Song · Johnny Cash
“I Won't Back Down” by Johnny Cash
Released 2000
“I Won't Back Down” by Johnny Cash appears on 9 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2007 and 2024. It was first released in 2000. Its best result is #371 on The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,278 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (Johnny Cash - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
Johnny Cash's "I Won't Back Down" came out in 2000, with Rick Rubin producing and John Carter Cash on board as associate producer, and it turns Tom Petty's stubborn anthem into something weathered and bone-dry. The song is Petty's, written with Jeff Lynne and first heard as the lead single from his 1989 solo album Full Moon Fever; Petty wrote it after an arson attack on his home in 1987.
Petty didn't just sign off on this one, he showed up for it, playing organ and singing behind Cash. Where the original strutted, Cash's reading sounds like a man who has already taken every punch and is still standing there, quiet and immovable. David Ferguson engineered and mixed it, leaving the grain of that voice front and center.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 1119 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 990 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 672 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Songs That Matter from the Last Decade | 913 |
| 2009 | 903 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 856 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 835 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 862 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 902 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2024 | 371 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "I Won't Back Down" by Johnny Cash.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.