Johnny Cash: Hurt

Although Johnny Cash had a body of work already deemed worthy of induction into the any music Hall of Fame, by the 1980s his career was teetering on the edge of relevancy. But the longtime rebel wasn’t going down without a fight. An unlikely creative partnership with a hard rock/rap producer proved Cash’s career with his third and final act, but it almost didn’t happen. Cash was hesitant to sign with Rick Rubin’s label, but Rubin’s persistence to keep the music true to Cash's roots paid off. Cash’s series of American Recordings over his final years — most featuring just the artist and his guitar — lead to Cash delivering the most acclaimed work of his career. It also gave Cash a chance to give his musical epitaph with the astounding cover of Trent Reznor’s “Hurt” and the accompanying music video will continue to fascinate and haunt music lovers for the rest of time.