The song "Ring Of Fire" is one of those famous, fundamental tracks that help to define the county music genre. Johnny Cash's rendition of it is powerful, classic and timeless. But there is some behind-the-scenes drama associated with this song that you may not be aware of, per Whiskey Riff. We took a deep dive into the situation for you. This is what we discovered.
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June Carter Cash Was A Gifted Songwriter
Although most of us know of June Carter Cash as Johnny's missus and his sometime singing partner, she was also a terrific songwriter in her own right. She landed five prestigious Grammys and crafted tunes for others.
A momentous turning point came for June in 1956, when she initially encountered Johnny at the Grand Ole Opry. Both of them were married at the time. That did not prevent their mutual attraction from taking root, however.
A lot happened to them before they marched down the marital aisle. Johnny's wife, Vivian Liberto, ditched him in 1966. Meanwhile, June married twice - first to Carl Smith, then to Edwin Nix, a policeman.
She Co-Wrote 'Ring Of Fire'
In 1960, June was still Mrs. Nix. Still, her intense feelings for Johnny Cash lingered. She teamed up with Merle Kilgore to write the now-famous tune. Per the outlet via a documentary called The Winding Stream, June candidly described her unyielding passion for Johnny Cash. She sounds like a woman in the throes of a dire emotional dilemma.
"I realized that oh my Lord, I think I'm falling in love with Johnny Cash, and this is the most painful thing I've ever gone through in my life. It is like I'm in a ring of fire, and I'm never coming out. I'm going down, down to the bottom of this thing. It's going to kill me, because I would never have the nerve to tell him, nor do I want to tell him, nor do I want anybody to even know I've got these feelings."
What Johnny Cash's First Wife Said About Who Wrote That Song Is Jaw-Dropping
Vivian, Johnny's first wife, tells an interesting story about the song. Per the outlet via her book, I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny, this is what she wrote.
"One day in early 1963, while gardening in the yard, Johnny told me about a song he had just written with Merle Kilgore and Curly [Lewis] while out fishing on Lake Casitas. 'I'm gonna give June half credit on a song I just wrote,' Johnny said. 'It's called "Ring of Fire."' 'Why?' I asked, wiping dirt from my hands. The mere mention of her name annoyed me. I was sick of hearing about her. 'She needs the money,' he said, avoiding my stare. 'And I feel sorry for her.' ..."
Vivian's excerpt goes on. "To this day, it confounds me to hear the elaborate details June told of writing that song for Johnny. She didn't write that song any more than I did. The truth is, Johnny wrote that song, while pilled up and drunk, about a certain private female body part. All those years of her claiming she wrote it herself, and she probably never knew what the song was really about."
So Who Really Wrote 'Ring Of Fire'?
Vivian's account has to be taken with a grain of salt. She obviously disliked June and that was evident. But as the outlet points out, all the people directly involved with the song are dead. At the very least, what Vivian wrote casts a bit of doubt on who actually crafted it.
