Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1963 and became famous for its fiery chorus.
June Carter and Merle Kilgore co-wrote the song, which describes the overwhelming feeling of falling in love. Carter reportedly drew inspiration from the imagery of a Mexican horn section and from the phrase “love is like a burning ring of fire.” Cash recorded the song after hearing an earlier version by Anita Carter.
The recording is especially recognizable for its mariachi-style trumpets, an unusual sound in country music at the time. Cash’s version spent seven weeks at number one on Billboard’s country chart and also became a major pop crossover hit.
“Ring of Fire” is sometimes confused with “I Walk the Line,” another defining Cash recording. The two songs are separate compositions, released nearly a decade apart. “Ring of Fire” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.