During his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Nick Cave talked about recording with Johnny Cash.
In 2000, Cash covered Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 1988 song ‘The Mercy Seat’ for his album ‘American III: Solitary Man,’ two years before they recorded the Hank Williams duet.
“When I got there quite early at the studio and when he arrived – this was close to when he actually died – and he was not well at all,” Cave explained. “When I saw him, he was a sort of terrifying apparition of a man so different to the man I thought him to be.”
Cave revealed that Cash prayed to God to sing with him: “He sat down with me and he said, ‘Look, you know, I’ve had the flu, I’ve had laryngitis, I have no voice. I’ve never asked Jesus for anything, but I had to perform with you today. Last night I dropped down on my knees and I said, ‘Jesus, I got to sing with Nick. Give me back my voice.’”
Cave and Cash recorded ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry‘ together back in 2002 for Cave’s ‘American IV’ album.
In Red Hand Files issue 224, Cave opened up about his experience singing with Cash. He revealed how he was intimidated by Cash’s deep, resonant voice at first: “As a kid I had been genuinely transfixed by the ‘Man in Black,’ as he was known, thrilled and intimidated by his dark, grave voice, thinking he was truly scary, like an outlaw or something.”
“He went on to have considerable influence over the songs I wrote in The Birthday Party and The Bad Seeds and, of course, the way I would sing them,” he added. “So, I was very excited to be asked to sing with him and I said to Rick Rubin, Yeah, you know, of course, it’d be an honor.”
Cave also admitted he was nervous while recording the song, but when Johnny began to sing, something ‘incredible happened.’ In his words, Cash’s voice was powerful and full of spirit. Cave was so moved by the performance that it brought him to tears.