The instrument you're asking about is likely a mandolin. And this song takes ME back, because it came out in 1980, when I was 12 years old and had just started listening to rock and pop music. 🙂
...I was 13 Kimberly...the song is kind of and of corny and trite...but not to a 13 year old boy, it all rang true at the time. JCM did several songs with this flavor.(Jack and Dianne)..takes me back too Kim...roller skating, ice cream stands, carnivals and game rooms....and pimples! JCM was still "JC" at this time, and was ever present throughout jr High and High School...Here's to our Gen X youth Kimberly, Peace and love young lady
I was 15, and I agree... It was a great time to be a kid, growing up with an abundance of great music coming out! I'm making a playlist of the great music, specifically from 1979 & 1980, every time I think of/re-discover a song that takes me back to that time!
This was actually John's second-ever Top 40 single. (The first was "This Time".) I think it was the first song of his that I ever heard. You've still got a few miles left down this road, though, so good news! "Crumblin' Down", "Authority Song", "Lonely Ol' Night", "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Tribute to 60s Rock)", "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Paper In Fire", "Check It Out", "Pop Singer", "Jackie Brown", and "Get a Leg Up" are awesome. I think you'd also love a duet he did, "Wild Night", with Me'shell Ndegeocello.
@@Shrykespeare Similar to what you said my mom said this was the first one she remembered hearing and it was her favorite of his,she was a big fan.I have been a fan since I was 8 in 1982,when the first one I remember hearing by John was Hurts So Good,and I loved it.
John has a lot of great songs. Lonely Ol' Night, I Need a Lover, Rain On the Scarecrow, Paper in Fire, R.O.C.K. in the USA, Rumble Seat are just a few. He also did a great cover of Van Morrison's Wild Night. I was fortunate to see him on the Scarecrow tour in 1985. Great concert at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois.
Jay & Amber, you'll love his "I Need A Lover" and "Authority Song"!!! edit - fun fact- this album was produced by Steve Cropper, the bearded guitarist from the Blues Brothers!
They used "Crumblin' Down" in a neat way on an episode of Knight Rider. I remember catching up on that series about a year & a half ago, and that was one episode I was looking forward to seeing again. :)
Another attribute of a Mellencamp song that is inescapable, is its characteristic "American-ness". You know when listening to his songs that he can be from nowhere else but the USA.
@blueskies Same thing happened to me yesterday. Out of no where a couple of verses of a Pink Floyd song that I hadn't heard in years came streaming out of my mouth. I can't even remember the name of the song but still felt pretty impressed with myself that those two verses came out so easily. 🤣 it's always amazing what an imprint music can have on us, life long. ❤
Great early song from Mellencamp! Please check out his Van Morrison cover of "Wild Night" a duet he did with Meshell Ndegeocello!! Love you guys, keep smiling! 🎶🥰🎶
I grew up and still live in the county just to the north of where John grew up and lives. I hadn't listened to any of his music for a long time, and I'm so glad that you guys enjoy it so much and it's brought me back. Thank you
Mellencamp sets a mood that's for sure, feelings of nostalgia perhaps, of a time gone by and a longing for something lost, but it's more. It's an 'impalpable Americana'; you can't quite put your finger on it, but it's ingrained in every American. If you're an American you can identify with John
My favorite of a huge stack of his hits. You have to understand that this was John Cougar and nobody knew who John Mellencamp was yet. I wish you would have watched the official video or his appearance on American Bandstand. Both have back up singers who eventually have to drag John away from the mic.
I'm actually wondering if this is a re-recording. It seems less frenetic than I remember from the video. And that's not the album cover for "Nothing Matters and What If It Did?", but I don't know if John did a remake. Could just be my memory is off. Edit: not a re-recording, but probably a remaster. The mix is clearer than on the original, that's what was throwing me.
Funny that you compared Mellencamp to Springsteen. They did a duet together just last year called Wasted Days that I hope you get the chance to check out.
