A Thing Called Love

Professional ratings
Review scores
Allmusic	link

A Thing Called Love
Studio album by Johnny Cash
Released	April 1972
Recorded	1972
Genre	Country; gospel;
Length	28:37
Label	Columbia
Producer	Larry Butler
Johnny Cash chronology

A Thing Called Love is the 39th overall album by country singer Johnny Cash, released on Columbia Records in 1972 (see 1972 in music). The title song, written by Jerry Reed, was released successfully as a single (with "Daddy" as the B-side, as yet unavailable on CD), reaching No. 2 on the country charts; two more singles charted as well, while the album itself also reached No. 2 on the country album charts. "A Thing Called Love" was re-recorded by Cash for Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series (1988), while "Tear Stained Letter" was reprised on American IV: The Man Comes Around (2002). A note about the song "Kate": the Canadian pressing of the album contains a completely different version of this song. Even the lyrics are different.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Kate"	Marty Robbins	2:22
2.	"Melva's Wine"	Vincent Matthews	2:55
3.	"A Thing Called Love"	Jerry Reed Hubbard	2:36
4.	"I Promise You"	Johnny Cash	2:58
5.	"Papa Was a Good Man"	Hal Bynum	2:38
6.	"Tear Stained Letter"	Johnny Cash	2:45
7.	"Mississippi Sand"	Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash	3:08
8.	"Daddy"	Don Reid, Harold Reid	2:54
9.	"Arkansas Lovin' Man"	Red Lane	2:51
10.	"The Miracle Man"	Johnny Cash, Larry Lee	3:30

Personnel

Johnny Cash – Vocals, Guitar
The Evangel Temple Choir – Background Vocals
The Carter Family – Background vocals
Marshall Grant – bass
W.S. Holland- drums
Bob Wootton, Carl Perkins, Ray Edenton, Jerry Reed – guitar
Tommy Allsup – acoustic guitar
Charlie McCoy – harmonica
Bill Pursell – piano
Larry Butler – producer, piano, arranged "A Thing Called Love" and "Papa Was A Good Man"
Don Tweedy – arranged "Tear Stained Letter"
Charlie Bragg & Lou Bradley – engineers

Charts

Album – Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1972	Country Albums	2
1972	Pop Albums	112

Singles – Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1971	"Papa Was a Good Man"	Country Singles	16
1971	"A Thing Called Love"	Country Singles	2
1972	"Kate"	Country Singles	2
1972	"Kate"	Pop Singles	75

Covers

The title song was covered by Elvis Presley on his 1972 album He Touched Me.

