In the late 1970s and through much of the 1980s, John Mellencamp was carving out a unique place for himself in rock music. He wasn't exactly Bruce Springsteen, but he wasn't some random country-rock singer, either.
He wrote well-crafted, well-conceived tracks that often made their way onto the Billboard Hot 100. The Indiana native had 29 such songs.
Not all of them were brilliant, of course, though many were. The list below could easily be 30 strong.
John Mellencamp songs you should still be listening to
"Rain on the Scarecrow"
Arguably, no one has consistently captured the plight of the American farmer like John Mellencamp of Indiana. His personal politics might not be right-leaning, but he understands the common ground between the right and left.
That was never better than on this protest song about the economic realities of many who work the fields for a living. Mellencamp isn't backing down, for sure, on this lead track from 1985's Scarecrow. You won't want to either after hearing this tune.
"Miss Missy"
Mellencamp toiled a bit after the 1980s, even though his sound didn't necessarily fit the theme of the decade. The 1990s were weird for lots of artists, of course. This track comes from 1998's extremely solid self-titled album and is about as fun as a Mellencamp song can be.
There is no subtle pretense here. It's a romantic, fast-paced gem, with a backing band of elites. Guns N' Roses' Izzy Stradlin, who is also from Indiana, appears, as does the Heartbreakers' Stan Lynch. It is clear from the sound that everyone had fun recording this track.
"Paper in Fire"
A straightforward rocker from 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee made with accordion and fiddle? Sure, and there is no debate that this is what this track is. The drumming by Kenny Aronoff makes the entire thing work, but Mellencamp's vocals are a perfect fit with the quiet bombast of the rager.
The theme is like many of the performer's tunes, though. The American dream is done, but didn't the person have some good times along the way? Absolutely.
"Check It Out"
Another winner from The Lonesome Jubilee, "Check It Out" has such an uplifting, happy beginning musically that one might assume a bit of fluff is set to follow. Not at all. The song is about the ups and downs of everyday life for most of us.
What makes the song magical is that John Mellencamp simply observes life but does so so poignantly that he doesn't need to get lost in the quagmire of a direct narrative. We all know what he sings, and we can all sympathize with what unfolds.
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