All right my babies.... That somewhat tickling sound at Jay likes is called a Mandolin. When I was a freshman in high school I remember hearing this song. and I knew this guy was going to go somewhere. In the mid-2000s, I won 2 tickets to see him in concert. I took my friend Chuck Adment before he passed away from cancer. Rock In Peace brother 😇
The “live” video for this is HILARIOUS. They were on a TV show and told they would have to lip sync - so they intentionally did a horrible job and it is so funny to watch
If I Die Sudden Crumblin' Down Paper In Fire Jackie Brown John is so relatable and his songs are so comparable to every day life experiences and great memories through out his life and the common person's life. Great reaction. Buckets of Maple Syrup love from Canada ❤️❤️ 🇨🇦 🇨🇦
Per Songfacts John Mellencamp got married at 18 and had his first child a short time later. He knew the vagaries of young romance and fear of commitment quite well, which certainly qualified him to write this song about a couple deeply in love, with the guy unsure what to do and the girl reassuring him. Mellencamp, though, is an observational songwriter and hardly ever writes about himself. "I see things that other people don't see," he said in his Plain Spoken DVD. "I pay attention to detail. That's where my songs come from. They're not about me." This method of songwriting proved very successful and comes into play on this song: There was probably a time when your heart was beating like thunder, etching a memory so powerful you can remember the song that was playing on the radio.
Don't know if anyone expected John Cougar to become a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer when he first came out but he certainly deserves it. He's had a great career.
Thank you for doing this this is absolutely my favorite song by John Mellencamp. I do wish you had done the original video because he does a very fun doo-wop band kind of take with the song. The instrument that you like so much is a mandolin . (Which brings to mind another great tune that uses it called mandolin Wind by Rod Stewart.) suggestion for a future reaction is the title song from his album scarecrow. It had a very big impact on me when I was much younger. R. O. C. K. In the USA was also on that same album, and it is an absolute banger. With shout outs in the lyrics to some of the greatest artists who ever lived.
“…they have a way of taking you back…” Music does that for me. Could be a song, a riff, a lyric, a melody…something that sends me back in time. Could be a memory surrounded by the song, could be a lyric that brings me to a certain event. The song that does it for me every time is Chesney’s Anything But Mine. The opening lines about the amusement park take me back to the 70’s in Buckroe Beach, VA. Keep up the great work, cheers!
Back in May, 81...I flew with 80 other Hoosiers to Orlando to start Navy bootcamp. With all of us from Indiana, every time we had a break from being tortured, Johnny Cougar was played. We all knew the words to this song by heart.
John is that good old midwest Made in the USA type of guy, I’m surprised no body has mentioned the song “ a hand to hold on too” that ones as good as this one, Pink houses is another great song you can really hear his vocals on that one .
I love that you did this one..when he was still Johnny Cougar..before he became known as John Cougar Mellencamp and before he became known as John Mellencampz.
omg!!! This was me and my ex husband song! it was 1980. We were 20 and both lived with parents.. That didn't bother him but I was a middle child of six kids. Dad was a strict Irish Catholic so overnights, weekends or God forbid living together was out of the question. So we were married within a year! So that's why this was our song! ♥️
FYI..Mellencamp is an old school Motown fan and it is a major influence on his style. I seen him in Bloomington,IN and it was one of the best show/concert ever..17 instruments at once..and of course John's style of Anarchy..✊🏻✌🏻
This is back earlier in his career when he was JOHN COUGAR. You guys need to do LONELY OL' NIGHT, and I NEED A LOVER THAT WON'T DRIVE ME CRAZY, and THIS TIME. There's still a ton of his songs you haven't touched yet.
The night I met the love of my life we ended up driving around listening to the cassette tape of the album "Nothing Matters and What If It Did". "Ain't Even Done With the Night" became our song. Miss you babe!
John is from Indiana and so is my man of 27 years- 🙂 My guy plays bass and electric guitar..Acoustic as well- Well one night back in the day, there was a house party my guy and his buddies were at- Guess who else was there!?? John!! All of them always prepared for a jam and that’s just what they did/ great memories! Just thought I’d share. 💖💖💖💜💜
That instrument was a Mandolin. If you remember back to the Bruce Hornsby song "Mandolin Rain", that title was in reference to how a hard rain can sound like the quick notes of a Mandolin being played.
I watched him perform this on American Bandstand... I think I was 11 yrs old at the time. I knew right then he was gonna be big. This is still my favorite song by him to this day.