External links

Luma Electronic entry on A Thing Called Love

v t e Johnny Cash
Studio albums	With His Hot and Blue Guitar Sings the Songs That Made Him Famous The Fabulous Johnny Cash Greatest! Songs of Our Soil Sings Hank Williams Now, There Was a Song! Now Here's Johnny Cash The Sound of Johnny Cash All Aboard the Blue Train Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash The Original Sun Sound of Johnny Cash I Walk the Line Orange Blossom Special Everybody Loves a Nut Happiness Is You Old Golden Throat More of Old Golden Throat Hello, I'm Johnny Cash The World of Johnny Cash Man in Black A Thing Called Love International Superstar Any Old Wind That Blows Ragged Old Flag The Junkie and the Juicehead Minus Me John R. Cash Look at Them Beans One Piece at a Time The Last Gunfighter Ballad I Would Like to See You Again Gone Girl Silver Rockabilly Blues The Baron The Adventures of Johnny Cash Johnny 99 Rainbow Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series Water from the Wells of Home Boom Chicka Boom The Mystery of Life American Recordings Unchained American III: Solitary Man American IV: The Man Comes Around Personal File American V: A Hundred Highways American VI: Ain't No Grave Out Among the Stars
Concept albums	Ride This Train Blood, Sweat and Tears Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian Sings the Ballads of the True West From Sea to Shining Sea America: A 200-Year Salute in Story and Song The Johnny Cash Children's Album The Rambler
Gospel albums	Hymns by Johnny Cash Hymns from the Heart The Holy Land The Gospel Road (film soundtrack) Sings Precious Memories A Believer Sings the Truth Believe in Him Return to the Promised Land (video soundtrack) My Mother's Hymn Book
Christmas albums	The Christmas Spirit The Johnny Cash Family Christmas Classic Christmas Johnny Cash Country Christmas
Collaborations	The Lure of the Grand Canyon Carryin' On with Johnny Cash and June Carter Johnny Cash and His Woman The Legend of Jesse James The Survivors Live Highwayman Class of '55 Heroes Highwayman 2 The Road Goes on Forever VH1 Storytellers
Live albums	At Folsom Prison At San Quentin The Johnny Cash Show På Österåker Strawberry Cake Koncert v Praze (In Prague–Live) At Madison Square Garden A Concert Behind Prison Walls
Non-Gospel Soundtracks	I Walk the Line Little Fauss and Big Halsy
Compilations	Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 Heart of Cash Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 Sunday Morning Coming Down Five Feet High and Rising Destination Victoria Station Greatest Hits, Vol. 3 The Unissued Johnny Cash Johnny & June Tall Man Encore Biggest Hits The Man in Black 1954–1958 The Man in Black 1959–1962 Come Along and Ride This Train The Essential Johnny Cash (1992) Wanted Man The Man in Black 1963–1969 The Man in Black – His Greatest Hits 16 Biggest Hits Love, God, Murder The Essential Johnny Cash (2002) Unearthed The Legend The Legend of Johnny Cash Johnny Cash: Patriot 16 Biggest Hits: Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash The Legend of Johnny Cash Vol. II The Complete Columbia Album Collection
Songs	"25 Minutes to Go" "Seasons of My Heart" "Any Old Wind That Blows" "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" "Big River" "Blistered" "A Boy Named Sue" "Busted" "Cat's in the Cradle" "Cocaine Blues" "Cry! Cry! Cry!" "Daddy Sang Bass" "Dark as a Dungeon" "Don't Take Your Guns to Town" "Engine 143" "Flesh and Blood" "The Folk Singer" "Folsom Prison Blues" "Forty Shades of Green" "Get Rhythm" "Goodnight, Irene" "Green, Green Grass of Home" "Greystone Chapel" "Guess Things Happen That Way" "Hey, Porter" "Home of the Blues" "Hurt" "I Couldn't Keep from Crying" "I Love You Because" "I Still Miss Someone" "I Walk the Line" "If I Had a Hammer" "If I Were a Carpenter" "In My Life" "In the Jailhouse Now" "It Ain't Me Babe" "Jackson" "Kate" "The Man Comes Around" "Man in Black" "The Matador" "Oh Lonesome Me" "One Piece at a Time" "Oney" "Orange Blossom Special" "The One on the Right Is on the Left" "Remember the Alamo" "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky" "Ring of Fire" "Rock Island Line" "So Doggone Lonesome" "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" "Tennessee Flat Top Box" "There Ain't No Good Chain Gang" "A Thing Called Love" "Understand Your Man" "What Is Truth" "What'd I Say"
Family	June Carter Cash John Carter Cash Rosanne Cash Carlene Carter Vivian Liberto Tommy Cash Carter Family
Related articles	Albums discography Singles discography Sun Records discography Highwaymen Carter Family Fold Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words Cash: The Autobiography Johnny Cash! The Man, His World, His Music Walk the Line We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash Ring of Fire (2013 film) Ring of Fire (musical) My Father and the Man in Black Dyess, Arkansas The Sound Behind Johnny Cash
Book

A Thing Called Love

Contents

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Covers

External links

Navigation menu

Personal tools

Namespaces

Variants

Views

More

Search

Navigation

Tools