Ring of Fire is the 1963 single by Johnny Cash, credited to June Carter and Merle Kilgore.
Columbia released it on April 19, 1963.
It spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the country chart.
Table of Contents
The Story Behind Ring of Fire
A Song That Began With Anita Carter
Johnny Cash was not the first to record it.
June Carter's sister Anita Carter cut the song first, under a longer title that began "(Love's)."
It appeared on her Mercury album Folk Songs Old and New, in a folk setting.
Cash heard her version and wanted to make it his own.
Where the Words Came From
Two accounts of the title survive.
The common one says June Carter found the phrase in a book of Elizabethan poetry that had belonged to her uncle, the Carter Family patriarch.
He had underlined the line "Love is like a burning ring of fire."
Merle Kilgore told it differently in an interview with the GRAMMY Foundation.
He said the idea came from a letter a friend sent June after a divorce.
Both June and Cash were married to other people when the song was written, which gives the lyric a sharper edge.
Who Really Wrote It?
The credit has long read June Carter and Merle Kilgore.
Vivian Cash, Johnny's first wife, disputed that in her 2007 memoir.
She wrote that Johnny told her he wrote the song with Kilgore and Curly Lewis, and that June was given half the credit as a favor.
June herself claimed the song as hers.
The dispute has never been settled, so the official credit stands.
Recording the Mariachi Horns
The Session
Cash recorded the song on March 25, 1963, at Columbia's studio in Nashville.
Don Law and Frank Jones produced it.
Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters sang harmony.
The finished record runs 2:38.
The Dream That Added Trumpets
Cash said he heard the song with "Mexican horns" in a dream.
He took the idea into the studio and added mariachi-style trumpets.
Songfacts names Bill McElhiney as the trumpet player.
The sound was bold for a country record.
Herb Alpert had popularized the style the year before with "The Lonely Bull."
The horns turned a folk ballad into a driving, almost cinematic single.
How It Charted
In the US
The single went to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there seven weeks.
It also crossed over to the pop audience and reached No. 17 on the Hot 100.
The B-side was "I'd Still Be There."
Around the World
In Canada it reached No. 12 on the CHUM chart.
In Germany it peaked at No. 27.
| Measure | Detail | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot Country Singles | US country peak, 1963 | No. 1 (7 weeks) |
| Billboard Hot 100 | US pop peak, 1963 | No. 17 |
| Canada (CHUM) | Peak | No. 12 |
| Germany | Peak | No. 27 |
Legacy and Covers
Honors
The recording entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.
Rolling Stone has ranked it the greatest country song.
Fans of Liverpool FC started singing it before the 2005 Champions League Final.
The Calgary Flames have played it after home wins since 2004.
Covers
Plenty of artists have returned to the song:
- Eric Burdon and the Animals recorded a rock version in 1968 that reached No. 35 in the UK.
- Wall of Voodoo cut a synthesizer version in 1980.
- Dwight Yoakam recorded it for his 1986 debut album.
- Social Distortion took a punk version to No. 25 on the US Alternative Airplay chart in 1990.
- Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack released a duet version in 2010 that peaked at No. 45 on the country chart.
Where It Fits
The song is the centerpiece of 1963 country music and a fixture on our 100 best 60s songs list.
The full story of the man behind it is in our Johnny Cash biography, and the genre's wider sound is covered in the Country 60s hub.
FAQ
Who wrote Ring of Fire?
June Carter and Merle Kilgore are credited as the writers.
Johnny Cash's first wife, Vivian Cash, wrote in a 2007 memoir that Cash wrote it with Kilgore and Curly Lewis, and that June was given half the credit as a favor.
Who recorded this song first?
June Carter's sister Anita Carter recorded it first, under a longer title that began "(Love's)."
It was on her Mercury album Folk Songs Old and New.
When did Johnny Cash record this song?
Cash recorded it on March 25, 1963, at Columbia's studio in Nashville.
Columbia released it as a single on April 19, 1963.
How high did this song chart?
It spent seven weeks at No.
1 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart and reached No.
17 on the Hot 100.
Why does this song have trumpets?
Cash said he dreamed of hearing the song with Mexican horns after listening to Anita Carter's version.
He added mariachi-style trumpets to the recording.
A folk song first cut by June Carter's sister became the sound of Cash's early decade.
Wikipedia's entry on the song covers its history and charts in more depth.
Press play above and hear why Ring of Fire still burns.