"There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Johnny Cash with Waylon Jennings | ||||
from the album I Would Like to See You Again | ||||
B-side | "I Wish I Was Crazy Again" | |||
Released | May 20, 1978 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:16 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hal Bynum, Dave Kirby | |||
Producer(s) | Larry Butler | |||
Johnny Cash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Waylon Jennings singles chronology | ||||
|
"There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" is a song written by Hal Bynum and Dave Kirby, and recorded by American country music artists Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings. It was released in May 1978 as the second single from the album I Would Like to See You Again . The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. [1]
The song is written and sung from the perspective of a prison inmate, writing back home to his family. He tells of the lessons he's learned while incarcerated; the chorus tells the four main ones:
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [2] | 2 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
"A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by humorist, children's author, and poet Shel Silverstein and made popular by Johnny Cash. Cash recorded the song live in concert on February 24, 1969, at California's San Quentin State Prison for his At San Quentin album. Cash also performed the song in December 1969 at Madison Square Garden. The live San Quentin version of the song became Cash's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his only top ten single there, spending three weeks at No. 2 in 1969, held out of the top spot by "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones. The track also topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Easy Listening charts that same year and was certified Gold on August 14, 1969, by the RIAA.
"Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" is a 1968 single released by American R&B/soul duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, on the Tamla label in 1968. The B-side of the single is "Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl" from the duo's United LP. The first release off the duo's second album: You're All I Need, the song - written and produced by regular Gaye/Terrell collaborators Ashford & Simpson - became a hit within weeks of release eventually peaking at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, the first of the duo's two number 1 R&B hits. In the UK "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" reached number 34.
"I Walk the Line" is a song written and recorded in 1956 by Johnny Cash. After three attempts with moderate chart ratings, it became Cash's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts, eventually reaching #17 on the US pop charts.
"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is a song written by Kris Kristofferson that was recorded in 1969 by Ray Stevens before becoming a #1 hit on the Billboard US Country chart for Johnny Cash.
"Ring of Fire" is a song made popular by Johnny Cash when it appeared on his 1963 album Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash. Written by Cash's wife June Carter Cash and Merle Kilgore, it was originally recorded as "(Love's) Ring of Fire" by June's sister Anita Carter on her 1963 album Folk Songs Old and New.
"Jackson" is a song written in 1963 by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber. It was recorded in 1963 by the Kingston Trio, Wheeler and Flatt and Scruggs. It achieved its most notable popularity with two 1967 releases: a country hit single by Johnny Cash and June Carter, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Country Singles chart, and a pop hit single by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood, which reached No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 39 on Easy Listening.
"The One on the Right Is on the Left" is a country song written by Jack Clement. It was recorded by Johnny Cash on November 29, 1965, and included on his novelty album Everybody Loves a Nut (1966). It was the album's third and most successful single, reaching #2 on the U.S. Billboard Country Singles chart and #46 on Billboard's Pop Singles chart.
Orange Blossom Special is the 21st album released by musician Johnny Cash on Columbia Records in 1965. The recordings include country and folk standards, such as "The Long Black Veil", "When It's Springtime in Alaska", "Danny Boy" and "Wildwood Flower".
I Would Like to See You Again is the 57th album by American country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1978. The title track peaked at #12 on the singles chart, while "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" reached #2; the album itself peaked at #23. The album features a pair of duets with Waylon Jennings, one of which was the "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" single; it was one of Cash's first collaborations with Jennings, and the two recorded songs together throughout the 1980s, including a separate album entitled Heroes. Cash and Jennings would also work together as The Highwaymen with Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson.
Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 is a greatest hits compilation by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1978. It is the third and last part of the Johnny Cash Greatest Hits compilation series; the previous parts, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 and Greatest Hits, Vol. 2, had been released in 1967 and 1971, respectively.
Heroes is an album by country singers Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings, released on Columbia Records in 1986.
"Ain't No Woman " is a song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, released as a single by the Four Tops on the ABC/Dunhill record label, from the album Keeper of the Castle. It peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 the weeks of April 7 and 14, 1973, number one on the Cash Box Top 100 the latter of those two weeks, and became a gold record.
"Understand Your Man" is a song written and recorded by American singer Johnny Cash. It was released in January 1964 as the first single from the album I Walk the Line. The single went to #1 on the country charts for six weeks. The song also crossed over to the Top 40, peaking at #35.
"I Love You Because" is a song written and recorded by country music singer and songwriter Leon Payne in 1949. The song has been covered by several artists throughout the years, including hit cover versions by Al Martino in 1963 and Jim Reeves in 1964.
"I Just Thought You'd Like to Know" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Charlie Rich.
"Goodbye Little Darlin', Goodbye" is a song co-written and originally recorded by Gene Autry. Autry sang it in the 1939 movie South of Border, and in April 1940 released it on a 78 rpm record.
"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum.
"Gone Girl" is a song written by Jack Clement and originally recorded by Johnny Cash, giving its title to Cash's album Gone Girl that appeared in December 1978.
"That's the Truth" is a song written by Paul Kennerley and originally recorded by Johnny Cash for his 1983 album Johnny 99.
Paul Kennerley is an Englishman and he wrote the Jesse James album of which I was a part of along with Emmylou Harris, Levon Helm and Charlie Daniels. Paul Kennerly is one of those unique writers who can write on assignment. You can tell him what you want written and he can write it. Like he wrote the Jesse James album, and he also wrote White Mansions that Waylon was on. But he's written all these songs, and these two of his that I recorded—"Brand New Dance" with June Carter, and "That's the Truth"—we didn't ask him for 'em, but we had about six or eight Paul Kennerley songs to pick from. He's got some really good songs that I have on hold—course a lot of other people do, too, because he's such a great writer.
"I Wish I Was Crazy Again" is a song written by Bob McDill and introduced by the duet of Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings on Cash's 1978 album I Would Like to See You Again.