AI-Generated Johnny Cash Singing 'Barbie Girl' Sounds Pretty Good
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"Hello, I'm not Johnny Cash"—but it's hard to tell by the sound of the AI-generated vocals on a new track that opens with the transparent disclosure.
The reworked song—which seems to be a mashup of hit tunes "Barbie Girl" by Aqua (1997), "Wannabe" by Spice Girls (1996) and "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus (2009)—was posted by YouTube account There I Ruined It on July 13, already amassing over 588k views in under a week.
The iconic voice of Johnny Cash plays over his 1968-released "Folsom Prison Blues," singing lyrics of the aforementioned songs instead of his own—or at least, the Artificial Intelligent version of Cash, anyway.
At one point, the voice even says, "This is what you guys call music? Well I'll be d---ed," making a case that music of today sounds much different than it did when the artist was in his prime.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the "Man in Black" singer's death, who passed away on Sept. 12, 2003, due to respiratory failure brought on by complications from diabetes. He was 71 years old.
In the comment section of the video, internet users poured in with their thoughts.
"As a Cash fan, this is blasphemous but as a fan of the absurd, this is perfect," one comment read, as one fan of the blues artist's supporters showed appreciation with, "R.I.P. legend. I'm so glad we can still hear your voice," in part.
"I like the fact that’s there’s effort to make it sound like that the Artist actually sang it, along with the mannerisms .That 'hello, I’m not Johnny Cash' sold it for me," another insisted.
Two other people were pleased, writing, "Unironically better than 99% of music this century," and "The voice model is pretty spot on for this one. Probably one of the best I've heard to date."
Though it was seemingly meant to be a spoof, another commenter noticed, "say what you will, but the audience seems to love it," and from the looks of it, they're not totally incorrect!
The account has also posted other AI-generated songs on the video sharing platform, including an altered mix of a faux Elvis singing Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" (1992), which has gotten nearly a million views in just three weeks.
Next, Luke Bryan Reacts to His Own AI-Generated Lyrics and Vocals
