This CD from 2004 (hard to believe it’s 20 years ago!) collects most of the John Mellencamp (aka, “John Cougar”) hits from his career. Discovermusic lists what they think are Mellencamp’s 20 best songs (you can read the entire article by Brett Milano here) but here’s the top eleven songs according to Milano:
“The American Dream” (from Chestnut Street Incident, 1976)
Then known as “Johnny Cougar,” John Mellencamp’s debut album is full of unlikely 60s cover songs and slick, glitter-styled production. At the time, he looked and sounded like he really loved Elvis Presley. The opening track is still a solid rocker, introducing the heartland storytelling that would later make his name. Even the chorus, “Ain’t that the American dream,” would later be adapted in a more famous tune of his.
“Ain’t Even Done With the Night” (from Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did, 1981)
Donning the more serious “John Cougar” name, John Mellencamp set his sights on chart success: This tune was part of a string of singles (including “Hurt So Good” and the Pat Benatar-covered “I Need a Lover”) that established him as a radio presence. “Ain’t Even Done…” was the sweetest of the batch, a song that captures the feel of being young and sexed-up. The lyrics evince both insecurity (“Don’t even know if I’m doing this right”) and endless possibility. Sure, there’s a bit of Springsteen here, but the lead mandolin points at his future direction.
“Jack & Diane” (from American Fool, 1982)
An 80s anthem and a No. 1 hit, “Jack & Diane” puts some ambiguity in John Mellencamp’s storytelling: We don’t know where Jack and Diane will end up, this is just a snapshot that feels gritty and real. Sonically, it was state of the art, with that heavy acoustic guitar, the big chord crashes, and the rousing “Oh let it rock” chorus.
“Pink Houses” (from Uh-Huh, 1983)
Enter “John Cougar Mellencamp,” and the most emblematic song of his career (if not quite the biggest hit). The chorus of “ain’t that America” has been adopted by politicians on both sides of the spectrum, but like “Born in the USA,” this is an easy song to misinterpret. Mellencamp’s song is patriotic but not a flag-waver: It calls out inequality and lost dreams, and says that the peoples’ ability to roll with it is what makes this country great.
“Small Town” (from Scarecrow, 1985)
Another year, another anthem: When you hear the words “heartland rock,” “Small Town” is likely the first song that comes to mind. No double edge on this one, it’s a pure celebration of his roots, and the video includes some of the most rural scenes ever to appear on peak-era MTV.
“Rain On the Scarecrow” (from Scarecrow, 1985)
“Scarecrow” made a forceful case for the economically threatened American farmer. Anticipating Farm Aid and a few stacks of similarly-themed songs, this one went a long way toward putting the plight of farmers on the national radar.
“Paper in Fire,” (from The Lonesome Jubilee, 1987)
Now hitting the peak of his 80s fame, John Mellencamp was blending rock and roots into his own kind of American music. The pairing of accordion and fiddle with Kenny Aronoff’s power drumming made this an especially potent band. Though it still works as a fist-waver, “Paper in Fire” found him writing on a more metaphorical level about how the grandest dreams can turn to ashes.
“Shama Lama Ding Dong” (single, 1987)
For all the deep thoughts in his songs, John Mellencamp could do pure fun with the best. This rarity is a prime example: Originally played by Otis Day & the Knights in the movie Animal House, “Shama Lama Ding Dong” was a nod to the soulful sound of North Carolina beach music. It was a popular live tune in the Lonesome Jubilee era, and a studio version appeared on the B-side of the “Cherry Bomb” single. Still non-LP after all these years, so happy hunting.
“Big Daddy of Them All” (from Big Daddy, 1989)
Big Daddy was a surprise. It was a darker album that largely avoided the usual rockers and anthems and had more of a world-weary tone. The hit single “Pop Singer” is one of John Mellencamp’s crankiest. This sort-of title track opened the album and set its tone, telling of a character who gains power but loses his soul. The sound is likewise stripped-down, with an aggressive lead guitar that appears only in the middle and end.
“I Ain’t Never Satisfied” (from Whenever We Wanted, 1991)
Just when it seemed John Mellencamp had grown away from straight-ahead rock, he picked it back up with a vengeance on this oft-overlooked 1991 album – the first to be credited to “John Mellencamp.” He was confident enough to release half of its ten tracks as singles – but oddly, this standout track wasn’t one of those. With a killer guitar riff and clever lyrics (“I try anything once, but then I do it to death”), this is as stripped-down and punkish as Mellencamp gets. Cheers to the terrific guitarist David Grissom, pinched from Texas rocker Joe Ely’s band.
“Wild Night” (from Dance Naked, 1994)
Cover tunes are an enduring part of John Mellencamp’s catalogue, he even devoted a full compilation album to Other Peoples’ Stuff in 2018. “Wild Night” makes our list, partly because it was a big hit and because it gives one of Van Morrison’s most beloved tunes a run for its money. Mellencamp doesn’t change the feel of the song much, though he does replace Morrison’s horns with a wall of guitars. But the vocal tradeoffs with Me’Shell Ndegeocello are the real kicker.
