Thanks to this Stories Behind 10 Johnny Cash Songs article from Mental Floss, I finally know what the hell was up with that weird Chicken in Black song he did in the 80s.
In the video above, he’s dressed in bright yellow, accessorized with a powder blue cape.
Sound a little off-brand? It was. In the early ‘80s, Cash felt that Columbia, his record label, was ignoring him and failing to promote his music properly. He decided to record a song so awful that it would force Columbia to cut his contract early. The plan worked, but it came at a price. “He was kind of mocking and dismantling his own legacy,” daughter Rosanne later said. Here’s a sampling of the lyrics, in case the video is too painful to watch: “I put your brain in a chicken last Monday, he’s singing your songs and making lots of money, and I’ve got him signed to a 10-year recording contract.”