Rock And Roll Hall of Fame
Mar 3, 2008 by Nick
Anyone who knows me knows what a big fan I am of John Mellencamp, so as you can imagine when I found out he had finally been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame back in December I was ecstatic. I would say that Mellencamp was my earliest musical hero. He was the first concert I ever attended in 1984 and I can still feel the impact of that show to this day. I have seen him nearly 30 times live over the years and have loved it every time.
It is very easy for people to make fun of John and his music. I have heard it all through the years. People taking jabs at him for songs like Rain On The Scarecrow and Smalltown to his involvement with Farm Aid, his political views and being born and raised in Seymour, Indiana. It is very easy for people who really have no idea what they are talking about to pigeon hole him into being just a guy who sings about the farmer and the heartland, but if you listen to his music he is so much more than that.
John released the Scarecrow album in 1985 and had monster hits with songs such as Small town, Rain On The Scarecrow, Lonely Ol’ Night, Rumbleseat, Minutes to Memories, and R.O.C.K In The USA. These were incredible rock songs that are still all over the radio over 20 years later. So what does he do to follow that album up? He reinvents himself and his band. He releases The Lonesome Jubilee 2 years later. Gone are the big drums and guitar hooks that made him famous through the early 80′s. Those are replaced with the sounds of banjos, fiddles, steel guitars and do bros but all are incorporated with a rock sensibility. He was saying things in his lyrics that he never had before. Jack and Diane were gone and they had been replaced by characters that were struggling to make a living(Hard Times For An Honest Man) while keep their marriage together(The Real Life). John was questioning the state of the nation in songs like Hot dogs and Hamburgers. He was able to do all of these things while remaining relevant on rock radio. The Lonesome Jubilee produced hits like Paper and Fire, Cherry Bomb, Check It Out, and Rooty Toot Toot. I still believe that album is musically and lyrically John’s finest hour.
John has continued to challenge authority and take risks over the years. He made a record called Mr. Happy Go Lucky in 1996 using a producer who had produced Madonna records. In 2003 he released an incredible album of obscure cover songs by artists such as The Carter Family, Robert Johnson, and Lucinda Williams. He has recently recorded an album with legendary producer T-Bone Burnett that will be released later this year. I encourage you to check out is MySpace page and listen to the song Jena from that album. I think that song proves he is not afraid to write about relevant issues that are surrounding us in the world today. He has stated that it is a songwriters job to observe the world around him and write about it. I could not agree more and look forward to him taking his rightful place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10th.
Later,
Nick
Tags: Hall of fame, John Mellencamp, rock and roll
Posted in Nick's Rants
Do not get me wrong here the man is pure genius… He has said some things that did not hold up with me though. He did call Bob Seger a sell out when he turned a pretty well known song at the time into Chevy truck commercial. Then however many years later he does a Chevy truck commercial using a song that no one had hardly heard yet. He remedies this by saying it is a way of getting his music out now. This does not settle well with me, but to each their own. He is still a great rocker in my opinion, and truly deserves to be put in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I don’t have to tell you MY opinion of John Mellancamp – But I’m GOING TO ANYWAY! John Mellancamp is one of the most over-celebrated and over-PRICED musicians on the scene today. That being said: I’m glad to hear he got inducted. As much as I dislike his music, I don’t deny the man has talent, and it’s good to hear that it’s being recognized. Dude has been around forever, and that’s no small feat in this day and age of short attention-spans and Pop-Music Sex Scandals.