Papa Was a Good Man
Song by Johnny Cash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Papa Was a Good Man" is a song written by songwriter Hal Bynum.[2]
| "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" | |||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Genre | country | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter | Hal Bynum[1] | |||
| Producer | Larry Butler[1] | |||
| Johnny Cash singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Papa Was a Good Man" on YouTube | ||||
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
Charts
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| ERROR in "Billboardbubbling100": Invalid position: 104[6]. Expected number 1–200 or dash (–). | |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 18 |