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{{short description|Song by Johnny Cash}}
{{For|the ''Supernatural'' episode|Folsom Prison Blues (Supernatural)}}
{{Infobox single
| Name = Folsom Prison Blues
| Cover = Folsom_Prison_Blues.jpg
| Artist = [[Johnny Cash]]
| from Album = [[With His Hot and Blue Guitar]]
| B-side = "[[So Doggone Lonesome]]"
| Released = December 15, 1955
| Format = [[Single (music)|7" single]]
| Recorded = July 30, 1955
| Genre = [[Folk Blues]], [[Country]]
| Length = 2:50
| Label = [[Sun Records]]
| Writer = Johnny Cash
| Producer = [[Sam Phillips]]
| Certification =
| Last single = "[[Hey, Porter]]"<br>(1955)
| This single = "'''Folsom Prison Blues'''"<br>(1955)
| Next single = "[[I Walk The Line]]"<br>(1956)
| Misc =
}}
{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| Name = Folsom Prison Blues
| name = Folsom Prison Blues
| cover = File:Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues single (1955) Sun Records.jpg
| Cover =
| alt = 22 bar blues (2/2), 11 bar blues (4/4)
| Border =
| Caption =
| caption =
| Type =
| type = single
| Artist = Johnny Cash
| artist = [[Johnny Cash]]
| album = [[Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!]]
| alt Artist =
| Album = [[With His Hot and Blue Guitar]]
| B-side = [[So Doggone Lonesome]]
| Published =
| released = December 15, 1955
| Released = 1957
| recorded = July 30, 1955
| studio = [[Sun Studio|Sun]] ([[Memphis, Tennessee]])
| track_no = 11
| Recorded = 1956
| venue =
| Genre = [[Country music|Country]]
| genre = <!--Genres are sourced in the prose-->
* [[Country music|Country]]
| Length = 2:53
* [[rockabilly]]
| Writer = [[Johnny Cash]]
* {{nowrap|[[rock and roll]]}}
| Composer =
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=50}}
| Label = [[Sun Records]]
| Producer = [[Sam Phillips]]
| label = [[Sun Records|Sun]]
| Tracks =
| writer = Johnny Cash
| producer = [[Sam Phillips]]
| prev = "Wreck of the Old '97"
| prev_title = [[Hey, Porter]]
| prev_no = 10
| prev_year = 1955
| next = "Doin' My Time"
| next_title = [[I Walk the Line]]
| next_no = 12
| next_year = 1956
| Misc = {{Extra track listing
| Album = [[At Folsom Prison]]
| Type = song
| Length = 2:41
| Label = [[Columbia Records]]
| prev_track =
| prev_no =
| this_track = "'''Folsom Prison Blues'''"
| track_no = 1
| next_track = "Busted"
| next_no = 2
}}
}}
}}
"'''Folsom Prison Blues'''" is an American [[country music]] song by [[Johnny Cash]]. The song combines elements from two popular [[folk music|folk]] genres, the train song and the [[prison]] song, both of which Cash would continue to use for the rest of his career. It has become one of Cash's signature songs.


"'''Folsom Prison Blues'''" is a song by American singer-songwriter [[Johnny Cash]], based on material composed by [[Gordon Jenkins]]. Written in 1953,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.folsomcasharttrail.com/blog/articles/postid/10/the-real-story-behind-johnny-cash-folsom-prison-blues |title=The Real Story Behind Johnny Cash & Folsom Prison Blues |publisher=folsomcasharttrail.com |access-date=2017-06-15}}</ref> it was first recorded and released as a single in 1955, and later included on his debut studio album ''[[Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!]]'' (1957), as the album's eleventh track. The song combines elements from two popular [[folk music|folk]] styles, the [[List of train songs|train song]] and the [[prison]] song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. It was one of Cash's [[signature song]]s. Additionally, this recording was included on the compilation album ''[[All Aboard the Blue Train]]'' (1962). In June 2014, ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' ranked it No. 51 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time.<ref name="RS">{{cite magazine | title=100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/100-greatest-country-songs-of-all-time-20140601/51-johnny-cash-folsom-prison-blues-1955-0048121 | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=June 2014 | access-date=January 15, 2018 | archive-date=November 22, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171122020339/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/100-greatest-country-songs-of-all-time-20140601/51-johnny-cash-folsom-prison-blues-1955-0048121 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
In the lyrics, the jailed [[protagonist]] listens to the whistle of a train outside his cell and recounts his crimes ("I shot a man in [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]/just to watch him die"), imagines the free people inside the train ("They're probably drinking coffee and smoking big cigars") and dreams of what he would do if he were free. "I know I had it coming/I know I can't be free," sings the imprisoned man. "But those people keep a'moving/and that's what tortures me."


