"Cain's Blood"
Single by 4 Runner
from the album 4 Runner
B-side"Ten Pound Hammer"[1]
ReleasedFebruary 1995
RecordedSeptember 1994
GenreCountry
Length3:52
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Michael Johnson, Jack Sundrud
Producer(s)Buddy Cannon, Larry Shell
4 Runner singles chronology
"Cain's Blood"
(1995)		 "A Heart with 4 Wheel Drive"
(1995)

"Cain's Blood" is a song written and originally recorded by American country music artist Michael Johnson. He co-wrote the song with Jack Sundrud and recorded it on his 1995 album Departure. It was recorded the same year by the country vocal group 4 Runner, whose version was released as their debut single from their album 4 Runner. 4 Runner's version of the song reached number 26 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1]

Content

The song is about "the tug and pull [between good and evil] that goes on inside each and every one of us", according to Polydor Records then-president Steve Miller.[2] It uses the Biblical story of Cain and Abel to represent the narrator's struggle between good and evil.[3] Co-writer Michael Johnson said that the idea for the chorus came to him while he was in jail for driving under the influence.[4] Johnson himself also recorded the song on his 1995 album Departure.[5]

Music video

The music video premiered in February 1995. It was filmed at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.[2]

Critical reception

"Cain's Blood" generally received positive reception for its Southern gospel sound.[2] The single was also compared to the sound of The Oak Ridge Boys due to the use of four-part vocal harmony.[6] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time wrote that the song is a "dark and moody testament to life's daily battle between good and evil in which the four voices become completely integrated into an eerie, foreboding whole."[7]

Chart performance

"Cain's Blood" debuted at number 74 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 18, 1995.

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[8] 14
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[9] 18
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 26

References

  1. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 149. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  2. 1 2 3 Morris, Edward (April 1, 1995). "4 Runner: Oak Ridge Boys of '90s?". Billboard: 28, 35.
  3. ↑ Van Scott, Miriam (1999). The Encyclopedia of Hell. Macmillan. p. 74.
  4. ↑ "4 Runner's not just another Oak Ridge Boys". The Vindicator. 13 May 1995. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "Departure". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "4 Runner resurrects the country quartet". The Albany Herald. Associated Press. May 29, 1995. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Wahlert, Brian. "4 Runner review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9241." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. June 5, 1995. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ "4 Runner Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
  10. ↑ "4 Runner Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
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