Lykke Li has released a haunting cover of Johnny Cash’s classic song, “Ring of Fire.”
Li’s first new release since 2022’s EYEYE, the single arrives as part of the soundtrack for the new Netflix film, Damsel, due on March 8th. Speaking in a new interview with Variety, Li explained that she wanted to honor the song’s distinct vibe while leaning into its emotionality. In the end, a spur-of-the-moment performance spawned the sound she was looking for.
“I sat down at the piano and the first thing that came out of my mouth was what I recorded,” she said. “To be honest, the only version I’ve ever heard in my whole life is the Johnny Cash version, so I had no real history. I just went into it pretty blank… You can feel that energy on the recording, so it’s a very important process for me to keep it live and keep the tension.”
Li’s recording of the song will appear over the credits for Damsel, and its poetically “tense” feel will perfectly match the tone of the film itself. Starring Millie Bobbie Brown and directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, it tells the story of a woman who marries into a royal family, only to find that she’s been selected to be sacrificed to a dragon.
Citing June Carter Cash — who co-wrote “Ring of Fire” — Li said that she wanted to emphasize the “haunting quality that it is to fall in love.” Referencing the fact that June Carter and Johnny Cash were both married to other people at the time of the song’s writing, she said: “[Carter Cash] was like, ‘Shit, I’m about to fall in love and it’s going to blow up and ruin my life.’ But also there’s no other way… It really is like stepping into a ring of fire.”
Even to Li, though, it’s hard to beat Cash’s original 1963 recording. “I think the beauty of the song, what I realized too when you break it down, is that Johnny Cash’s version has tempo and all of those other things… It’s him. It could even be a lullaby. But that goes for every great song. It’s a classic. Timeless.”
Last month, Carter Cash was the subject of a new documentary by Paramount+, titled JUNE.
