John Mellencamp, The #47 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

 Cougar Mellencamp launched his own recording studio in Belmont, Indiana called Belmont Mall.  He released the album of his career with Scarecrow in 1985, about the declining American dream due to corporate greed.  

Both the title and the hook of the first single were taken from the movie Hud, when Brandon De Wilde's character asks, "It's a lonesome old night, isn't it?".  To which Paul Newman answers, "Ain't they all?"  John liked the movie so much he named one of his sons Hud.  Hud is featured on the cover of his 2010 album No Better Than This.  Mellencamp also refers to the Four Tops smash "Standing In The Shadows Of Love" in the track.  "Lonely 'Ol Night" started it out by going to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #6 overall in the U.S. and #4 in Canada.

 

John had a way of connecting with the listener, writing about themes that they could identify with, such as "Small Town", a #2 MR hit that reached #6 on the Popular chart.  John wrote it about his experience growing up in Seymour.  A fan of music in the 60's, John often included bits of 60's music in his songs.  Listen for the riff from the Supremes' hit "Back In My Arms Again" in the bridge of "Small Town".

Rolling Stone magazine reported that members of the band played 100 songs from the 60's for a month so that they could learn the techniques used by those artists and incorporate them into John's songs.  "Justice And Independence '85" stalled at #28 on the Mainstream Rock chart, one of The Top Tracks of the Rock Era*.

 

As more people discover this amazing album, it continues to sell, to the tune of over five million now.  "Minutes To Memories", a #14 MR hit, is one of the best songs John has ever done and one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

John received a nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards for "Pink Houses".  The following year, the entire album was deservedly recognized in a second nomination for Cougar Mellencamp at the Grammys.

 

You have learned that John paid tribute to 60's artists and music in many of his songs.  He wrote this song specifically about the music from that era and name-drops some of his influences, the Rascals, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Frankie Lyman, Bobby Fuller, Mitch Ryder, and others.  The mention of Fuller's name not only earned Mellencamp a credit on a Fuller compilation album but John said:

     When I played in Albuquerque, I think it was,

      his [Fuller's] mom and some of his family came

      down to see me play.  They acted like I gave them

      60 million dollars just for mentioning his name.  They

      gave me his belt that he died in.

"R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." climbed to #2 in the United States and #6 in Canada.

That year, John worked on another of his most outstanding achievements, teaming up with Neil Young and Willie Nelson to initiate the Farm Aid benefit concerts, with the first one taking place September 22, 1985 in Champaign, Illinois.  To date, the concerts have raised over $50 million for struggling American farmers.

 

And, he wrote songs that reflected the farmers' plight, such as "Rain On The Scarecrow", another highly underrated song at #21.  It tells the story of a man pushed to the brink dealing with the many pressures of being a modern American farmer, so dependent on the weather and the market while combatting insects, wind, and natural disasters.  Combining the heartbreak of loss with fierce anger results in some of his most memorable lyrics and vocal accomplishments.

 

John pulled another hit off the album when "Rumbleseat" reached #4 on the MR chart.

 Another of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* is "You've Got To Stand For Somethin'".  Mellencamp told Creem magazine:

      I never did say what you should stand for.  Except 

     your own truth.  But I think that's the key to the 

     whole LP - suggesting that each person come to 

     grips with their own individual truth - and try to like                     themselves a little bit more.  Find out what you as a

     person are - and don't let the world drag you down. 

     People should have respect for and believe in 

     themselves. 

Mellencamp testified before the U.S. Senate in 1987 about the family farm crisis.

 Cougar Mellencamp released the album The Lonesome Jubilee in 1987.  John consistently wrote about the main theme of income and social inequality in America.  "Paper In Fire" refers to the dreams that disappear when Americans are overcome with the harsh realities of life.  Featuring a mean fiddle played by Lisa Germano, it hit #1 in Canada and #9 in the United States.

 

The name of his next single, "Cherry Bomb", is from a popular teen nightclub (no one over 21 was allowed) in Central Michigan.  John reflected on his own teenage years hanging out at the Last Exit Teen Club in Indiana.  "Cherry Bomb" climbed to #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #8 overall in the U.S. while reaching #4 in Canada and New Zealand.

 

"Hard Times For An Honest Man" and "The Real Life" received significant airplay on Mainstream Rock stations.  "Check It Out" is about standing at the crossroads between childhood and adulthood, having gotten there much more rapidly than you thought, and needing to analyze your life to plot a course forward.  John puts out the question of how do we teach future generations about the sudden emotional growth, or will they just be better at understanding it than us? 

"Check It Out" reached #3 on the MR chart and #14 overall.

Be sure to join us for Part Three!