A small town farm kid from Seymour, Indiana that just spews Americana with his impeccable raspy voice!! Gotta check out, “Pink Houses”, “Jack & Diane”, “I Need A Lover”, “The Authority Song”, “Hurts So Good”, “Human Wheels” 🤟🤟🤟
I first became acquainted with Mr. Mellencamp in 1979 when he released "I Need A Lover". This one came out in 1981 from an album called "Nothing Mattes And What If It DId?". It was a contractual obligation album and that's reflected in the music. This was a great cut off that one though. His next album "American Fool" was his break-out album but that was in 1982 for a different label. I believe he was still on Scotti Brothers Records when this one was done. But it's typical Mellencamp, full of nostalgia.
Amber, The reason why it is hard to clap with, is because even though the clap is on the downbeat, the accent is on the upbeat right behind it. That's the "hook". This song has a swing to it that has swagger, yet it's about coming of age innocence. I loved this song since 1980 when it came out.
Many years ago my husband and FIL worked for a moving company. While out on a run for the company one day they stopped at a truck stop. My husband went inside while my FIL pumped fuel. My husband gets back to the truck and my FIL is talking to a guy putting fuel in a tour bus. They talk for a while, shake hands, and go their separate ways. My FIL gets in the truck and tells my husband what a nice he just met. My husband looks up in time to see John Cougar Mellencamp getting back onto the bus. He was the one pumping fuel!
You need to go back a couple of years even earlier in his catalog and check out "I Need A Lover". It's one of the longest intros in a rock song you'll hear. John does have that small town feel. As you know from some you've already checked out, he's done songs about growing up in a small town. Even more than that, he still lives in a small town though he could live in any number of much larger cities.
This came out when I was 13 and it was love at first hear for me and my best friend and we were rabid fan girls at his concert ( our first concert) 2 years later ….so many memories.
The clap is part 2 of 3 simultaneous notes. It starts along with the snare drum and the clap echoes for the second note. Third note is the piano chord. All played super quick
Jay and Amber, I just wanted to say that I absolutely love you guys and your reviews. John Mellencamp, or as he was known WAY BACK when I was a rocker in the 80's in school, John Cougar Mellencamp was to us in Indiana, just an Indiana boy who made it big. Jay made a reference to the high-hat cymbal rhythm..that was Kenny Arnoff playing. I had a chance to go to a drummers "camp" back in 1986 that Kenny conducted and it was amazing. You want some great Mellencamp music check out "Check It Out" and "Empty Hands" which featured Lisa Germano on the fiddle. Keep up the beautiful thing you do. Much love
Good song! He has a lot of great songs. "Human wheels" Is another cool song. There is a video of him and his band performing it in an outdoor setting in front of a crowd that's really good. Thank you for bringing back wonderful songs from yesteryear.
The instrument you're asking about is likely a mandolin. And this song takes ME back, because it came out in 1980, when I was 12 years old and had just started listening to rock and pop music. 🙂
It never gets old!!
...I was 13 Kimberly...the song is kind of and of corny and trite...but not to a 13 year old boy, it all rang true at the time. JCM did several songs with this flavor.(Jack and Dianne)..takes me back too Kim...roller skating, ice cream stands, carnivals and game rooms....and pimples! JCM was still "JC" at this time, and was ever present throughout jr High and High School...Here's to our Gen X youth Kimberly, Peace and love young lady
Bluegrass music is pretty big in the area where Mellencamp grew up so it makes sense.
I was 15, and I agree... It was a great time to be a kid, growing up with an abundance of great music coming out! I'm making a playlist of the great music, specifically from 1979 & 1980, every time I think of/re-discover a song that takes me back to that time!
I was 10 and fell in love with the melody instantly!🙂
This was actually John's second-ever Top 40 single. (The first was "This Time".) I think it was the first song of his that I ever heard. You've still got a few miles left down this road, though, so good news! "Crumblin' Down", "Authority Song", "Lonely Ol' Night", "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Tribute to 60s Rock)", "Rain on the Scarecrow", "Paper In Fire", "Check It Out", "Pop Singer", "Jackie Brown", and "Get a Leg Up" are awesome. I think you'd also love a duet he did, "Wild Night", with Me'shell Ndegeocello.
I Need A Lover was his first Top 40,This Time was second,this one was his third Top 40 and first Top 20.
@@ashleycrawford1974 You are right! Thanks for the correction!!
