"Cain's Blood" | ||||
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Single by 4 Runner | ||||
from the album 4 Runner | ||||
B-side | "Ten Pound Hammer" [1] | |||
Released | February 1995 | |||
Recorded | September 1994 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:52 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Michael Johnson, Jack Sundrud | |||
Producer(s) | Buddy Cannon, Larry Shell | |||
4 Runner singles chronology | ||||
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"Cain's Blood" is a song originally recorded by American country pop artist Michael Johnson. He co-wrote the song with Jack Sundrud and recorded it on his 1995 album Departure. It was recorded the same year by the country vocal group 4 Runner, whose version was released as their debut single from their album 4 Runner . 4 Runner's version of the song reached number 26 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. [1]
The song is about "the tug and pull [between good and evil] that goes on inside each and every one of us", according to Polydor Records then-president Steve Miller. [2] It uses the Biblical story of Cain and Abel to represent the narrator's struggle between good and evil. [3] Co-writer Michael Johnson said that the idea for the chorus came to him while he was in jail for driving under the influence. [4] Johnson himself also recorded the song on his 1995 album Departure. [5]
The music video premiered in February 1995. It was filmed at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. [2]
"Cain's Blood" generally received positive reception for its Southern gospel sound. [2] The single was also compared to the sound of The Oak Ridge Boys due to the use of four-part vocal harmony. [6] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time wrote that the song is a "dark and moody testament to life's daily battle between good and evil in which the four voices become completely integrated into an eerie, foreboding whole." [7]
"Cain's Blood" debuted at number 74 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 18, 1995.
Chart (1995) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [8] | 14 |
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [9] | 18 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [10] | 26 |
Michael Jay Johnson was an American pop, country, and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best remembered for his 1978 hit song "Bluer Than Blue". He charted four hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and nine more on Hot Country Songs, including two number one country hits in 1986's "Give Me Wings" and "The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder". He also co-wrote "Cain's Blood", the debut single of 1990s country group 4 Runner.
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