Cash performed the song live to a crowd of inmates at [[Folsom State Prison]] in 1968 for his live album ''[[At Folsom Prison]]'' (1968), released through [[Columbia Records]]. This version became a No. 1 hit on the country music charts and reached No. 32 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in the same year. This version also won the [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Country Vocal Performance, Male]], at the [[11th Annual Grammy Awards]] in 1969.
== History ==


==Original 1955 recording==
Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie ''[[Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison]]'' (1951) while serving in [[West Germany]] in the [[United States Air Force]]. Cash recounted how he came up with the "Reno" line: "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind."<ref>[http://anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=19944 Anecdotage.Com - Thousands of true funny stories about famous people. Anecdotes from Gates to Yeats<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie ''[[Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison]]'' (1951) while serving in [[West Germany]] in the [[United States Air Force]] at [[Landsberg am Lech|Landsberg, Bavaria]] (itself the location of a [[Landsberg prison|famous prison]]).<ref>Streissguth 2004, pp. [https://archive.org/details/johnnycashatfols0000stre/page/16/mode/2up 17], [https://archive.org/details/johnnycashatfols0000stre/page/18/mode/2up?q=%22crucial+particles+of+cash%27s%22 19].</ref> Cash recounted how he came up with the line "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die": "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=19944|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524100207/http://anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=19944|url-status=dead|title=Anedotage.com|archive-date=24 May 2011|access-date=29 April 2021}}</ref>
{{See|List of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputes}}
Another source for the song was [[Gordon Jenkins]]'s 1953 ''Seven Dreams'' [[concept album]], specifically the song "Crescent City Blues".<ref>[http://articles.latimes.com/2006/aug/22/entertainment/et-backtracking22 Los Angeles Times]: Roots of Cash's hit tunes, Robert Hilburn, 22 August 2006</ref> Cash used the same melody, and borrowed many of the lyrics. Jenkins was not credited on the original record, which was issued by [[Sun Records]].
Cash took the melody for the song and many of the lyrics from [[Gordon Jenkins]]'s 1953 ''Seven Dreams'' [[concept album]], specifically the song "[[Crescent City Blues]]".<ref>{{cite web|author=Robert Hilburn |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-aug-22-et-backtracking22-story.html |title=Roots of Cash's hit tunes - latimes |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=2010-02-21 |access-date=2015-08-25}}</ref> Jenkins was not credited on the original record, which was issued by [[Sun Records]]. In the early 1970s, after the song became popular, Cash paid Jenkins a settlement of approximately US$75,000 following a lawsuit.<ref>Streissguth 2004, p. 19–21.</ref><ref>Julie Chadwick, ''The Man Who Carried Cash: Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash, and the Making of an American Icon'', Dundurn Press. Excerpt [https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/07/07/saul-holiff-johnny-cash-and-making-american-icon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213001237/https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/07/07/saul-holiff-johnny-cash-and-making-american-icon |date=2023-02-13 }}</ref>


