There is a new British TV series called The Hack about the hacking scandal that led to the downfall of the tabloid The News of the World and for music fans, the opening credits feature Pulp with a new cover. The show’s credit sequence is scored by Pulp’s newly recorded cover of Johnny Cash‘s “The Man Comes Around.”
The Jarvis Cocker-led band’s new take opens with the same spoken word introduction that Cash’s version does, but after that, things head down their own path. Where Cash was backed mainly by guitar (and a little piano), Pulp’s take is more electric, with a driving drumbeat. The moral of both songs is that we all have to be prepared to defend our actions come judgment day.
The song first appeared on 2002’s American IV: The Man Comes Around. It’s probably best remembered as the album featuring Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails‘ “Hurt.”
