Papa Was a Good Man
| "Papa Was a Good Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Cash | ||||
| from the album A Thing Called Love | ||||
| A-side | "Papa Was a Good Man" "I Promise You" | |||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Genre | country | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Hal Bynum | |||
| Producer | Larry Butler | |||
| Johnny Cash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Papa Was a Good Man" on YouTube | ||||
"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum.
Released in September 1971 as a single (Columbia 4-45460, with "I Promise You" on the opposite side) by Johnny Cash, the song reached #16 on U.S. Billboard's country chart and #104 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100.
Both "I Promise You" (which is "a promise of devotion to June") and "Papa Was a Good Man" are part of Johnny Cash's 1972 album A Thing Called Love.
Analysis
"Papa" is told from the perspective of a son whose father is struggling with alcoholism. It was the lowest charting of the three releases from the album, peaking at #16 Country and #104 Pop. It featured additional vocals from the choir of the Evangel Temple, the Nashville church Cash was now attending, pushing the song close to the point of overproduction.
— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard) | 104 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) | 18 |
References
- 1 2 3 "Johnny Cash - Papa Was A Good Man / I Promise You". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- 1 2 3 4 C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat. pp. 206–207. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
- ↑ Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
September
"Papa Was A Good Man"/"I Promise You" (Columbia 4-45460) released. - ↑ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
- ↑ Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975. Krause Publications. 2000. ISBN 978-0-87341-934-5.
Tim Neely (1 August 2002). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-471-7.
Tim Neely (31 August 2006). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 9780896893078. - 1 2 3 Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
"Papa Was A Good Man Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-23. - ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
- ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
External links
- "Papa Was A Good Man" on the Johnny Cash official website
