Who said country songs can’t be sexy? Released on October 9, 2007, George Canyon flaunted his version of the 60s classic “Ring of Fire” by Anita Carter. Johnny Cash may have popularized it, but Canyon had his own way of making the song sound as if it were his own in a masculine manner.
The Canadian singer featured the song on his fifth studio album called Classics — a collection of country song covers he loved. Alongside his cover of “Seven Spanish Angels” by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson, the lead single “Ring of Fire” entered the Billboard Canadian Country charts at No. 26. It also was nominated for Country Music Television Awards’ Video of the Year in 2008.
Upon recording the tracklist, Canyon said, “This is the album I’ve always wanted to make. It was a labor of love to record these songs that influenced me so many years ago. It was important for me to keep the arrangements true to the original in the hope that when people listen to this, it recreates the magic I experienced when hearing these songs on the radio the first time round.”
George Canyon’s Cover of “Ring of Fire”
Canyon’s music video for “Ring of Fire” was indeed a fiery interpretation of love. It opens with flames spreading on the surface of the water, where the singer stands in the middle as it creates a ring-shaped fire. His erotic gaze will only take you a moment or two to fall into his world until you realize what he meant by the title. “Love is a burning thing and it makes a fiery ring; Bound by wild desire, I fell into a ring of fire.” A few seconds in, you can already feel the tension of a powerful love that can turn into an addiction like a sweeping heatwave that devours everything in its path.
For You
Two dancers perform rumba in the music video, the dance of love. The slow Latin dance was an excellent choice to tell a romantic story between two lovebirds. With his acoustic guitar and black cowboy hat, Canyon completes the song in a sultry, low-toned voice. As the song reaches its climax, a fireworks display glows in the night sky to translate the lyrics: “And the flames went higher; and it burns, burns, burns the ring of fire.” This demonstrates that a fire cannot be contained but rather glows larger when love endures.
A fire can either be a good or dangerous force if not controlled. Similarly, love can be a raging fire that can’t be tamed. Canyon understood this and portrayed it in the simplest way possible.
Watch as George Canyon performs a seductive delivery of the classic song “Ring of Fire.”
