The Playlist: John Mellencamp

An advocate for American farmers. A future Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. A poor man's Bruce Springsteen.

All have been used to describe John Mellencamp, the native of Seymour, IN. who offered up a big slice of Americana through his music upon arriving on the scene in the early 1980s.

He spoke of the good and of the bad and never wavered from his focus on the blue collar worker.

Now with a new album in the works, which includes a song focusing on the recent Jena 6 scandal, I thought this would be a good time to take a look at the career of the former Johnny Cougar and five of what I consider to be his best songs.


Rain on the Scarecrow (1985)
"We're sick of working 10 or 12 hours a day or more and just breaking even if you're lucky, if you're real good." So says a family farmer in the opening of the song's music video. Focusing on the plight of the American family farmer, unable to pay off bank loans and having to foreclose on their land, the song - from 1985's 'Scarecrow' album - was a perfect segway for Mellencamp, Neil Young and Willie Nelson to create the annual Farm Aid concert that same year. As a result of their work, Congress passed the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 to help protect family farms against foreclosure.



Wild Nights (1994)
A cover of the 1971 Van Morrison song, Mellencamp teamed with relative unknown Me'shell Ndegéocello for this hit from the 'Dance Naked' album. The upbeat song was a huge hit, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard charts and giving Mellencamp his most successful song since 1985's "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." The Van Morrison version was featured in the 1991 film "Thelma and Louise" and was recently released on a compilation with 18 other songs of his which have been included in hit movies.




Pink Houses (1983)
Inspired by a drive home from the Indianapolis airport, in which Mellencamp saw a man living in shack feet away from the Interstate, "Pink Houses" was a Top 10 hit from the "Uh Huh" album. While he is often compared to Bruce Springsteen, the comparisons go far beyond their working-class songs. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan tried to use "Pink Houses" for a re-election campaign ad. Mellencamp refused. In similar fashion, the President tried to use Springsteen's anthem "Born in the USA" that same year which also was denied.



Small Town (1985)
It was a Top 10 hit for Mellencamp and helped solidify his status as a champion of Small Town, USA. The song refers to experiences learning about life, love and religion while growing up in Seymour and nearby Bloomington, In. while the video - shot in the same locations - incorporates still photos of life in small towns and from Mellencamp's own childhood. NBA legend Larry Bird used the song during his retirement ceremony in 1993, in reference to his own hometown, French Lick, In. Mellencamp recently performed the song for the NFL Kickoff special on NBC back in September, and humorously added a line not included in the original version - "My wife was 13 when I wrote this song."



Jack and Diane (1982)
Bon Jovi had Tommy and Gina. Mellencamp had Jack and Diane. His signature song, it remains his biggest hit to date having spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. The story of two kids in love with their futures in front of them has become part of pop culture and has even turned up in other songs, including Kenny Chesney's "I Go Back" and Bowling for Soup's "Why Don't I Miss You?" Fans of Chicken of the Sea might also know the song for being sampled by Jessica Simpson for her hit "I Think I'm in Love With You."
John Mellencamp

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There’s my list - what’s yours? Shoot me an e-mail at grahamcawthon@shelbystar.com and it might end up featured in a future column.