Over the span of Johnny Cash’s legendary country music career, The Man in Black released a staggering 67 studio albums.
With that being said, one would think it’s near impossible for a man with that kind of catalog to pick out a personal favorite.
Not for Cash, though.
Back in 1982, he sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Harry Reasoner, and was asked what his favorite song he ever wrote was.
He responded:
“Well I think I probably should say it’s ‘I Walk the Line’ because it was my biggest seller, but the one that really means more to me, that says it more for me in my life is ‘Pickin’ Time.’
The message of the song is good times comin’ for us all, pickin’ time.”
Written and recorded in 1958, “Pickin’ Time” was originally released on Johnny’s 2nd career studio album, The Fabulous Johnny Cash, in 1958. The album also featured hits like “Don’t Take Your Guns To Town,” and “Frankie’s Man, Johnny.”
Reasoner then brings up the point that a lot of his songs are inspirational, like “Pickin’ Time,” but some of them are about low points in life like “Folsom Prison Blues.”
He then asks if Cash has an issue deciding to write inspirational songs, or sad songs, and his response was:
“No. Roy Orbison had a line in his song called ‘My Best Friend,’ and in it was a line that says ‘a diamond is a diamond, and a stone is a stone, but man is part good and part bad,’ you know, I recognize the fact that I’m part good and part bad.”
Man, talk about introspective… compare that to some if the mindless drivel you hear on country radio today…
But then again, that’s why he’s Johnny Cash.
And the song itself, live from 1962:
