‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’: the song Rick Rubin waited 30 years to understand
Some of the greatest artists of all time were never known to be in touch with their generation. It sometimes takes years, if not decades, for the public to catch up to what a band is doing, and if you look at the early reviews for icons like Led Zeppelin or The Velvet Underground, it’s clear that no one really knew what to make of them when they first debuted. Rick Rubin is known for having some of the best ears in the business, but even he admitted that he never quite figured out some works for years.
However, the beauty behind most of Rubin’s work is his ability to get to the essence of any one of his artists. Whether that’s working with Tom Petty on some of his best late-period albums, sculpting solid gold with Jay-Z, or transforming metal acts like Slayer and Metallica, Rubin always knew that fans were more interested in an artist’s core identity rather than the bells and whistles.
Just look at what he did when making Blood Sugar Sex Magik with Red Hot Chili Peppers. The funk-rock gods had already come off of one of their most metallic releases, but it turned out that all they needed to get to the next level of fame was to make something that was cut and dry, usually simplifying everything they could until they had pieces of brilliance like ‘Under the Bridge’ and ‘Funky Monks’.
Even for someone as revered as Rubin, though, bringing Johnny Cash back in the 1990s is still one of his crowning achievements. The country legend had been more of a myth than a man for the past few years, but considering how sterile and clean some of his music had become in the late 1980s, bringing him back to the traditional ‘Man in Black’ persona that everyone knew him for was perfect for American Recordings.
Not every song had to necessarily be country, either. Up until his death, Cash worked on various covers that completely recontextualised what the original was about half the time. ‘Hurt’ by Nine Inch Nails became a story of redemption in his hands, and ‘Personal Jesus’ made a very religious man sound like he was questioning his true allegiance to faith. While ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon and Garfunkel may have felt tame by comparison, Rubin was transfixed hearing Cash sing the tune.
Despite it becoming a borderline gospel standard at this point, Rubin said that hearing Cash’s version made him hear the song for the first time all over again, saying, “I’ve heard that song my whole life, but until Johnny sang it, I never thought about what it meant. All of a sudden, the words took on a new seriousness when he sang them.”
That’s because Cash’s delivery never hinted that he was covering a particular song. Since he was always in tune with gospel music his whole life, hearing him sing with Fiona Apple about being there for someone when pain is all around them feels like a warm hug from a concerned grandparent, seeing one of their grandchildren go through a rough patch in their life.
And as much as Rubin may have helped guide Cash through some of his final songs, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ was the last time Cash seemed to work his magic on Rubin. He was always going to be the badass legend of country music, but in between all of the darkness, ‘The Man in Black’ could still put a little bit of sunshine into any song he sang.
