The music video for Johnny Cash's "Hurt" uses various symbolic imagery and archival footage to tell the narrative of Cash coming to terms with the end of his career and legacy. It shows a golden statue of Jesus on the cross to represent Cash feeling the same pain. Archival clips from Cash's past in black and white portray his happier times in contrast with the sad tone of the song. Shots of an empty museum and smashed records symbolize his achievements being forgotten as his life comes to a close. The video concludes with Cash wanting to turn back time and relive his memories as his career ends with the closing of a piano.

1. Music video Analysis (Johnny Cash- Hurt)
In the start of the video there is a close up of a golden statue which is of Jesus,
the gold suggests wealth and happiness, which is a binary opposite to what the
song is called, also the fact the statue is of Jesus it maybe Johnny Cash showing
us he is religious, or suggesting he is bigger than Jesus. However the statue is
of Jesus on the cross suffering which Johnny may be trying to show he feels he
is going through the same pain. There is the a close up of a golden bowl with
fruit which maybe useof bricolage as this is very Roman era and justlike the
time of Jesus, this also suggests Johnny Cash’s wealth. Wethen go to a close
up of Johnny playing guitar, this then instantly shows thatthis video has a
performanceaspectto it, also Johnny is wearing all black which is linked to
death, also it creates a sad depressing feel to video. So far this music video has
a high amount of postmodern aspects, as it has used Leyotard theory
suggesting that the Grand Narratives are dead, our grand narrativehere is
religion and like Leyotard said we cannot create new ideas everything has
already been done, this helps provehis theory as the pain and suffering has
already gone on and we cannot recreate this. Also there is use of bricolage
which also makes this video postmodern. After the close up of Johnny playing
his guitar, we jump cut to another close up of him looking away fromthe
camera, he looks sad and depressed, this the creates sympathy towards him
and the audience emphasisefor him.
After this firstscene of Johnny satin which seems to be his house we go to a
long shotof a very large scale American flag, this highlights Johnny’s lovefor
his country and how he is a patriot, it may also suggestthe fact of he is grateful
to his country and that why he include this image in his final ever music video.
The shot then pans out so we see more of the shot, we then see a long shotof
the flag and a sign saying ‘museumof cash’, this is also use of bricolage as it is
looking back on a different era and his past as a star and looking at his success.
We then jump cut into Johnny’s houseagain wethen go to a close up of his
hands on a piano lid, his hands look old and frail which also makes the
audience empathise for him again, however at firstglance the piano actually
looks like a white coffin case, this links into to the title of the song which also
put a dark sad setting on the video and also links to pain I.Ehurt. There is then
another jump cut to the sign for the museum of cash however the sign says

2. ‘closed to the public’ there is the a close up shotof the doors shutwith a sign
saying faith on the door. This could highlight the end to his legacy and the end
to his future and oast and there will be no more history madeby Johnny no
more, the sign saying faith maybe used to show his religion and believes but
also to say to his fans to still havefaith in what he has done for country music.
There is then another jump cut back to Johnny’s house, thereis a close up of
him playing his guitar, he is once again looking away, this is rather unlike
Johnny as his fans know he is not a shy character and is bold, him looking away
may highlight his sadness and upsetfor what is going on and maybe done to
show his pain and also so the audience have sympathy for him. There is
constantuse of bricolage throughoutthis video as they are using old tapes to
show his legacy and past, this maybe also seen as reflexivity as it showing the
making of the music video. The old footage which we now see is in black and
white creates a sad dark dull tone on the video however it may also be done to
create a classicallook to the video. In the clip he is on a steam train driving it
smiling and laughing, this is looking back on his past and showing it in a
positive up beat way. There is then another jump cut of him playing the piano
show the performanceaspect to the video. There is a tracking shotof Johnny
cash at the age of about 23/25, walking down the beach, this in another binary
opposite as it is linking to peace free happy times whereas the song is all about
sadness and pain. This is used to show the narrativetheory of the video. There
is then another use of bricolage, as there is old footage used again , tis time iot
is a tracking sideward shotof Johnny walking with is son in the fields, this
maybe whatJohnny did with his dad and he is looking back and reliving
traditions. There is then a shot of Johnny at a younger age smoking and
performing, this maybe at the height of his career, the song then says ‘you
could have it all’ suggesting that he had it all and had everything he wanted.
We then go to consistentjump cuts this may be used through the video to
show changein times, but also used to build up tension, this time we go into
the museumand there is consistentshots of pictures of Johnny but next to
empty shelf’s in the use suggesting that everything he had in his legacy has
now gone, there is also a close up of a smashed platinum record, suggesting
that his greatest achievements are all forgotten and ruined justlike he will be
when all of him is gone. There is then a mid/long shotof Johnny sat at a table

3. on his own surrounded by rich foods, however heis on his own which maybe
showing he has lost everything, he also then says ‘I wear this crown of thrones’
this may suggesthe is going through the samesuffering as Jesus and his going
to die but he will riseagain one day and his legacy will live on. There is also
another useof bricolage looking at his old houseand looking at his pastand
wherehe has come fromto now. There is then use of old family videos, this is
heart-warming and upbeat, but he is also looking back on his past and may
have a desire to relive these memories. He is then sat at the table and raises
his glass and pours it all over the food suggesting he doesn’twantthis life no
more, and he wants to go back in time, as he does this there is the a instant
edit to a video of him running with a guitar jumping on a train with no idea
whereit is going. There is the an over the shoulder shotof him playing while is
wife watches him play and cry’s, this creates sympathy butalso may want to
be done to suggestthe end of it all. There is then a close up of him crying,
which may also highlight the end. There is then a shotof a white doveflying,
shows signs of peace. At the end there is one large slow edit of young Johnny
Cash at the start of his music career, this maybea sign to show him
desperately wanting to go back in time and life these memories over again. At
the very end of the video he then closes the piano this is the highlight to show
the end of career.
Overallthe video is a conceptual video as it has parts of a performancein it but
also an extremely strong narrative, the story of this video being that Johnny
Cash know that it is the end of his life and his musical legacy, thereforethis is
why the song is called hurt becauseof his pain towards this, but also it explains
why he is crying in the video and his wife is watching him crying. The reason to
why there is old footage of him is because he wants to go back in time and
startagain and relieve his life, this is why the song says ‘ if I could start again’.