Goin' by the Book

"Goin' by the Book"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album The Mystery of Life
B-side	"Beans for Breakfast"
Released	1990 (1990) [1] [2]
Genre	Country
Label	Mercury 878 292-7
Songwriter(s)	Chester Lester
Producer(s)	Jack Clement [3]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Cat's in the Cradle" (1990) "Goin' by the Book" (1990) "The Mystery of Life" (1991)
Music video
"Goin' by the Book" on YouTube

"Goin' by the Book" is a song written by Chester Lester and initially recorded by Johnny Cash in 1986.

Released in the second half of 1990 as a single (Mercury 878 292–7, with "Beans for Breakfast" on the B-side), ^{[3] [4] [2]} the song reached number 69 on U.S. Billboard 's country chart for the week of October 13. ^{[5] [6]}

The song is part of Cash's Jack Clement–produced album The Mystery of Life, that appeared in 1991.

Background

Nineteen ninety saw the beginning of the first Gulf War, and in response, Cash pulled out a song that he had recorded four years earlier, "Goin' by the Book," which ties current events to biblical prophecy. It was released as a single at the end of the year, accompanied by a video assembled from news footage and shots of Cash standing, accompanied by a lone guitarist, in a darkened room. Nonetheless, the song spent only four weeks on the chart, peaking at #69.

—C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black ^[7]

Track listing

7" single (Mercury 878 292-7, 1989) ^[3]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Goin' by the Book"	C. Lester	3:19
2.	"Beans for Breakfast"	J. R. Cash	3:17

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8]	69

References

1. "Goin' By the Book". Johnny Cash official site. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
2. Smith, John L. (1994). The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. p. 18. ISBN   9780313295065.
3. "Goin' By The Book / Beans For Breakfast". Discogs . Retrieved 2021-10-09. GOIN' BY THE BOOK (C. Lester) JOHNNY CASH Produced by Jack Clement ℗ 1990 PolyGram Records, Inc. // BEANS FOR BREAKFAST (J.R. Cash) JOHNNY CASH Produced by Jack Clement ℗ 1990 PolyGram Records, Inc.
4. Lewry, Peter (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. ISBN   978-1-900924-22-1.
5. Johnny Cash | Billboard
6. "Hot Country Songs Chart (The week of October 13, 1990)". Billboard . Retrieved 2021-10-09.
7. C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 330. ISBN   978-1-61713-609-2. OCLC   946709700.
8. "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-09.

External links

• "Goin' by the Book" on the Johnny Cash official website