Johnny Cash and His Protest Song: “The Man in Black”

Johnny Cash also went by the name “Man in Black”. Despite a decades-long career and a massive amount of platinum and gold albums, he got that tag. Cash reached the peaks of success, topped charts, became a household name and left a lasting legacy for future generations to learn from. Yet, his life was full of pain and strife. From battling with drug and alcohol abuse; to a failing early marriage and a tragic childhood, his life was not all that glamorous. These were the themes that ultimately inspired Cash to create music—music that reflected the poor, exploited and depressed. Furthermore, Cash was “The Man in Black” because of his distinctive style of on-stage costuming.

“Man in Black” or “The Man in Black” is a protest song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. Originally, Columbia released the track on his 1971 album has the same name. The lyrics of the song explain a protest statement against the treatment of poor people by wealthy politicians, mass incarceration, and the Vietnam War.

“Man in Black”, The Show

This was from the February 17, 1971, episode of his show. This was the time the Suits had forced him to start doing “theme” shows. During the intro to his first performance of the song, Johnny Cash revealed he had talked to some of the audience members from Vanderbilt University that weekend. After that, it inspired him to write “Man in Black”. He revised it a few times before his concert on Wednesday. After his performance, the audience gave him a standing ovation. This is from the best of the bunch, Johnny Cash on Campus, which also featured Neil Young and James Taylor. Frankly, this has been one of the coolest introductions ever made by Cash. Eventually, it became his signature song to zero crowd applause.

In his final years, Cash made peace with his personal demons. He and his wife June, with whom he spent many years playing, writing and recording music, lived a music-filled life together.