Cain's Blood

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"Cain's Blood"
Single by 4 Runner
from the album 4 Runner
B-side "Ten Pound Hammer"[1]
Released February 1995
Format CD single, 45 RPM
Recorded September 1994
Genre Country
Length 3:52
Label Polydor
Writer(s) Michael Johnson, Jack Sundrud
Producer Buddy Cannon, Larry Shell
4 Runner singles chronology
"Cain's Blood"
(1995)
"A Heart with 4 Wheel Drive"
(1995)

"Cain's Blood" is the title of a song recorded by American country music group 4 Runner. It was released in February 1995 as the first single from the album 4 Runner. The song reached number 26 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1]

Contents

Content [edit]

The song is about "the tug and pull [between good and evil] that goes on inside each and every one of us", according to Polydor Records then-president Steve Miller.[2] It uses the Biblical story of Cain and Abel to represent the narrator's struggle between good and evil.[3] Co-writer Michael Johnson said that the idea for the chorus came to him while he was in jail for driving under the influence.[4]

Music video [edit]

The music video premiered in February 1995. It was filmed at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.[2]

Critical reception [edit]

"Cain's Blood" generally received positive reception for its Southern gospel sound.[2] The single was also compared to the sound of The Oak Ridge Boys due to the use of four-part vocal harmony.[5] Brian Wahlert of Country Standard Time wrote that the song is a "dark and moody testament to life's daily battle between good and evil in which the four voices become completely integrated into an eerie, foreboding whole."[6]

Chart performance [edit]

"Cain's Blood" debuted at number 74 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of March 18, 1995.

Chart (1995) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks 26
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[1] 18
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 14

References [edit]

  1. ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 149. ISBN 0-89820-177-2. 
  2. ^ a b c Morris, Edward (April 1, 1995). "4 Runner: Oak Ridge Boys of '90s?". Billboard: 28, 35. 
  3. ^ Van Scott, Miriam (1999). The Encyclopedia of Hell. Macmillan. p. 74. 
  4. ^ "4 Runner's not just another Oak Ridge Boys". The Vindicator. 13 May 1995. Retrieved 13 May 2012. 
  5. ^ "4 Runner resurrects the country quartet". The Albany Herald (Associated Press). May 29, 1995. Retrieved 13 May 2012. 
  6. ^ Wahlert, Brian. "4 Runner review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 7 May 2010.