How many of these 35 John Mellencamp songs do you remember? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
| 1-1 | Walk Tall | 3:45 | |
| 1-2 | Pink Houses | 4:46 | |
| 1-3 | Lonely Ol’ Night | 3:46 | |
| 1-4 | Jackie Brown | 4:04 | |
| 1-5 | Rain On The Scarecrow | 3:46 | |
| 1-6 | Love And Happiness | 3:55 | |
| 1-7 | Check It Out | 4:21 | |
| 1-8 | Peaceful World | 4:07 | |
| 1-9 | Paper In Fire Written-By – Don Gehman, John Mellencamp* | 3:52 | |
| 1-10 | Your Life Is Now Written-By – George Green (4), John Mellencamp* | 4:00 | |
| 1-11 | Human WheelsWritten-By – George Green (4), John Mellencamp* | 5:37 | |
| 1-12 | When Jesus Left Birmingham | 5:17 | |
| 1-13 | Authority Song | 3:50 | |
| 1-14 | What If I Came Knocking | 5:06 | |
| 1-15 | Crumblin’ Down Written-By – George Green (4), John Mellencamp* | 3:36 | |
| 1-16 | Small Town | 3:43 | |
| 1-17 | R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. | 2:56 | |
| 1-18 | Cherry Bomb | 4:50 | |
| 1-19 | Pop Singer | 2:46 | |
| 2-1 | Thank You | 3:38 | |
| 2-2 | Martha Say | 3:43 | |
| 2-3 | Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) Written-By – George Green (4), John Mellencamp | 4:54 | |
| 2-4 | Hand To Hold On To | 3:25 | |
| 2-5 | I Need A Lover | 5:36 | |
| 2-6 | Hurts So Good Written-By – George Green (4), John Mellencamp*Written-By – George Green (4), John Mellencamp* | 3:41 | |
| 2-7 | Get A Leg Up | 3:47 | |
| 2-8 | Wild Night Written-By – Van Morrison | 3:28 | |
| 2-9 | Dance Naked | 3:01 | |
| 2-10 | Teardrops Will Fall Written-By – Dicky Doo, Marion Smith | 4:20 | |
| 2-11 | Ain’t Even Done With The Night | 4:38 | |
| 2-12 | Just Another Day | 3:31 | |
| 2-13 | Jack & Diane | 4:17 | |
| 2-14 | Rumble Seat | 2:59 | |
| 2-15 | I’m Not Running Anymore | 3:27 | |
| 2-16 | Again Tonight | 3:18 | |
| 2-17 | This Time | 4:20 | |
| 2-18 | Now More Than Ever |
I have this album so I know the songs. My favorites mostly come from Scarecrow. Rain On the Scarecrow, Pink Houses, Small Town
Steve, your tastes parallel mine on this CD.
I like his rocking stuff mostly: “Lonely Ol’ Night”, “Crumbling Down” (although I was today-years-old before I realized the title of the song is not “Tumbling Down”), “Cherry Bomb”, and “ROCK in the USA”. I saw him in concert once, and he puts on a good show.
Deb, one of my regrets is that I could have seen “John Cougar” in concert at Niagara University in 1979…but passed because I was teaching there at the time.
I may be in the minority, but If I never hear “Jack & Diane” again, it will be too soon.
Fred, now that George Soros has purchased all the AM radio stations in Western NY, I suspect the Oldies station who might play “Jack & Diane” will soon be a thing of the Past.
We saw him for the first time this past December at Steve Earle’s annual benefit for his autistic son’s school. He did four or five songs, including “Small Town.” Of course I like “Wild Night” as it is a favorite Van Morrison song. I knew he’s been around for a long time, but I was still shocked to realize that he is 72.
Face it, we’re geezers (except Deb).
Oh, sorry, here’s the setlist:
Small Town
The Eyes of Portland
Longest Days
Pink Houses
No “Jack & Diane,” Fred.
Jeff, I know that cliche that “Age is just a number” but after our trip to Georgia, I feel 100 years old!
I remain chagrined that I missed the last year of lockdown version of that concert which was happening a mile or two away, for the Philadelphia-area concert, which I learned of about the same time it was ending. I was kind of broke, anyway, but…
Well, I’m still young enough to be presumptuous by geezing, barely, but I did ask Alice yesterday (as we live across the street from an elementary school) if she remembered screaming that much when she was 8yo, because I don’t (excited/happy screams, for the most part, one hopes)…so they can stay off my lawn (adult commuters walking toward and from the train station seem to be responsible seem to be responsible for most of the candy wrappers that end up on our lawn).
Todd, it’s a different world out there now. When I was growing up in Elementary School, there were no drugs, no alcohol, no weapons, and not a lot of hunger. Today, over 50% of kids in Elementary School get a food subsidy. And, that number is growing…
I remember him being compared to Bruce all the time in the late eighties and nineties. Hard to see why now.
Patti, I agree with you. Very different styles of music.
I didn’t mind the guy’s music but I just never connected with it. I do give him credit for pushing back at his label and reshaping his music and career to what he wanted at a time when that was no small feat. He also had a big hand in James McMurtry’s first album so I’m grateful to him for that.
Didn’t he do some kind of theatrical project with Stephen King?
Byron,Ghost Brothers of Darkland County is a musical by John Mellencamp, Stephen King, and T Bone Burnett. It debuted at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2012. A touring production began in late 2013 through the South and Midwest. A soundtrack was released featuring country, folk, and rock musicians.
The story is a Southern Gothic tale of two brothers who hate each other and are forced by their father to spend time in a haunted cabin, where they are visited by the ghosts of dead brothers who also hated each other.
Well, it was the wardrobe, for one. And the notion of being the Working Person’s kind of “straight-ahead rock”…
(That was in response to the Why Springsteen Comparisons? question, but this Lenovo flaked on it).
Never much love for Mellencamp’s music here, though it did improve when he added the violinist to his band (not solely because of her, but the instrumentation helped, but it seemed to me that the songs were a bit less bland than the 1982 material). Didn’t ever seek out his earliest recordings.
Todd, I agree with you on the violinist enhancing Mellencamp’s music. Especially on “Cherry Bomb.”
I think Mellencamp was compared to Springsteen because of a working class sensibility. Actually I find Mellencamp closer to John Hiatt or early John Prine.