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Johnny Cash: The Man in Black 钱宁凯许：黑衣歌者

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课文讲解

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American singer/songwriter Jonny Cash sang of love, God, murder, and America. His baritone tales of trains rollin’, religious devotion, senseless homicide, and plain love epitomized the dark places and high aspirations of the human condition. Nicknamed “the Man in Black” for his signature black clothes, Johnny was tireless champion of the common man.

美国歌手／作曲家钱宁凯许高唱爱、上帝、谋杀、和美国。他以男中音咏唱着轰隆火车、宗教奉献、麻木杀人犯、及纯纯的爱等故事，象征着俗世人性中的暗黑角落和热切想望。因他爱穿黑衣服而有「黑衣人」的绰号，钱宁凯许歌咏凡夫俗子的故事永不倦怠。

Born to a dirt-poor Arkansas farming family on February 26, 1932, Johnny grew up next to the mighty Mississippi, pickin’ cotton and absorbing work songs, gospel music, country tunes, even Mexican radio drifting up from the border at night. Following a tour of duty with the Air Force, Johnny began his recording career in 1955 on Sun Records, alongside contemporaries Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis.

钱宁在1932年2月26日出生于贫困的农家，成长在密西西比大河边，在采棉花时忘我地听著作活歌、福音音乐、乡村曲调、甚至在晚上从边界传来的墨西哥电台音乐。随着空军驻扎的役期结束之后，钱宁在1955年的太阳唱片展开他的歌唱事业，同期歌手包括猫王和杰瑞李刘易斯。

His first release with Sun laid the pattern that would characterize Johnny’s music throughout his career. “Folsom Prison Blues” tell the story of a prisoner’s yearning for freedom following his heartless killing of a man, while a follow-up single, “I Walk The Line,” is a heartfelt paean to fidelity and love. Johnny was at home with contradictions.

他在太阳唱片的处女作奠定了他往后音乐作品个性的模式。「福森监狱蓝调」述说着一个犯人的故事，他冷血地杀了一个人而后渴望着自由；下一支单曲「我铤而走险」是对忠诚和爱情的真挚颂歌。钱宁在相互抵触的风格中悠游自在。

Despite his success on country and pop charts, Johnny’s assertive politics ran afoul of country music conservatism. Eventually, Cash took out a page in Billboard Magazine to lambaste country radio for not swallowing his “strong medicine.”

虽然他在乡村和流行乐排行榜上成绩斐然，钱宁独断的政治观和乡村乐保守派产生冲突。最后，钱宁在告示牌音乐杂志花了一整页痛批乡村音乐电台不敢吞下他的「猛药」。

Vocabulary

单词发音

baritone [ˋbærə͵ton] n. 男中音

devotion [dɪˋvoʃən] n. 献身；奉献

senseless [ˋsɛnslɪs] adj. 失去知觉的；无感觉的

homicide [ˋhɑmə͵saɪd] n. 杀人犯; 【尤美】谋杀﹐杀人

epitomize [ɪˋpɪtə͵maɪz] v. 象征; 体现

aspiration [͵æspəˋreʃən] n. 强烈愿望; 志向﹐抱负

dirt-poor [ˋdɝtˋpʊr] adj. 【口】极贫困的

Arkansas [ˋɑrkən͵sɔ] n. 美国阿肯色州

gospel [ˋgɑsp!] adj. 福音的；传播福音的；福音赞美诗的

contemporary [kənˋtɛmpə͵rɛrɪ] n. 同时代的人

lay [le] v. 铺设

yearn [jɝn] v. 渴望；向往[（+for/after/towards）][+to-v]

heartless [ˋhɑrtlɪs] adj. 无情的，冷酷的

heartfelt [ˋhɑrt͵fɛlt] adj. 衷心的，真诚的

paean [ˋpiən] n.【文】赞歌; 感恩歌; 凯歌

fidelity [fɪˋdɛlətɪ] n. 忠诚；忠贞

at home (像在自己家里一样)自在, 无拘束 comfortable and relaxed; at ease:

assertive [əˋsɝtɪv] adj. 武断的，独断的

run afoul of 与... 发生冲突 to act in a way not allowed by rules or the law

afoul [əˋfaʊl] adj. 冲撞的；纠缠的

lambaste [læmˋbest] v. 粗暴地骂；严责

Sentence of the Day

He was the salt of the earth.