@@Shrykespeare Similar to what you said my mom said this was the first one she remembered hearing and it was her favorite of his,she was a big fan.I have been a fan since I was 8 in 1982,when the first one I remember hearing by John was Hurts So Good,and I loved it.
Released as ‘John Cougar’… later became known as ‘John Cougar Mellencamp’, then reclaimed his real name on his label, ‘John Mellencamp’
"Love and Happiness" was good one
John has a lot of great songs. Lonely Ol' Night, I Need a Lover, Rain On the Scarecrow, Paper in Fire, R.O.C.K. in the USA, Rumble Seat are just a few. He also did a great cover of Van Morrison's Wild Night. I was fortunate to see him on the Scarecrow tour in 1985. Great concert at Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois.
Let's not forget Hurts so good.
I saw him there too! I'm from Champaign Urbana.
@@papabearlives9995 They already reacted to it. That is why I didn't mention it here. It is one of my favorite songs by him.
@@kbusby4824 thanks, I will look for that one. They have so many it's hard sometimes to get to them all.
"I Need a Lover" the long version is definitely the most epic John Mellencamp song.
Jay & Amber, you'll love his "I Need A Lover" and "Authority Song"!!!
edit - fun fact- this album was produced by Steve Cropper, the bearded guitarist from the Blues Brothers!
Yes! These two songs are a must!
I Need A Lover has to be the full version. The 2.5 minute intro is bliss!
Both of these are bangers but also Little Pink Houses
@@elegantgypsyrose5328 they reacted to Pink Houses May 18, 2022
That sound in the background you're hearing Jay is a mandolin. His version of "Wild Nights" with Me'Shell Ndegeocello is something special!
other bangers from him, are; "Rain on the scarecrow" "Paper and Fire" and "Crumblin' down". Hopefully you can get to those. 😃
They used "Crumblin' Down" in a neat way on an episode of Knight Rider. I remember catching up on that series about a year & a half ago, and that was one episode I was looking forward to seeing again. :)
Yes, "Paper In Fire" is one of my favorites! ♥️
And Cherry Bomb
Does anyone know who the Female vocalist was that sang on... Crumbling Down?
“Check It Out” is also a good song
Ooohhh wow, I haven't heard this in a minute and yet I know all the lyrics. One thing a Mellencamp song always does is paint a memorable picture.
Another attribute of a Mellencamp song that is inescapable, is its characteristic "American-ness". You know when listening to his songs that he can be from nowhere else but the USA.
@blueskies Same thing happened to me yesterday. Out of no where a couple of verses of a Pink Floyd song that I hadn't heard in years came streaming out of my mouth. I can't even remember the name of the song but still felt pretty impressed with myself that those two verses came out so easily. 🤣 it's always amazing what an imprint music can have on us, life long. ❤
Can't think of a bad Mellencamp song, but this one has always just smacked me in the feels.
Great early song from Mellencamp! Please check out his Van Morrison cover of "Wild Night" a duet he did with Meshell Ndegeocello!! Love you guys, keep smiling! 🎶🥰🎶
Oh my gosh. That song is EPIC!
Key West Intermezzo around the same time also was a great song.
@@rufust.firefly4951 love this one
AGREE❤
I grew up and still live in the county just to the north of where John grew up and lives. I hadn't listened to any of his music for a long time, and I'm so glad that you guys enjoy it so much and it's brought me back. Thank you
Forgot this song even existed. But as soon as I heard it it brought back hundreds of memories. Thank you!!
Ya'll really should do" Paper and Fire" and" Rain On The Scarecrow". Keep up the great work. Ya'll are so much fun to watch.
I just suggested the same two songs. Great minds
Absolutely "Rain on the Scarecrow " my favorite
@@txheadshots yep:)
amen!
Mellencamp sets a mood that's for sure, feelings of nostalgia perhaps, of a time gone by and a longing for something lost, but it's more. It's an 'impalpable Americana'; you can't quite put your finger on it, but it's ingrained in every American. If you're an American you can identify with John
Well said!
@Sam P for sure
You need the live version with him in a sweater and the back ups in pink tuxs.
I just think you two are the best. God bless you and I wish you all the best. Keep it up it makes so many of us smile out here who need it.
My favorite of a huge stack of his hits. You have to understand that this was John Cougar and nobody knew who John Mellencamp was yet. I wish you would have watched the official video or his appearance on American Bandstand. Both have back up singers who eventually have to drag John away from the mic.