"Folsom Prison Blues" was recorded at the [[Sun Studio]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], on July 30, 1955. The producer was [[Sam Phillips]], and the musicians were Cash (vocals, guitar), [[Luther Perkins]] (guitar), and [[Marshall Grant]] (bass).<ref name=prague>[http://countrydiscoghraphy2.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/johnny-cash-part-1a.html PragueFrank's Country Music Discography: Johnny Cash, Part 1A]. Retrieved 25 August 2015</ref> Like other songs recorded during his early Sun Records sessions, Cash had no drummer in the studio, but replicated the [[snare drum]] sound by inserting a piece of paper (like a dollar bill) under the guitar strings and strumming the snare rhythm on his guitar. The song's sound has been described as [[Country music|country]],<ref name="RS"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Charles |date=February 24, 2020 |title=Folsom Prison Blues — Johnny Cash's chilling ballad became a country classic |url=https://ig.ft.com/life-of-a-song/folsom-prison-blues.html |access-date=February 27, 2021 |website=[[Financial Times]]}}</ref><ref name="TPR">{{cite web|url=https://www.tpr.org/post/johnny-cash-and-story-behind-folsom-prison-blues|title=Johnny Cash And The Story Behind 'Folsom Prison Blues'|author=Davies, David Martin|publisher=Texas Public Radio|date=October 13, 2017|access-date=July 16, 2019}}</ref> [[rockabilly]],<ref name="TPR"/><ref name="RockHall">{{Cite web |title=Johnny Cash Biography &#124; The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum |url=http://rockhall.com/inductees/johnny-cash/bio/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325093414/https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/johnny-cash/bio/ |archive-date=March 25, 2010 |access-date=February 27, 2021 |publisher=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]}}</ref><ref name="Country Daily"/> and [[rock and roll]].<ref name="Country Daily">{{cite web|url=https://www.countrythangdaily.com/johnny-cash-folsom-prison/|title="Folsom Prison Blues": 5 Things About This Johnny Cash Hit|author=Lambert, James|date=2 July 2018|publisher=Country Daily|access-date=July 16, 2019|archive-date=16 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716093907/https://www.countrythangdaily.com/johnny-cash-folsom-prison/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Sierra">{{cite web |url=http://sierracompanies.com/prison-tracks-folsom-prison-blues/ |title=Prison Tracks: "Folsom Prison Blues" - Sierra Detention Systems |publisher=Sierracompanies.com |date=1968-01-13 |access-date=2015-08-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108014544/http://sierracompanies.com/prison-tracks-folsom-prison-blues/ |archive-date=2016-01-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The song was released as a single with another song recorded at the same session, "[[So Doggone Lonesome]]". Early in 1956, both sides reached No. 4 on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' C&W Best Sellers chart.<ref name=whitburn>Joel Whitburn, ''Top Country Singles 1944-1993'', Record Research Inc., 1994, p.62</ref>
Cash included the song, considered one of his [[Signature song|signature songs]], in his repertoire for decades. Cash performed the song at [[Folsom Prison]] itself on January 13, 1968 and this version was eventually released on the ''[[At Folsom Prison]]'' album the same year. That opening song is more up-tempo than the Sun studio recording. The recording's most notable feature &mdash; the whoops from the audience at the "Reno" line &mdash; were added in post-production, according to Michael Streissguth. A special on the ''[[Walk the Line]]'' [[DVD]] indicates that the prisoners were careful not to cheer at any of Cash's comments about the prison itself, fearing reprisal from guards.


When photographer [[Jim Marshall (photographer)|Jim Marshall]] asked Cash why the song's main character was serving time in California's Folsom Prison after shooting a man in [[Reno, Nevada]], he responded, "That's called [[Artistic license|poetic license]]."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schleuter |first1=Roger |title=Johnny Cash song leaves some with a burning question |url=https://www.bnd.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/answer-man/article192273719.html |access-date=2018-12-04 |work=[[Belleville News-Democrat]] |date=2017-12-30}}</ref>
==Legacy==

===Cover versions===
In 2001, the 1955 original version of "Folsom Prison Blues" on Sun Records by [[Johnny Cash]] was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They list the song date as 1956.<ref>https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#f {{bare URL inline|date=February 2024}}</ref>
*[[Charley Pride]] covered the song on ''[[Country Charley Pride]]'' (RCA, 1966) before it hit number one on the charts.

