Guess Things Happen That Way

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"Guess Things Happen That Way"
Guess Things Happen That Way - Johnny Cash.jpg
Single by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
from the album Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous
B-side"Come In, Stranger (song)"
ReleasedMay 19, 1958
Genre
Length1:52
LabelSun
Songwriter(s)Jack Clement
Producer(s)Sam Phillips
Jack Clement
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two singles chronology
"Big River"
(1958) 		"Guess Things Happen That Way"
(1958) 		"The Ways of a Woman in Love"
(1958)

"Guess Things Happen That Way" is a 1958 cross over single by Johnny Cash, which was written by Jack Clement. The single[2] was Johnny Cash's fourth #1 on the country chart spending eight weeks at #1, and a total of 24 weeks on the chart.[3]

The B-side of "Guess Things Happen That Way", a song entitled, "Come In Stranger" made it to #6 on the country chart. The single also crossed over to the pop chart, peaking at #11.[4] The song was also featured in the 1993 film A Perfect World directed by Clint Eastwood and was put on the films soundtrack.

Content[]

The song is about a man struggling after the love of his life has died.

Critical reception[]

As Allmusic describes it, the song "featured an arrangement dominated by piano and a vocal chorus adding distinctive 'ba-doo's throughout [that is] ...slicker than, say, "Cry! Cry! Cry!" or "I Walk the Line" [but with] an eccentric tone all its own — largely because the vocal chorus (who sound as if they're occupying a middle ground between doo wop and barbershop quartet) is in such stark contrast to Cash's lead vocal."[2]

The song was banned by the BBC upon its 1958 release when the head of religious broadcasting objected to the lines "God gave me that girl to lean on, / Then he put me on my own. / Heaven help me be a man / And have the strength to stand alone."[5][6]

Chart performance[]

Chart (1958) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 11

Covers[]

  • Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers on At the Ryman
  • Pop singer June Valli had a minor revival of the song in 1961. Her version peaked at #92 in the Music Vendor Top 100.

In popular culture[]

  • On February 25, 2010, the song, purchased by grandfather and Woodstock, Georgia native Louie Sulcer, became the 10 billionth download through the Apple iTunes Store.[9]

References[]

  1. ^ Richard Aquila (2000). That Old-time Rock & Roll: A Chronicle of an Era, 1954-1963. Books.google.com. p. 106. ISBN 9780252069192. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Deming, Mark. "Guess Things Happen That Way". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 74.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 110.
  5. ^ "30 songs banned by the BBC". 17 December 2015 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  6. ^ "Wie Einst, Lili Marleen: Songs The BBC Banned". 17 December 2016.
  7. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ Kreps, Daniel (February 25, 2010). "iTunes Prize Winner to Steve Jobs: Yeah Right, Who Is This Really?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved 2010-02-28.

External links[]


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