他曾是社会中坚。

salt of the earth 优秀公民, 社会精华, 人间楷模

课文讲解

Strong medicine, particularly amphetamines, also became a problem for Johnny in the late fifties. Yet despite mounting personal problems, Johnny penned the extraordinary love song, “Ring of Fire” in 1963.

猛药，特别是安非他命，也在50年代后期困扰着钱宁。但是尽管他有许多麻烦，钱宁还是在1963年写了「火圈」这首绝佳情歌。

With its Biblical imagery and jubilant mariachi horns, “Ring of Fire” remains a towering testament to the delirious blindness of love. Appropriately, Johnny co-wrote this song with his soon-to-be wife, June Carter.

融合圣经意象和欢欣的墨西哥街头管乐，「火圈」是对爱情狂喜盲目的崇高证言。像是命中注定，钱宁和他未来的妻子琼恩卡特合写这首歌。

Johnny’s life hit a low in 1965 when he was arrested at the Mexican border with a guitar case full of pills. In a remarkable about-face by 1969 Johnny had found Jesus, married June, kicked drugs, and recorded the prison performance Live At San Quentin and Live At Folsom Prison, which became his most famous albums.

钱宁在1965年走到了生命的低潮，当时他在墨西哥边界因吉他箱里藏满禁药而被逮捕。他痛改前非，在1969年信耶稣、娶了琼恩、戒毒、并发行了两张他最著名的在监狱演唱的实况录音唱片，「圣昆丁监狱演唱实况」和「福森监狱演唱实况」。

Following decades when it seemed Cash’s significance was waning, heavy metal/hip-hop producer Rick Rubin served as catalyst for Johnny’s career renaissance. Starting in 1994, Johnny recorded four volumes of American Recordings for Rubin’s Def American Records. These albums combined Cash originals with tasteful renditions of songs by younger artists like Beck and U2.

凯许的分量在数十载之后似乎逐渐消蚀，重金属／嘻哈音乐制作人瑞克鲁宾成为钱宁再度走向事业高峰的推手。从1994年开始，钱宁为鲁宾的美国第一唱片录制四套「美国专辑」。这些唱片汇集了凯许的原创歌曲和重新优美诠释后辈艺人如贝克和U2的歌曲。

Johnny’s final Def American singles “Hurt” – originally by industrial band Nine Inch Nails – is a swan song of timeless power and pathos; it was released shortly before June Carter Cash’s death in May, 2003. Johnny, ever the devoted husband, followed her on September 12.

钱宁在美国第一唱片的最后一支单曲「伤害」──工业音乐乐团九吋钉的原创曲──是他最后的力作，弥漫着恒久不衰的力量和伤感；这首歌就在琼恩卡特凯许于2003年5月过世前不久发行。钱宁，生死不渝的丈夫，也在9月12日追随爱妻离开人世。

－by Iain Ferguson

Vocabulary

单词发音

amphetamine [æmˋfɛtə͵min] n.【药】安非他命

mount [maʊnt] v. 增长，上升

imagery [ˋɪmɪdʒərɪ] n.〔绘画﹑电影等中表达思想的〕意象﹐形象化描述

jubilant [ˋdʒub!ənt] adj. 欢腾的，喜气洋洋的

mariachi [͵mɑriˋɑtʃi] n. 街头音乐〔一种墨西哥舞曲〕

horn [hɔrn] n. 管乐器

towering [ˋtaʊərɪŋ] adj. 杰出的，卓越的

delirious [dɪˋlɪrɪəs] adj. 极度兴奋的，狂喜的

appropriately [əˋproprɪ͵etlɪ] adv. 恰如其分地

about-face [əˋbaʊt͵fes] n.（立场、观点等的）彻底改变

wane [wen] v. 衰落；没落

catalyst [ˋkætəlɪst] n. 导致重大变化的人[事物]; 促进因素

renaissance [ˈrenəsɑns] n. 新生；复活

tasteful [ˋtestfəl] adj. 雅致的，高雅的，优美的

rendition [rɛnˋdɪʃən] n. (剧本、诗歌或音乐作品的)演出，表演，演绎

swan song 最后的诗篇；绝笔；最后的功业

pathos [ˋpeθɑs] n.（文学或音乐作品、演讲）激起怜悯（或同情等）的因素；感伤力

Sentence of the Day

After Johnny, they broke the mold.

继钱宁之后，他们开创新局面。

。

break the mold  打破窠臼

Reference:

Folsom Prison Blues

Ring of Fire