*[[Bob Dylan]] has recorded or performed the song on ''[[The Basement Tapes]]'' in 1967, during the ''[[Nashville Skyline]]'' sessions in May 1969, and during the [[Never Ending Tour]], but it has never been released commercially.
==Live 1968 recording==
*[[Merle Haggard]] recorded the song on his 1968 Album ''[[Mama Tried (album)|Mama Tried]]''.
{{Infobox song
*[[The International Submarine Band]] recorded the song on the EP ''[[Safe at Home]]'', in 1968.
| name = Folsom Prison Blues (Live)
*[[Waylon Jennings]] covered the song on ''[[Jewels]]'' in 1968; the same recording appeared on ''[[Heartaches By The Number]]'' in 1972; and a new version on the album ''[[Black on Black]]'' in 1982.
| cover = Johnny_Cash_Folsom_Prison_Blues_single_sleeve.png
*[[Slim Harpo]] recorded the song for Excello Records in 1969.
| alt =
*[[Kentucky]] based [[cowpunk]] band [[Nine Pound Hammer]] covered this song on their second album, ''[[Smokin' Taters!]]''.
| caption =
*The song was covered by [[The Screaming Jets]] on their 1992 EP ''[[Living in England (EP)|Living in England]]''.
| type = single
*[[Brooks & Dunn]] covered the song on the 1994 album ''[[Red Hot + Country]]'', released by the [[Red Hot Organization]].
| artist = [[Johnny Cash]]
*The [[Reverend Horton Heat]] covered the song on the 1999 greatest hits album, ''Holy Roller''.
| album = [[At Folsom Prison]]
*[[Keb' Mo']] covered it on the 2002 tribute album ''[[Kindred Spirits: A Tribute to the Songs of Johnny Cash]]''. He changed the Reno line to "They say I shot a man down in Reno, but that was just a lie."
| B-side = [[The Folk Singer]]
*[[Blackie and the Rodeo Kings]] covered the song in the 2003 tribute album ''[[Johnny's Blues: A Tribute To Johnny Cash]]'' ([[Northern Blues Music|Northern Blues]])
| released = April 30, 1968
*The New York-based [[indie rock]] band [[Firewater (band)|Firewater]] covered the song on their 2004 album, ''[[Songs We Should Have Written]]''.
| recorded = January 13, 1968
*[[Celtic rock]] band [[Blaggards]] blended the song with [[Pete St. John]]'s "[[Fields of Athenry]]" to create a medley called "Prison Love Songs".
| venue = [[Folsom State Prison]] ([[Folsom, California]])
*[[Canada|Canadian]] country music singer [[George Canyon]] covered the song on his 2007 album ''[[Classics (George Canyon album)|Classics]]''.
| genre =
*[[Black Stone Cherry]] often play this song live, and is featured on their album ''[[Live at the Astoria, London (31.10.07)|Live At The Astoria]]''.
* [[Country music|Country]]
*[[Volbeat (band)|Volbeat]] used the music as a tribute to Cash in the song "Sad Man's Tongue" in 2007.
* [[rockabilly]]
*[[Everlast (musician)|Everlast]] covered the song on his 2008 album ''[[Love, War and the Ghost of Whitey Ford]]''.
* {{nowrap|[[rock and roll]]}}
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=42}}
| label = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
| writer = Johnny Cash
| producer = [[Bob Johnston]]
| prev_title = [[Rosanna's Going Wild]]
| prev_year = 1967
| next_title = [[Daddy Sang Bass]]
| next_year = 1968
}}
{{listen|filename=Johnny Cash - Fulsom Prison Blues (Live).ogg|pos=left|title="Folsom Prison Blues" excerpt|description=From the album ''At Folsom Prison''. The most popular live version of the song.}}
Cash opened almost all of his concerts with "Folsom Prison Blues," after greeting the audience with his trademark introduction, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," for decades. Cash performed the song at [[Folsom Prison]] itself on January 13, 1968, which was recorded and later released as a [[live album]] titled ''[[At Folsom Prison]]''. That opening version of the song is more up-tempo than the original Sun recording. According to Michael Streissguth, the cheering from the audience following the line "But I shot a man in Reno / just to watch him die" was added in post-production. According to a special feature on the DVD release of the 2005 biopic ''[[Walk the Line]]'', the prisoners avoided cheering at any of Cash's comments about the prison itself, fearing reprisal from guards. The performance again featured Cash, Perkins and Grant, as on the original recording, together with [[W.S. Holland]] (drums).<ref name=prague/>

Released as a single, the live version reached number 1 on the country singles chart, and number 32 on the Hot 100, in 1968.<ref name=whitburn/> [[Pitchfork Media]] placed this live version at number 8 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/6405-the-200-greatest-songs-of-the-1960s/2/ |title=Staff Lists: The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s &#124; Features |publisher=Pitchfork |date=2006-08-18 |access-date=2015-08-25}}</ref> The live performance of the song won Cash the [[Grammy Award]] for [[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Country Vocal Performance, Male]], the first of four he won in his career, at the [[1969 Grammy Awards]].


