That Old Wheel

"That Old Wheel" is a song written by Jennifer Pierce and recorded by Johnny Cash together with Hank Williams Jr. for Cash's Jack Clement–produced 1988 album Water from the Wells of Home.

"That Old Wheel"
Single by Johnny Cash with Hank Williams Jr.
from the album Water from the Wells of Home
B-side"Tennessee Flat Top Box"[1]
Released1988 (1988)[2]
GenreCountry
LabelMercury 870 688-7
Songwriter(s)Jennifer Pierce
Producer(s)Jack Clement[3]
Johnny Cash with Hank Williams Jr. singles chronology
"Get Rhythm"
(1988)		 "That Old Wheel"
(1988)		 "Ballad of a Teenage Queen"
(1989)
Audio
"That Old Wheel" on YouTube

Released in September 1988 as the lead single from the album,[4][3][1] the song reached number 21 on U.S. Billboard's country chart for the week of December 3.[5][6] The other side of the single was a recording of Cash singing "Tennessee Flat Top Box" from the 1988 album Classic Cash – Hall of Fame Series.[3]

Content

The song is a country ballad[7] which philosophically talks about two friends who "roll along thought life like 'that old wheel'".[8]

The song is filled with sage advice about standing strong and overcoming life's obstacles. And to those who injure us, know that "they will sow as they reap ... and that old wheel will roll around again."[8]

— John M. Alexander The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash

History

When Cash and Jack Clement were working on Cash's second Mercury album, they came with the idea to team up with artists who were popular right now. And one of such artists would be Hank Williams Jr.[4]

If country DJ's weren't interested in a Johnny Cash album, maybe they'd play the record if we were teamed with a "hot" artist. What about a duet with Hank Williams Jr., who was red-hot, registering seven number-one singles in the 1980s, two in 1986 alone?[4]

— Robert Hilburn. Johnny Cash: The Life

Moreover, Hank Williams Jr. was a longtime friend of Cash. In his book on Johnny Cash, C. Eric Banister quotes him saying, "I worked with Hank Jr. when he was fifteen, sixteen years old. He was part of my show, and he was stealing the show from me. I always wanted to have him on one of my records and we finally found a song."[9]

The album concept, especially the idea of a duet with Hank Williams Jr., appealed to record company executive Steve Popovich.[4]

Popovich loved the idea, especially the Hank Jr. track, a spiritually tinged feel-good song by Jennifer Pierce called "That Old Wheel." He told everyone at PolyGram in New York that he had a smash.[4]

— Robert Hilburn. Johnny Cash: The Life

The song would be eventually chosen as the lead single from the album.[4]

Despite all the expectations, the song went only to number 21 on the Billboard country chart.

Track listing
7" single (Mercury 870 688-7, 1988)[3]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."That Old Wheel"J. Pierce2:48
2."Tennessee Flat Top Box"J. R. Cash3:06

Charts
Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[10] 21

References
  1. Smith, John L. (1994). The Johnny Cash Record Catalog. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-313-29506-5.
  2. "That Old Wheel (feat. Hank Williams, Jr.)". Johnny Cash official site. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  3. "W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-10-10. THAT OLD WHEEL (J. Pierce) JOHNNY CASH WITH HANK WILLIAMS JR. From the Mercury album #422 834 778-1 "WATER FROM THE WELLS OF HOME" ℗ 1988 PolyGram Records, Inc. // TENNESSEE FLAT TOP BOX (J.R. Cash) JOHNNY CASH From the Mercury album 422 834 526-1 "CLASSIC CASH - HALL OF FAME SERIES" ℗ 1988 PolyGram Records, Inc.
  4. Robert Hilburn (2013). Johnny Cash: The Life. Orion. pp. 411–412. ISBN 978-0-297-86658-9.
  5. "Johnny Cash". Billboard.
  6. "Hot Country Songs Chart (The week of December 3, 1988)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
  7. Peter Hogan; Johnny Cash (2010). Johnny Cash: Story und Songs kompakt. Bosworth Music. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-85712-337-4.
  8. John M. Alexander (2018). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-68226-051-7.
  9. C. Eric Banister (2014). Johnny Cash FAQ All That's Left to Know About the Man in Black. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 324. ISBN 978-1-61713-609-2.
  10. "Johnny Cash Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-10.
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