Papa Was a Good Man

Last updated
"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"
Released1971 (1971)
Genre country
Label Columbia 4-45460
Songwriter(s) Hal Bynum [1]
Producer(s) Larry Butler [1]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Singing in Viet Nam Talking Blues"
(1971)		"Papa Was a Good Man"
(1971)		"A Thing Called Love"
(1971)
Audio
"Papa Was a Good Man" on YouTube

"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum. [2]

Contents

Released in September 1971 [3] [4] as a single (Columbia 4-45460, with "I Promise You" on the opposite side) by Johnny Cash, [2] [5] the song reached #16 on U.S. Billboard 's country chart [6] and #104 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100. [6]

Both "I Promise You" (which is "a promise of devotion to June") [2] 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 [2]

Track listing

7" single (Columbia 4-45460, [1] 1971)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Papa Was a Good Man" H. Bynum 2:35
2."I Promise You" J. Cash 2:58

Charts

Chart (1971)Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard ) [7] 104 [6]
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [8] 18

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Johnny Cash - Papa Was A Good Man / I Promise You". Discogs . Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  2. 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.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 8–9. ISBN   978-0-313-29506-5.
  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.
  6. 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.
  7. ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  8. ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
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