==Chart performance==
==Chart performance==
'''Original version'''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!align="left"|Chart (1956)
!align="left"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|4|artist=Johnny Cash}}
|-
|US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Best Sellers in Stores<ref name="auto">{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |author-link=Joel Whitburn |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=74}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Most Played in Juke Boxes<ref name="auto"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|5
|-
|US ''Billboard'' Most Played by Jockeys<ref name="auto"/>
| style="text-align:center;"|4
|-
|}

'''Live version'''
{|class="wikitable sortable"
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1968)
!Chart (1968)
!Peak<br />position
!Peak<br />position
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles
|align="center"|1
|-
|U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100
|align="center"|32
|-
|-
|Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks
|Canadian ''RPM'' Country Tracks
|align="center"|1
| style="text-align:center;"|1
|-
|-
|Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles
|Canadian ''RPM'' Top Singles
|align="center"|17
| style="text-align:center;"|17
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|1|artist=Johnny Cash}}
|-
{{singlechart|Billboardhot100|32|artist=Johnny Cash}}
|-
|US ''Billboard'' [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|Adult Contemporary]]<ref>{{cite book|first= Joel |last= Whitburn |author-link= Joel Whitburn |year= 1993 |title= Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 |publisher= Record Research |page=44}}</ref>
|align="center"|39
|}
|}


==Certifications==
{{s-start}}
{{certification Table Top}}
{{s-bef | rows=2 | before= "[[D-I-V-O-R-C-E]]"<BR>by [[Tammy Wynette]]}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=single|region=United Kingdom|artist=Johnny Cash|title=Folsom Prison Blues|award=Gold|certyear=2023|relyear=2007|access-date=December 1, 2023|id=9885-1888-1}}
{{s-ttl | title= ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Hot Country Songs|Hot Country Singles]]<br />number-one single
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}
| years=July 20-August 10, 1968}}
{{s-aft | after= "[[Heaven Says Hello]]"<BR>by [[Sonny James]]}}
{{s-ttl | title=''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Country Tracks<br />number-one single
| years=July 20-August 3, 1968}}
{{s-aft | after= "[[What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)]]"<br />by [[Jerry Lee Lewis]]}}
{{succession box
| before = "[[All the Time]]"<br>by [[Jack Greene]]
| title = [[Hot Country Songs|Billboard Hot Country Singles]]<br>number-one single of the year
| years = [[1968 in country music|1968]]
| after = "[[My Life (Throw it Away If I Want To)]]"<br>by [[Bill Anderson (country music)|Bill Anderson]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{listen|filename=Johnny Cash - Fulsom Prison Blues (Live).ogg|title="Folsom Prison Blues" excerpt|description=From the album ''At Folsom Prison''. The most popular live version of the song.}}


==In popular culture==
==References==
* [[Cold Case]] used the song in Season 2, Episode 4, as part of the case.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Music from Cold Case S2E04 |url=https://www.tunefind.com/show/cold-case/season-2/122 |access-date=2022-10-23 |website=Tunefind}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title="Cold Case" The House (TV Episode 2004) - Soundtracks - IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0543955/soundtrack/ |access-date=2022-10-23}}</ref>
*Streissguth, Michael. ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece'', Da Capo Press (2004). ISBN 0-306-81338-6.
* [[James Gunn]] used the song in his film ''[[The Suicide Squad (film)|The Suicide Squad]]'' (2021), during its opening sequence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/08/02/the-suicide-squad-soundtrack-songs-music-score-track-list/|title=The Suicide Squad soundtrack: Every song in the DC movie explored|first=Paul|last=Fogarty|date=2 August 2021|website=HITC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/the-suicide-squad-all-the-classic-songs-and-awful-murders-ranked/|title=The Suicide Squad: All the classic songs and awful murders, ranked|first=Richard|last=Trenholm|website=CNET}}</ref>
*The video game ''[[Mafia 3]]'' features the 1968 live version of the song.<ref> {{cite web |url=https://www.pcinvasion.com/mafia-3-licensed-soundtrack/ |title=Mafia 3 licensed soundtrack revealed with some real 60s classics
|last=Younger |first=Paul |date=22 August 2016 |website=PC Invasion |publisher= |access-date=5 September 2024 |quote=}}</ref>
*Johnny Cash and the song are referenced in George Jones' 1985 single "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" with the line "A Man In Black" and "Folsom Prison Blues"


==Footnotes==
==See also==
*[[List of train songs]]
{{reflist}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* Streissguth, Michael. ''Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece'', Da Capo Press (2004). {{ISBN|0-306-81338-6}}.


