Essential John Mellencamp Songs

John Mellencamp is one of those artists that I feel like I've listened to my whole life, whether I wanted to or not. My dad would listen to music like John Mellencamp and Billy Joel while driving around together in his truck as a child, yet I refused to listen to it; I wanted whatever pop music was popular at the time. When I discovered rock music as I was growing up, it seemed to be a recurring theme, "Wait! This is a John Mellencamp song? I didn't know that!" Years later when I began working for several radio stations, there was Mr. Mellencamp again. I'm glad I finally gave in and learned to like it. I even bought a two-disc "Best Of" for my dad as a gift one Christmas.

 

10. "Play Guitar" (Uh-Huh)
It irritates me that this song was played unedited for years and years until just recently. The song's how old?! Just leave it be.

9. "Human Wheels" (Human Wheels)
The percussion in this song is awesome and I also dig the mandolin.

8. "Serious Business" (Uh-Huh)
Seems to me like a 'tongue in cheek' song about the rock and roll business. Not only that, it just rocks too.

7. "Rain On The Scarecrow" (Scarecrow)
So many of Mellencamp's songs are about Middle America: farmers, blue collar workers, small town living, and the like. This is probably his finest example.

6. "Get A Leg Up" (Whenever We Wanted)
I'd heard this song in the past yet forgot all about it until my friend Brent Stortzum began playing it live with his band. It renewed my interest in it.

5. "Love And Happiness" (Whenever We Wanted)
One word: saxomophone. As I was researching these songs for this week's list, I learned this is one of the least popular albums from his discography. That's strange considering it produced several hits, yet it's not strange since I seem to like those albums most from artists.

4. "Check It Out" (The Lonesome Jubilee)
This is the first Mellencamp CD that I purchased when a music store was liquidating their used CD selection. I looked over the track listing and I initially wanted it for "Paper In Fire", but actually liked several others a lot more once I listened to it. Best $1 I ever spent!

3. "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." (Scarecrow)
How can anyone not like this song- it's about rock and roll and America! Or should I say, "MERICA!"

2. "Cherry Bomb" (The Lonesome Jubilee)
Also taken from The Lonesome Jubilee, and this song reminds me of my sister. She liked the chorus and it was something to joke around to, until we watched the music video, which took the joking to another level of comedy.

1. "I Need A Lover" (Johnny Cougar)
This song takes me back to when I first started working late night shifts for the stations in Pekin. I would "spike" this song a lot during my drive home from work. It instantly hooked me, not for the cowbell, but because the first half of the song is entirely instrumental. Mellencamp and the band are rocking, then the tempo seems to keep increase and increase; I think they could've just kept doing that and not even written any lyrics.