Gone Girl (Johnny Cash song)

This article is about the song by Johnny Cash. For the song by Iann Dior, see Gone Girl (Iann Dior song). For the song by SZA, see SOS (SZA album).
"Gone Girl"
Single by Johnny Cash
from the album Gone Girl
A-side"Gone Girl"
"I'm Alright Now"
ReleasedSeptember 1978 (1978-09)
Genrecountry
LabelColumbia 3-10817
Songwriter(s)Jack Clement[1]
Producer(s)Larry Butler[1]
Johnny Cash singles chronology
"There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" / "I Wish I Was Crazy Again"
(1978) 		"Gone Girl"
(1978) 		"It'll Be Her"
(1978)
Audio
"Gone Girl" on YouTube

"Gone Girl" is a song written by Jack Clement[2] and originally recorded by Johnny Cash, giving its title to Cash's album Gone Girl that appeared in December 1978.

Cash recorded this song with producer Larry Butler on May 4, 1978, later returning to work on it on August 1.[2] "'Gone Girl' was certainly worth the extra time, with a smooth melody that gives Cash the room to glide into the low notes, and a rhythm that is infectious," writes C. Eric Banister in his book Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black.[2]

Released by Cash as a single (Columbia 3-10817, with "I'm Alright Now" on the opposite side)[3] in September,[4] the song only reached number 44 on U.S. Billboard's country chart.[5]

When the first single from Gone Girl was released, Waylon Jennings was just coming down from the #1 spot, where he'd recently been camped out with "I've Always Been Crazy." Instead of putting out a second Cash/Jennings duet [after "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" that had peaked at country number 2 in August],[6] Columbia — no doubt prodded by Cash — released "Gone Girl," a great song that peaked at #44, held on to #71 the following week, and then dropped out of sight.

— C. Eric Banister. Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black[2]
  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Johnny Cash - Gone Girl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c d C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat Books. pp. 221–223. ISBN 978-1-61713-608-5.
    C. Eric Banister (1 August 2014). Johnny Cash FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Backbeat Books. pp. 223–. ISBN 978-1-61713-608-5.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1994. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
  5. ^ 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.
    "Gone Girl Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  6. ^ "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-05-31.