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://genius.com/Johnny-cash-folsom-prison-blues-lyrics Lyrics of this song] at [[Genius (website)|Genius]]
* [http://www.rockabilly.nl/lyrics1/f0006.htm lyrics to Folsom Prison Blues]

* [http://www.famousplagiarists.com/entertainment.htm#cash Site with article about the song and Jenkin's subsequent lawsuit. ]
{{Johnny Cash|song}}
{{Johnny Cash|song}}
{{Folsom, California}}


{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Folsom Prison Blues}}
[[Category:1955 singles]]
[[Category:1968 singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Johnny Cash]]
[[Category:Johnny Cash songs]]
[[Category:Johnny Cash songs]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year]]
[[Category:Billboard Hot Country Songs number-one singles of the year]]
[[Category:RPM Country Tracks number-one singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Sam Phillips]]
[[Category:Songs about California]]
[[Category:Songs about California]]
[[Category:Songs written by Johnny Cash]]
[[Category:Songs about trains]]
[[Category:Songs about prison]]

[[Category:Songs involved in plagiarism controversies]]
[[de:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:Works subject to a lawsuit]]
[[fr:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:Sun Records singles]]
[[it:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:Columbia Records singles]]
[[no:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:1955 songs]]
[[pl:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:American rock-and-roll songs]]
[[sv:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:Rockabilly songs]]
[[uk:Folsom Prison Blues]]
[[Category:Folsom State Prison]]

Latest revision as of 06:09, 10 December 2024

"Folsom Prison Blues"
22 bar blues (2/2), 11 bar blues (4/4)
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar!
B-side"So Doggone Lonesome"
ReleasedDecember 15, 1955
RecordedJuly 30, 1955
StudioSun (Memphis, Tennessee)
Genre
Length2:50
LabelSun
Songwriter(s)Johnny Cash
Producer(s)Sam Phillips
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Hey, Porter"
(1955) 		"Folsom Prison Blues"
(1955) 		"I Walk the Line"
(1956)

"Folsom Prison Blues" is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, based on material composed by Gordon Jenkins. Written in 1953,[1] it was first recorded and released as a single in 1955, and later included on his debut studio album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957), as the album's eleventh track. The song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. It was one of Cash's signature songs. Additionally, this recording was included on the compilation album All Aboard the Blue Train (1962). In June 2014, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 51 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time.[2]

Cash performed the song live to a crowd of inmates at Folsom State Prison in 1968 for his live album At Folsom Prison (1968), released through Columbia Records. This version became a No. 1 hit on the country music charts and reached No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same year. This version also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969.

Original 1955 recording

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Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force at Landsberg, Bavaria (itself the location of a famous prison).[3] Cash recounted how he came up with the line "But I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die": "I sat with my pen in my hand, trying to think up the worst reason a person could have for killing another person, and that's what came to mind."[4]

Further information: List of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputes

Cash took the melody for the song and many of the lyrics from Gordon Jenkins's 1953 Seven Dreams concept album, specifically the song "Crescent City Blues".[5] Jenkins was not credited on the original record, which was issued by Sun Records. In the early 1970s, after the song became popular, Cash paid Jenkins a settlement of approximately US$75,000 following a lawsuit.[6][7]

"Folsom Prison Blues" was recorded at the Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, on July 30, 1955. The producer was Sam Phillips, and the musicians were Cash (vocals, guitar), Luther Perkins (guitar), and Marshall Grant (bass).[8] Like other songs recorded during his early Sun Records sessions, Cash had no drummer in the studio, but replicated the snare drum sound by inserting a piece of paper (like a dollar bill) under the guitar strings and strumming the snare rhythm on his guitar. The song's sound has been described as country,[2][9][10] rockabilly,[10][11][12] and rock and roll.[12][13] The song was released as a single with another song recorded at the same session, "So Doggone Lonesome". Early in 1956, both sides reached No. 4 on the Billboard C&W Best Sellers chart.[14]

When photographer Jim Marshall asked Cash why the song's main character was serving time in California's Folsom Prison after shooting a man in Reno, Nevada, he responded, "That's called poetic license."[15]

In 2001, the 1955 original version of "Folsom Prison Blues" on Sun Records by Johnny Cash was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They list the song date as 1956.[16]