I'm actually wondering if this is a re-recording. It seems less frenetic than I remember from the video. And that's not the album cover for "Nothing Matters and What If It Did?", but I don't know if John did a remake. Could just be my memory is off.
Edit: not a re-recording, but probably a remaster. The mix is clearer than on the original, that's what was throwing me.
Right!
I saw John Cougar on American Bandstand too!
I can't believe I haven't seen anyone mention this song. "Hand to hold onto". You won't regret it!
Absolutely! Great song!
Funny that you compared Mellencamp to Springsteen. They did a duet together just last year called Wasted Days that I hope you get the chance to check out.
Ha! I was just going to say that!
Lol. I just made a similar comment before seeing yours. I hope they listen to it, I really like that song.
Wife here...This is one of his earlier hits..Amber he ABSOLUTELY has a down home feel..Grew up with his music.., Will always Love it!!!
All right my babies.... That somewhat tickling sound at Jay likes is called a Mandolin. When I was a freshman in high school I remember hearing this song. and I knew this guy was going to go somewhere. In the mid-2000s, I won 2 tickets to see him in concert. I took my friend Chuck Adment before he passed away from cancer. Rock In Peace brother 😇
Seen him in concert few times..this has always been my fav❤❤
The “live” video for this is HILARIOUS. They were on a TV show and told they would have to lip sync - so they intentionally did a horrible job and it is so funny to watch
The "sax" solo in that clip is priceless...
Soooo awesome!!!
I remember waking up to that show & saying - WTH? Kitschy is all I can say. Loved it!
Yep. That video still lives in my memory after all these years.
I was sorely disappointed to see they weren't reacting to that version. It's so great!
If I Die Sudden
Crumblin' Down
Paper In Fire
Jackie Brown
John is so relatable and his songs are so comparable to every day life experiences and great memories through out his life and the common person's life.
Great reaction. Buckets of Maple Syrup love from Canada ❤️❤️ 🇨🇦 🇨🇦
My exwife's brother and he were really good friends at one time she is actually one of the ones doing the clapping on this recording.
Absolutely my favorite song of his and there are a bunch.
MY fave John Mellencamp song!!
Lonely Ol' Night, Rain On The Scarecrow, Authority Song, Crumblin down...he is such an awesome singer!
I love this guy, Jack and Diane is a great one and Small Town as well.
Per Songfacts John Mellencamp got married at 18 and had his first child a short time later. He knew the vagaries of young romance and fear of commitment quite well, which certainly qualified him to write this song about a couple deeply in love, with the guy unsure what to do and the girl reassuring him.
Mellencamp, though, is an observational songwriter and hardly ever writes about himself. "I see things that other people don't see," he said in his Plain Spoken DVD. "I pay attention to detail. That's where my songs come from. They're not about me."
This method of songwriting proved very successful and comes into play on this song: There was probably a time when your heart was beating like thunder, etching a memory so powerful you can remember the song that was playing on the radio.
Don't know if anyone expected John Cougar to become a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer when he first came out but he certainly deserves it. He's had a great career.
Hopefully in the songwriters HOF too
I love John Mellencamp. He represented my teen years. The Authority Song will blow you away!
The clap is EVERYTHING!!
😍My 80’s teenage heart-thob! You MUST HEAR “Authority Song”.
John Cougar Mellencamp has such a huge library of good music..Hurt So Good is a great tune as well.
Thank you for doing this this is absolutely my favorite song by John Mellencamp. I do wish you had done the original video because he does a very fun doo-wop band kind of take with the song. The instrument that you like so much is a mandolin . (Which brings to mind another great tune that uses it called mandolin Wind by Rod Stewart.) suggestion for a future reaction is the title song from his album scarecrow. It had a very big impact on me when I was much younger. R. O. C. K. In the USA was also on that same album, and it is an absolute banger. With shout outs in the lyrics to some of the greatest artists who ever lived.
I Need A Lover and Authority Song are definitely worth checking out
I first the video of this song when he was John Cougar Mellencamp. Loved the nod to James Brown. Bought the LP. Seems like an eternity ago.
"Rain on the scarecrow", "Paper in fire" and "Lonely ol' night".
Amber-absolutely stunning transformation of beauty and kindness.
