Country-folk singer/songwriter John Prine is releasing his first album in 13 years this spring, The Tree of Forgiveness. He already released the first single, “Summer’s End,” and recently covered Johnny Cash’s “The Ways of a Woman in Love.” The song was written in 1958 by Bill Justus and “Silver Fox” Charlie Rich.
Prine has said of the tune (via Billboard): “‘The Ways Of A Woman In Love’ has always been one of my fave Johnny Cash songs since I was a kid. It’s my go-to song when I tune my guitar. I especially like the first line of the song…’You cut out you’re dancin’ and never see a show.’”
Prine’s mellow acoustic version is a little slower than Cash’s and is included on the Amazon original playlist Love Me, “featuring exclusive songs for lovers around the world.”
The accompanying video centers on a boy with a cardboard box for a head. It’s directed by Josh Britt and Neilson Hubbard from Neighborhoods Apart.
“We loved the simplicity and honesty of John’s version of this song,” said Britt. “We wanted to match that sentiment visually. The box head worked well because it created a unique and isolated universe to tell the story of a man who pines over the girl he no longer has.
“We got lucky that they were blowing up the old Lifeway building in Nashville during filming, which was a perfect metaphor for a man’s world crumbling around him. We wanted the video to have some tenderness and humor about it. It made John laugh when we showed it to him, so we knew we were on the right track.”
Reaction to the video has been positive, with YouTube users praising its gentle and sweet tone. The Tree of Forgiveness will be released on April 13 on Prine’s independent label, Oh Boy Records.
