RE: Versions of Hurt... A guy named Johnny sells some Nine Inch Nails for Cash and receives some Sevendust
One of my favorite songs, and I love that it only seems to get better when people record it in their own styles. I remember the day I first heard the Johnny Cash version, back when MTV had music. I was speechless and after I watched that entire video, I got my happy little ass on my dial up internet connection and bootlegged it from Limewire or whatever P2P was going on at that point. I don't encourage stealing music, it's free enough now anyway, but it was so powerful and I didn't have the means to actually buy the song/album back then. I must have listened to the Cash version a thousand times and still do from time to time. So raw and guttural it just scratches at your emotions. I knew he was going to die soon when I listened to him singing that song, I don't know if I'm the only person that felt that, but I never felt that from NIN performing it.
I think Cash version is definitely the best and most emotional performance. It seems Trent Reznor agrees on that point too.