The title of this article is not misleading, but maybe using the term "heartland rocker" doesn't fit John Mellencamp (also known to many as John Cougar), but then the term would fit no one better. He never liked the term, but has said he would rather be that than many other things.
Mellencamp still makes good music. It just isn't the kind we will find on many radio stations. The latest stuff isn't old enough to be "classic" and isn't pop enough to be played on top-40 stations.
But in the 1980s, Mellencamp might have been at his best. He churned out excellent album after album, and his songs were fantastic. Here are five of his best.
Five of the best songs John Mellencamp ever produced
"Jack and Diane" (1982)
The best-selling John Cougar ditty, this song has become different things at different times. Mellencamp has said it was inspired by a Tennessee Williams play. He also says the song is about a bi-racial couple. Both make sense.
The tune was difficult for the performer to create. He had the guitar part and words down, but no band appeared to be able to play along with it. The hand claps heard on the recording were there to help keep time, and they became instrumental in the song's success. The only way to describe the track is unforgettable.
"Pink Houses" (1983)
Mellencamp at his most Americana, the worst still rings true today in Trump's America. Does that make it better or worse? Perhaps simply more sad.
One could make America what they want, but for many, it is not as simple as that. Mellencamp knew this 42 years ago, and many of us are just learning that fact now.
"Rain on the Scarecrow" (1985)
Mellencamp always knew where his politics lay. Some might hear this track and think, "This is a good song about farming and making a hard-earned living." It isn't, but it also isn't anti-farming. It is more about how a government can try to profit off of citizens and that can affect the financial situation of the agricultural community.
If Mellencamp leans right on the lyrics, there should be no confusion. He doesn't quite do the opposite, which makes the song even more poignant.
"Authority Song" (1983)
Many times, the unexpected joy of an argument comes not from who wins and loses the debate but simply from the argument itself. No more can be asked as long as one feels strongly about their opinion and speaks well.
The essence of this track is that Mellencamp knows he will not win every fight, but that at least he fought at all. The "grinning" part comes from the singer's sly sense of humor.
"Cherry Bomb" (1987)
Mellencamp had just turned 26 when this song was released on October 24, 1987. Like Bruce Springsteen, he always had a knack for creating tracks that made him seem as if he had wandered the earth for 70 years. The tunes were good, though, because they were honest.
This song has the narrator remembering how good his teen years once were, and how maybe he did not cherish the time then. He does now. Thankfully, we all can be empathetic because of how great this track is.