Sheryl Crow has released a re-recorded version of her duet with the late Johnny Cash.
The nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist originally released ‘Redemption Day’ with the late star on her self-titled 1996 album, but she has now unveiled a re-recorded version of the hit song as the lead single from her upcoming album, which is set for release this summer.
‘Redemption Day’ was penned after Sheryl visited Bosnia with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, where she she visited military bases, played for troops, and met with families.
Speaking of the trip, she said: "I’d never been anywhere even close to a war-torn area. We had all these resources tied up in Bosnia, and I kept thinking about how and why do we choose where to get involved. Is it desire for control, greed for oil – what is it?"
In 2003, one of Johnny Cash’s sons-in-law played the track for the music icon, who then wanted to speak to her before getting involved in it himself.
Sheryl added: "He asked a lot of questions about different lines and what I meant. He didn’t want to put his voice to the song without being able to believe it heart and soul."
Cash – who passed away in September 2003 – recorded the song and later released his own version on the posthumous album ‘American VI: Ain’t No Grave’, in 2010.
Sheryl performed the track on stage as a duet with a recording of Cash in 2014, which inspired her to approach his estate with the idea of re-recording a collaboration of their voices for her new project.
Alongside the new recording, the music video for the song – which couples footage of Cash next to scenes of a young child watching history unfold – was projected around iconic locations in central London on Friday (19.04.19).
Sheryl said of the video: "As a mom of two young kids. I see that our kids watch what we do on their behalf and how we shape their future. They’re privy to everything visual, especially now, and there’s no way to shield your child from the roughness of reality. If we could see the world through a child’s eyes, we would make different decisions."
And Sheryl hopes Cash’s voice will "offer some hope".
She said in a press release: "With what’s happening in our nation now, and how dire things look, to have Johnny’s voice offers some hope. Knowing how he felt about the song, I feel pretty certain that he would have some wisdom to impart about what’s happening now and who we are becoming. I hope that wherever he is, he feels proud to be a part of it – I certainly feel his presence in the song."
Sheryl Crow re-releases Johnny Cash duet
