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American V: A Hundred Highways

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American V: A Hundred Highways
Studio album by
Johnny Cash
ReleasedJuly 4, 2006 (2006-07-04)
RecordedMay–August 2003
StudioCash Cabin Studio (Hendersonville, Tennessee)
Akadamie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research (Los Angeles, California) Sound City (Van Nuys)
Genre
Length42:45
LabelAmerican
ProducerRick Rubin
Johnny Cash chronology
Personal File
(2006) 		American V: A Hundred Highways
(2006) 		The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II
(2006)
American series chronology
Unearthed
(2003) 		American V: A Hundred Highways
(2006) 		American VI: Ain't No Grave
(2010)
Singles from American V: A Hundred Highways
  1. "God's Gonna Cut You Down"
    Released: July 3, 2006
  2. "Help Me"
    Released: November 1, 2006
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic82/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
NME9/10[2]
Pitchfork Media7.8/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Slant Magazine[6]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[7]
The Guardian[8]

American V: A Hundred Highways is a posthumously released studio album by Johnny Cash. It was released on July 4, 2006, by American Recordings. As the title implies, it is the fifth entry in Cash's American series. Like its predecessors, the album is produced by Rick Rubin. It was Cash's first No. 1 album in 37 years.[9] It was certified Gold on August 18, 2006, by the RIAA.

Background

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As with the other albums in the American series, the album includes covers and originals. The originals on this album are "I Came to Believe" and "Like the 309", the latter of which was the last song Cash wrote before his death in 2003.[10] Recorded on August 21, 2003, "Like the 309" was the next-to-last song Cash ever recorded; the last being "Engine One-Forty-Three" which was produced by John Carter Cash and released on the 2004 compilation album The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage of the Carter Family.[11] The album takes its name from a lyric on the track "Love's Been Good to Me" by Rod McKuen.

Previous recordings

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Three songs on the album are updated versions of songs previously recorded by Cash.

  • "Help Me" was previously recorded by Cash for his 1973 album "The Gospel Road".
  • "I Came to Believe" was previously recorded by Cash in the 1980s during the recording sessions that would ultimately result in the posthumous 2014 release Out Among the Stars.
  • "I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now" was previously recorded by Cash for his 1962 album The Sound of Johnny Cash.

Chart performance

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American V: A Hundred Highways peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 with 88,000 copies sold in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was Cash's first No. 1 album since 1969's Johnny Cash at San Quentin.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Help Me"Larry Gatlin2:51
2."God's Gonna Cut You Down"Traditional2:38
3."Like the 309"Johnny Cash4:35
4."If You Could Read My Mind"Gordon Lightfoot4:30
5."Further on Up the Road"Bruce Springsteen3:25
6."On the Evening Train"Hank Williams4:17
7."I Came to Believe"Johnny Cash3:44
8."Love's Been Good to Me"Rod McKuen3:18
9."A Legend in My Time"Don Gibson2:37
10."Rose of My Heart"Hugh Moffatt3:18
11."Four Strong Winds"Ian Tyson4:34
12."I'm Free from the Chain Gang Now"Lou Herscher, Saul Klein3:00
Total length:42:45

Personnel

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Cash engineer David "Fergie" Ferguson (assisted by Jimmy Tittle) and Rubin oversaw the completion of the recordings. Other musicians on the album include keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarists Mike Campbell, Smoky Hormel, Matt Sweeney and Jonny Polonsky.

Production and technical staff
  • Martyn Atkins – photography
  • Christine Cano – art direction, design
  • John Carter Cash – executive producer
  • Lindsay Chase – production coordination
  • Greg Fidelman – mixing
  • Paul Figueroa – mixing assistant
  • Dan Leffler – mixing assistant
  • Vlado Meller – mastering
  • Rick Rubin – producer, liner notes
  • Mark Santangelo – mastering assistant
  • Jimmy Tittle – assistant engineer

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[38] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[39] Gold 20,000^
Germany (BVMI)[40] Gold 100,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[41] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "American V: A Hundred Highways - Johnny Cash |..." AllMusic.
  2. ^ a b "American V: A Hundred Highways by Johnny Cash". Metacritic.com.
  3. ^ Ruhlmann, William. "American V: A Hundred Highways – Johnny Cash". AllMusic. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  4. ^ "Record reviews : Johnny Cash : American V: A Hundred Highways [Lost Highway/American; 2006]". Archived from the original on August 8, 2006.
  5. ^ "American V: A Hundred Highways". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 6, 2006.
  6. ^ Jones, Preston (June 22, 2006). "Review: Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways". Slantmagazine.com.
  7. ^ "American V: A Hundred Highways : Johnny Cash : Reviewed by Gilbert Cruz". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 31, 2006.
  8. ^ "CD: Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways". The Guardian. June 17, 2006. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022.
  9. ^ Thomson, G. (2011). The Resurrection of Johnny Cash: Hurt, Redemption, and American Recording Jawbone Press, p. 233.
  10. ^ Cruz, Gilbert (June 27, 2006). "EW review: Johnny Cash's brilliant finale". Entertainment Weekly – via CNN.
  11. ^ Hilburn, Robert (2013). Johnny Cash: The Life. New York City: Little, Brown & Co. p. 624. ISBN 978-0316194747.
  12. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  19. ^ "Johnny Cash: American V: A Hundred Highways" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  20. ^ "Lescharts.com – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Johnny Cash". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  26. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  27. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Johnny Cash – American V: A Hundred Highways". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  30. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  31. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  32. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  34. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2006" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  35. ^ "2006 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  36. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  37. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  38. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Johnny Cash – A hundred highways". Music Canada. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  39. ^ "Guld og platin" (in Danish). IFPI Danmark. Archived from the original on January 17, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  40. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Johnny Cash; 'A hundred highways')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  41. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  42. ^ "British album certifications – Johnny Cash – A hundred highways". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  43. ^ "American album certifications – Johnny Cash – A hundred highways". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
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