Play it Again, Sam #42b - "Ring of Fire"

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The majority of the "original" songs used so far in my Play it Again, Sam music series have been classics, and this morning's offering is no exception. But we are now on the "cover." #42b, Social Distortion's cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Led by vocalist/guitarist Mike Ness, Fullerton, California's Social Distortion is one of the all-time great punk bands, infusing genre's such as rockabilly, country, and cowpunk into their sound. It's only natural that Social Distortion covered "Ring of Fire." I often describe Mike Ness as "Johnny Cash gone punk," which is about the best way I can put it. Ness and company recorded "Ring of Fire" for Social Distortion's 1990 self-titled album. The song reached #25 on the Billboard Alternative chart, and remains one of the band's most popular tunes. Social D's version is available for download for the Rock Band video game, and also appears in the video game, Shaun White Snowboarding. "Ring of Fire" has been covered numerous times, notably by Eric Burden and the Animals, who took it into the Top 40 in four different countries, Wall of Voodoo, Dwight Yoakam, Frank Zappa, and Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack. Not bad for a song about falling in love (or, if Johnny Cash's ex-wife is to be believed, a female body part.) Not bad at all. (Info verified by Wikipedia)