. ^ D'Ambrosio, A. (2009). A Heartbeat and a Guitar: Johnny Cash and the Making of Bitter Tears. New York: Nation Books. p. 153. ISBN 9781568586076.
  9. ^ Johnny Cash interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  10. ^ "Cash family blocks haemorrhoid ad". BBC.com. February 18, 2004. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  11. ^ "Cash Family Draws Line Around 'Ring of Fire'". Fox News. March 25, 2015. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Cash, Vivian; Sharpsteen, Ann (September 4, 2007). I Walked The Line: My Life with Johnny. Scribner. ISBN 978-1-4165-3862-2.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944–2006 (2nd ed.). Record Research. p. 75.
  14. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 111.
  15. ^ a b c d e The Animals chart entries, Tsort.info.
  16. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  17. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Ring of Fire". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  18. ^ "Social Distortion Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  19. ^ "Alan Jackson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "British single certifications – Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  21. ^ "American ringtone certifications – Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  22. ^ Paulson, Dave; Leimkuehler, Matthew (August 19, 2021). "Country Music Hall of Fame 2021 inductees include Ray Charles, The Judds". The Tennessean.
  23. ^ Paula J. Bishop and Jada E. Watson, Whose Country Music? (2022), p. 169.
  24. ^ Alan Jackson USA chart history, Billboard.com. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  25. ^ Vice, Jeff (August 26, 1991). "LOVE WAS ON THE LAM AT RAM SLAM SHOW". Deseret News.
  26. ^ "Swim Herschel Swim – Ring O Fire". YouTube. November 23, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  27. ^ "Spotify". Spotify.
  28. ^ "Why do Liverpool fans sing 'Ring of Fire'? Champions League chant explained | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  29. ^ ""Nightdreams": Filmmaker Rinse Dream's visionary and surreal first foray into the world of X-rated adult films". Nightflight.com.
  30. ^ "Ring of Fire". October 10, 2018.
[edit]
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