John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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rass
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John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by rass »

The time has clearly come.

What’s his best single and why is it Cherry Bomb?

Also, it look me way to long to realize that the Counting Crows were clearly aping his thing on Omaha if not at least half of the rest of August and Everything After.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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I Need a Lover and Paper In Fire are also top notch.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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As a teenager I liked Lonesome Jubilee the most of his work to date, but other tracks of his I liked was Authority Song, Rumbleseat and Lonely Ol’ Night.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Not a fan of his cover of Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World.


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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by govmentchedda »

So many good ones, but I agree Cherry Bomb is my favorite as well. That bridge and chorus with the honkytonk beat and the harmonica? Fucking great.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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So many of his earlier ones are just happily etched onto my 6-10 year old brain. Pink Houses, Jack and Diane, Hurts so Good, R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A., were ubiquitous in the early-mid 80's.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Babysitter boyfriend music. Hey kid. This is asteroids. Don't come back. I didn't. But I could still hear the music.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Outside of Jack & Diane, I never liked his stuff. Something about him always bugged me.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Get a Leg Up is a great song, too.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by mister d »

Not sure if I’ve said it here before, but if you ever want to piss off a hardcore Springsteen fan, make a Mellencamp comp.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by Steve of phpBB »

Little Pink Houses and Small Town always annoyed me, but I ended up liking just about everything else he did that I heard, going back to his John Cougar days.

I seem to recall liking Rain on the Scarecrow the best, though I haven't heard that song in decades.

I was basically the same age as Jack and Diane.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by rass »

mister d wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 3:42 pm Not sure if I’ve said it here before, but if you ever want to piss off a hardcore Springsteen fan, make a Mellencamp comp.
Every so often I think of this strip (among others, Bloom County was big for young rass) and your comment inspired me to Google it again and this time I found it!!!
1B41DABF-E85B-4FA9-A82D-6508A3242AC8.jpeg
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by rass »

And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by EnochRoot »

sancarlos wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 3:11 pm Get a Leg Up is a great song, too.
I hadn’t thought of that song in a long, long time. That LP, ‘Whenever We Wanted” also had the track, ‘Love and Happiness’, which is not a cover of Al Green’s song.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by Shirley »

rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
Image
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by DaveInSeattle »

rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
Lisa Germano. She's still out there making music.

Best Melloncamp song? My favorite is Paper In Fire. His cover of Wild Night is pretty good too.

Saw him in '92(?) when I was living in Bloomington. He played at Memorial Stadium, on Little 500 weekend, so it was a big deal. A guy I knew had an in with someone in the ticket office, and got me a ticket in the first 20 rows. Really fun show. His drummer, Kenny Aronoff, was amazing. As was Germano.

One of the opening acts: Billy Ray Cyrus.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by bfj »

Rules people.

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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by rass »

A_B wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:18 pm
rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
Amanda Shires called to tell you that you couldn't be more wrong.
Figured that was what was gonna make the take hot around here
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by rass »

Shirley wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 5:10 pm
rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
Image
Electric fiddle players are a separate list
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by govmentchedda »

rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:28 pm
A_B wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:18 pm
rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
Amanda Shires called to tell you that you couldn't be more wrong.
Figured that was what was gonna make the take hot around here
Different generations and all, but Shires is the goat.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by bfj »

A_B wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:18 pm
rass wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 4:03 pm And now that this thread has gotten a little traction, time for a Mellencamp-related hot take:

Even though she’s only got the second-best head of hair in the Cherry Bomb video, the fiddle player is *still* the gold standard for hot fiddle players.
Amanda Shires called to tell you that you couldn't be more wrong.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by rass »

bfj wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 6:04 pm Rules people.

Image
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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That pic isn’t helping your argument.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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God I hate her voice.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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2 > 1 >>> 3
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Mellencamp was one of my first favorite singers/musicians/bands. After a brief fling with Styx, Mellencamp and Duran Duran shared top billing for a few years. I grew up surrounded by farms, so maybe I enjoyed the imagery in his songs.

My first concert was Mellencamp at the Civic Arena on Thanksgiving Night 1985. That's pretty much a perfect night for an 11-year-old country boy. (I just did some digging, hoping to find a bootleg from that night. No luck. I did find a couple of other shows from that tour, but I want the Pittsburgh concert. Might listen to the other ones anyway.)
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by govmentchedda »

Jerloma wrote: Mon Dec 21, 2020 12:05 pm
A fucking great one as well. This whole thread reminds me of one time in college when a group of guys that I'm still friends with was loading up for a drive from Tampa to Tallahassee. I put in Springsteen's greatest hits, with the caveat, "I don't know if you guys will like this..." Pretty sure we all sang a lot of the words.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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bapo! wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:28 pm Mellencamp was one of my first favorite singers/musicians/bands. After a brief fling with Styx, Mellencamp and Duran Duran shared top billing for a few years. I grew up surrounded by farms, so maybe I enjoyed the imagery in his songs.

My first concert was Mellencamp at the Civic Arena on Thanksgiving Night 1985. That's pretty much a perfect night for an 11-year-old country boy. (I just did some digging, hoping to find a bootleg from that night. No luck. I did find a couple of other shows from that tour, but I want the Pittsburgh concert. Might listen to the other ones anyway.)
Good to see you, bapo! !
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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(he cheats by dropping "chili" a couple of times, which...?)
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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EnochRoot wrote: Sat Dec 19, 2020 1:17 pm Not a fan of his cover of Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World.
Though his cover of Van Morrison's Wild Night was really good IMHO, and the video with Me'Shell Ndegeocello may be the first time I ever saw a woman of color play the guitar.

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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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bapo! wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:28 pmI grew up surrounded by farms, so maybe I enjoyed the imagery in his songs.
I think I get this. How I felt when Organized Konfusion or Grand Puba mentioned Poughkeepsie in a song, you felt when Mellencamp mentioned "wheat".
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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mister d wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:30 am
bapo! wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:28 pmI grew up surrounded by farms, so maybe I enjoyed the imagery in his songs.
I think I get this. How I felt when Organized Konfusion or Grand Puba mentioned Poughkeepsie in a song, you felt when Mellencamp mentioned "wheat".
Oh yes. Especially attending college in Champaign Illinois.

We went to the first Farm Aid there in 1985, which he helped organize.
And his one problem is he didn’t go to Russia that night because he had extracurricular activities, and they froze to death.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

Post by govmentchedda »

mister d wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:30 am
bapo! wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:28 pmI grew up surrounded by farms, so maybe I enjoyed the imagery in his songs.
I think I get this. How I felt when Organized Konfusion or Grand Puba mentioned Poughkeepsie in a song, you felt when Mellencamp mentioned "wheat".
Oh the pride I felt when My Neck, My Back by Thug Missus Khia made it nationwide.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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govmentchedda wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 11:22 am
mister d wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 10:30 am
bapo! wrote: Thu Dec 24, 2020 8:28 pmI grew up surrounded by farms, so maybe I enjoyed the imagery in his songs.
I think I get this. How I felt when Organized Konfusion or Grand Puba mentioned Poughkeepsie in a song, you felt when Mellencamp mentioned "wheat".
Oh the pride I felt when My Neck, My Back by Thug Missus Khia made it nationwide.
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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Great line
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Re: John Mellencamp appreciation thread

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