Live 1968 recording

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"Folsom Prison Blues (Live)"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album At Folsom Prison
B-side"The Folk Singer"
ReleasedApril 30, 1968
RecordedJanuary 13, 1968
VenueFolsom State Prison (Folsom, California)
Genre
Length2:42
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Johnny Cash
Producer(s)Bob Johnston
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Rosanna's Going Wild"
(1967) 		"Folsom Prison Blues (Live)"
(1968) 		"Daddy Sang Bass"
(1968)
"Folsom Prison Blues" excerpt
From the album At Folsom Prison. The most popular live version of the song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Cash opened almost all of his concerts with "Folsom Prison Blues," after greeting the audience with his trademark introduction, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash," for decades. Cash performed the song at Folsom Prison itself on January 13, 1968, which was recorded and later released as a live album titled At Folsom Prison. That opening version of the song is more up-tempo than the original Sun recording. According to Michael Streissguth, the cheering from the audience following the line "But I shot a man in Reno / just to watch him die" was added in post-production. According to a special feature on the DVD release of the 2005 biopic Walk the Line, the prisoners avoided cheering at any of Cash's comments about the prison itself, fearing reprisal from guards. The performance again featured Cash, Perkins and Grant, as on the original recording, together with W.S. Holland (drums).[8]

Released as a single, the live version reached number 1 on the country singles chart, and number 32 on the Hot 100, in 1968.[14] Pitchfork Media placed this live version at number 8 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s."[17] The live performance of the song won Cash the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, the first of four he won in his career, at the 1969 Grammy Awards.

Chart performance

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Original version

Chart (1956) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 4
US Billboard Best Sellers in Stores[19] 5
US Billboard Most Played in Juke Boxes[19] 5
US Billboard Most Played by Jockeys[19] 4

Live version

Chart (1968) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Top Singles 17
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 32
US Billboard Adult Contemporary[21] 39

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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  • Cold Case used the song in Season 2, Episode 4, as part of the case.[23][24]
  • James Gunn used the song in his film The Suicide Squad (2021), during its opening sequence.[25][26]
  • The video game Mafia 3 features the 1968 live version of the song.[27]
  • Johnny Cash and the song are referenced in George Jones' 1985 single "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" with the line "A Man In Black" and "Folsom Prison Blues"

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "The Real Story Behind Johnny Cash & Folsom Prison Blues". folsomcasharttrail.com. Retrieved 2017-06-15.
  2. ^ a b "100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 2014. Archived from the original on November 22, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  3. ^ Streissguth 2004, pp. 17, 19.
  4. ^ "Anedotage.com". Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  5. ^ Robert Hilburn (2010-02-21). "Roots of Cash's hit tunes - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  6. ^ Streissguth 2004, p. 19–21.
  7. ^ Julie Chadwick, The Man Who Carried Cash: Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash, and the Making of an American Icon, Dundurn Press. Excerpt [1] Archived 2023-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ a b PragueFrank's Country Music Discography: Johnny Cash, Part 1A. Retrieved 25 August 2015
  9. ^ Morris, Charles (February 24, 2020). "Folsom Prison Blues — Johnny Cash's chilling ballad became a country classic". Financial Times. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Davies, David Martin (October 13, 2017). "Johnny Cash And The Story Behind 'Folsom Prison Blues'". Texas Public Radio. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  11. ^ "Johnny Cash Biography | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Lambert, James (2 July 2018). ""Folsom Prison Blues": 5 Things About This Johnny Cash Hit". Country Daily. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  13. ^ "Prison Tracks: "Folsom Prison Blues" - Sierra Detention Systems". Sierracompanies.com. 1968-01-13. Archived from the original on 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  14. ^ a b Joel Whitburn, Top Country Singles 1944-1993, Record Research Inc., 1994, p.62
  15. ^ Schleuter, Roger (2017-12-30). "Johnny Cash song leaves some with a burning question". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  16. ^ https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#f [bare URL]
  17. ^ "Staff Lists: The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s | Features". Pitchfork. 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
  18. ^ a b "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  19. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 74.
  20. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 44.
  22. ^ "British single certifications – Johnny Cash – Folsom Prison Blues". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  23. ^ "Music from Cold Case S2E04". Tunefind. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
  24. ^ "Cold Case" The House (TV Episode 2004) - Soundtracks - IMDb, retrieved 2022-10-23
  25. ^ Fogarty, Paul (2 August 2021). "The Suicide Squad soundtrack: Every song in the DC movie explored". HITC.
  26. ^ Trenholm, Richard. "The Suicide Squad: All the classic songs and awful murders, ranked". CNET.
  27. ^ Younger, Paul (22 August 2016). "Mafia 3 licensed soundtrack revealed with some real 60s classics". PC Invasion. Retrieved 5 September 2024.

References

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  • Streissguth, Michael. Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece, Da Capo Press (2004). ISBN 0-306-81338-6.
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