"Papa Was a Good Man"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album A Thing Called Love
A-side"Papa Was a Good Man"
"I Promise You"
Released1971 (1971)
Genrecountry
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Hal Bynum[1]
Producer(s)Larry Butler[1]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"Singing in Viet Nam Talking Blues"
(1971)		 "Papa Was a Good Man"
(1971)		 "A Thing Called Love"
(1971)
Audio
"Papa Was a Good Man" on YouTube

"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum.[2]

Released in September 1971[3][4] as a single (Columbia 4-45460, with "I Promise You" on the opposite side) by Johnny Cash,[2][5] the song reached #16 on U.S. Billboard's country chart[6] and #104 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100.[6]

Both "I Promise You" (which is "a promise of devotion to June")[2] and "Papa Was a Good Man" are part of Johnny Cash's 1972 album A Thing Called Love.

Analysis

"Papa" is told from the perspective of a son whose father is struggling with alcoholism. It was the lowest charting of the three releases from the album, peaking at #16 Country and #104 Pop. It featured additional vocals from the choir of the Evangel Temple, the Nashville church Cash was now attending, pushing the song close to the point of overproduction.

— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black[2]

Track listing

7" single (Columbia 4-45460,[1] 1971)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Papa Was a Good Man"H. Bynum2:35
2."I Promise You"J. Cash2:58

Charts

Chart (1971) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[7] 104[6]
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[8] 18

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Johnny Cash - Papa Was A Good Man / I Promise You". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat. pp. 206–207. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
  3. ↑ Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. p. 91. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
    September
    "Papa Was A Good Man"/"I Promise You" (Columbia 4-45460) released.
  4. ↑ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
  5. ↑ Standard Catalog of American Records, 1950-1975. Krause Publications. 2000. ISBN 978-0-87341-934-5.
    Tim Neely (1 August 2002). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-471-7.
    Tim Neely (31 August 2006). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records: 1950-1975. Krause Publications. ISBN 9780896893078.
  6. 1 2 3 Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
    Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9.
    "Papa Was A Good Man Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  7. ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  8. ↑ "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
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