“…they have a way of taking you back…”
Music does that for me. Could be a song, a riff, a lyric, a melody…something that sends me back in time. Could be a memory surrounded by the song, could be a lyric that brings me to a certain event.
The song that does it for me every time is Chesney’s Anything But Mine. The opening lines about the amusement park take me back to the 70’s in Buckroe Beach, VA.
Keep up the great work, cheers!
Back in May, 81...I flew with 80 other Hoosiers to Orlando to start Navy bootcamp. With all of us from Indiana, every time we had a break from being tortured, Johnny Cougar was played. We all knew the words to this song by heart.
This is one of my favorite songs of his. This song just makes you feel good. And by the way, you must give it up for his band and creating the music.
I love his music. Brings back great memories. Thank you for your wonderful reactions. I wanted to tell Amber how great you look.
Definitely In Johns Top 3 All Time Greats!!! He Really Was Light Years Ahead of Many of His Genre!
John (Cougar) Mellencamp "Paper In Fire",, "Rain On The Scarecrow" & "Key West Intermezzo"
From the day this song came out, it has been my #1 favorite of mine from John Mellencamp
My absolute favorite song by John. I love the drums, and it definitely takes me back to a feeling in my youth.
This is my absolute favorite John Cougar Mellencamp song.
One of my faves from John. 💞💞💞💞💞
John is that good old midwest
Made in the USA type of guy, I’m surprised no body has mentioned the song “ a hand to hold on too” that ones as good as this one, Pink houses is another great song you can really hear his vocals on that one .
I love that you did this one..when he was still Johnny Cougar..before he became known as John Cougar Mellencamp and before he became known as John Mellencampz.
"Pink Houses" and "R.O.C.K in the USA" are also great songs by him!
I have good news for you, they've already done Pink Houses! ua-cam.com/video/vhMu8c31bMA/v-deo.html
Yep. Little Pink Houses is one of my favorites
Yes they've already reacted to Pink Houses
I had forgotten all about this song. Thank-you for bringing it back to me.
Glad you got back to John Mellancamp. My favorite is paper in fire. Cherry Bomb too! I live close to where he's from in Indiana!
omg!!! This was me and my ex husband song! it was 1980. We were 20 and both lived with parents.. That didn't bother him but I was a middle child of six kids. Dad was a strict Irish Catholic so overnights, weekends or God forbid living together was out of the question. So we were married within a year! So that's why this was our song! ♥️
This takes me back to my senior year in high school. Loved this song then and still do!!
I forgot how great this song is! I love all his stuff!
This is one of my all time favorite songs from him. A coming af age song.
I’ve seen John live about 4 times throughout his career. He never disappoints!
Me too about 4 or 5 times. Played this and under the boardwalk first time I saw him.
FYI..Mellencamp is an old school Motown fan and it is a major influence on his style. I seen him in Bloomington,IN and it was one of the best show/concert ever..17 instruments at once..and of course John's style of Anarchy..✊🏻✌🏻
indiana boy, used to come on the 'tom n dave' show 20yrs ago ... funny guy! and very talented!
I'm a huge fan of his, and this is one of my favs. I'm glad you revisited his work!
This is back earlier in his career when he was JOHN COUGAR. You guys need to do LONELY OL' NIGHT, and I NEED A LOVER THAT WON'T DRIVE ME CRAZY, and THIS TIME. There's still a ton of his songs you haven't touched yet.
He opened for Heart in 1982 and as much as I love them he blew them away.
John had his first No1 hit in Australia with ‘I need a lover’ in 1978 before he cracked it in the US!
The night I met the love of my life we ended up driving around listening to the cassette tape of the album "Nothing Matters and What If It Did". "Ain't Even Done With the Night" became our song. Miss you babe!
John is from Indiana and so is my man of 27 years- 🙂 My guy plays bass and electric guitar..Acoustic as well-
Well one night back in the day, there was a house party my guy and his buddies were at- Guess who else was there!?? John!! All of them always prepared for a jam and that’s just what they did/ great memories! Just thought I’d share. 💖💖💖💜💜
That instrument was a Mandolin. If you remember back to the Bruce Hornsby song "Mandolin Rain", that title was in reference to how a hard rain can sound like the quick notes of a Mandolin being played.
I watched him perform this on American Bandstand... I think I was 11 yrs old at the time.
