Songs of Our Soil
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
| Songs of Our Soil | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 6, 1959 | |||
| Recorded | July 24, 1958 - March 13, 1959 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | Original: 25:40 Re-issue: 29:34 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Johnny Cash chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Songs of Our Soil is the fourth studio album by American singer Johnny Cash. It was originally released on July 6, 1959, and later re-issued on August 27, 2002 with two additional bonus tracks.
The major theme throughout this album is death. Death concludes "The Man on the Hill", "Hank and Joe and Me", "Clementine" and "My Grandfather's Clock." "Don't Step on Mother's Roses" is about a family losing their parents to death; first Mother, then Daddy. "The Great Speckled Bird" is a spiritual about the Second Coming of Jesus. "The Caretaker" is the story of a cemetery caretaker wondering who will mourn for him when his time comes. Even "Five Feet High and Rising" ("the hives are gone; I lost my bees") and "Old Apache Squaw" ("...the next white man that sees my face is gonna be a dead white man") mention death in some way. "I Want to Go Home" is a retitled version of the nautical standard "The John B. Sails".
By his own admission, Cash was becoming fascinated by death during this time, in part due to his growing amphetamine and barbiturate dependence, and also due to the premature death of his brother.[2]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Drink to Me" | Johnny Cash | July 24, 1958 | 1:54 |
| 2. | "Five Feet High and Rising" | Cash | March 12, 1959 | 1:46 |
| 3. | "The Man on the Hill" | Cash | March 12, 1959 | 2:09 |
| 4. | "Hank and Joe and Me" | Cash | March 12, 1959 | 2:13 |
| 5. | "Clementine" | Billy Mize, Buddy Mize | March 12, 1959 | 2:30 |
| 6. | "The Great Speckled Bird" | Traditional | March 13, 1959 | 2:09 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "I Want to Go Home" | Traditional | March 13, 1959 | 1:58 |
| 8. | "The Caretaker" | Cash | March 13, 1959 | 2:06 |
| 9. | "Old Apache Squaw" | Cash | March 13, 1959 | 1:46 |
| 10. | "Don't Step On Mother's Roses" | Cash | March 13, 1959 | 2:34 |
| 11. | "My Grandfather's Clock" | Henry Clay Work | March 13, 1959 | 2:45 |
| 12. | "It Could Be You (Instead of Him)" | Vic McAlpin | January 23, 1959 | 1:50 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "I Got Stripes" | Cash, Charlie Williams | March 12, 1959 | 2:05 |
| 14. | "You Dreamer You" | Cash | March 12, 1959 | 1:49 |
| Total length: | 29:34 | |||
Personnel[edit]
- Johnny Cash - vocals, rhythm guitar
- Luther Perkins - lead guitar
- Marshall Grant - bass
- Marvin Hughes - piano
- Buddy Harman - drums
- The Jordanaires - backing vocals
Additional personnel
- Don Law - Original Recording Producer
- Al Quaglieri - Reissue Producer
- Seth Foster - Engineer
- Mark Wilder - Mastering, Mixing
- Billy Altman - Liner Notes
- Don Hunstein - Photography
- Steven Berkowitz - A&R
- Howard Fritzson - Art Direction
- Randall Martin - Design
- John Christiana - Packaging Manager
Charts[edit]
Singles - Billboard (United States)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | "Five Feet High and Rising" | Country Singles | 14 |
| 1959 | "Five Feet High and Rising" | Pop Singles | 76 |
References[edit]
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ MAN IN BLACK by Johnny Cash, published in 1975