I knew right then he was gonna be big.
This is still my favorite song by him to this day.
One of his best. Keep playing Johnny!
Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) is his very best song. You’d love it 🥰
A small town farm kid from Seymour, Indiana that just spews Americana with his impeccable raspy voice!! Gotta check out, “Pink Houses”, “Jack & Diane”, “I Need A Lover”, “The Authority Song”, “Hurts So Good”, “Human Wheels” 🤟🤟🤟
I first became acquainted with Mr. Mellencamp in 1979 when he released "I Need A Lover". This one came out in 1981 from an album called "Nothing Mattes And What If It DId?". It was a contractual obligation album and that's reflected in the music. This was a great cut off that one though. His next album "American Fool" was his break-out album but that was in 1982 for a different label. I believe he was still on Scotti Brothers Records when this one was done. But it's typical Mellencamp, full of nostalgia.
Amber,
The reason why it is hard to clap with, is because even though the clap is on the downbeat, the accent is on the upbeat right behind it. That's the "hook". This song has a swing to it that has swagger, yet it's about coming of age innocence. I loved this song since 1980 when it came out.
Many years ago my husband and FIL worked for a moving company. While out on a run for the company one day they stopped at a truck stop. My husband went inside while my FIL pumped fuel. My husband gets back to the truck and my FIL is talking to a guy putting fuel in a tour bus. They talk for a while, shake hands, and go their separate ways. My FIL gets in the truck and tells my husband what a nice he just met. My husband looks up in time to see John Cougar Mellencamp getting back onto the bus. He was the one pumping fuel!
Ahhh this song.🥰 Takes me right back to my junior year in high school. Sweet ❤
My all time favorite John Mellencamp song! Thanks for giving it a listen.
Love this. Wat memory of him I remember.
I could listen to John Mellencamp all day. I think you'd really enjoy 'Paper in Fire.'
Authority song is a great song also
You need to go back a couple of years even earlier in his catalog and check out "I Need A Lover". It's one of the longest intros in a rock song you'll hear. John does have that small town feel. As you know from some you've already checked out, he's done songs about growing up in a small town. Even more than that, he still lives in a small town though he could live in any number of much larger cities.
Such a great song. One of his best imo. Enjoy!!
Pretty lady, your hair looks adorable like that. This is one of my favorite songs ever. Thanks for the video.
This is the first song of his I ever heard. I was hooked!
My favorite Mellencamp song!!
My favorite Mellencamp song,my late wife and I danced to it in the day
My husband's favorite artist! We've had the great pleasure of seeing him many times. He never disappoints!
Paper in Fire by Mellencamp. An absolute MUST for reactions.
This is one where the music video is best. He and his band do the syncopated dances of the 60s and even the James Brown fake collapse skit
One of my favorite songs of his!
This came out when I was 13 and it was love at first hear for me and my best friend and we were rabid fan girls at his concert ( our first concert) 2 years later ….so many memories.
I need a lover, HIS BEST, LONG VERSION…
I love this song. School days. ❤️
Big thanks to John for all the fantastic music and also for all of his hard work supporting Farmaid.
The clap is part 2 of 3 simultaneous notes. It starts along with the snare drum and the clap echoes for the second note. Third note is the piano chord. All played super quick
Jay and Amber, I just wanted to say that I absolutely love you guys and your reviews.
John Mellencamp, or as he was known WAY BACK when I was a rocker in the 80's in school, John Cougar Mellencamp was to us in Indiana, just an Indiana boy who made it big. Jay made a reference to the high-hat cymbal rhythm..that was Kenny Arnoff playing. I had a chance to go to a drummers "camp" back in 1986 that Kenny conducted and it was amazing.
You want some great Mellencamp music check out "Check It Out" and "Empty Hands" which featured Lisa Germano on the fiddle.
Keep up the beautiful thing you do.
Much love
Man, you guys make me realize his amazing music I need to get his records. I remember loving his music and having a crush on him lol
YES! I love this song! Love John Cougar ✌❤🎶
John Mellencamp personifies country-boy cool! So talented and so cool. Every song he sings transports me back to my High School days.
Good song! He has a lot of great songs. "Human wheels" Is another cool song. There is a video of him and his band performing it in an outdoor setting in front of a crowd that's really good. Thank you for bringing back wonderful songs from yesteryear.