#300/935
August 5 1985
John Cougar Mellencamp
Scarecrow
Genre: Heartland Rock
4.75 out of 5
Highlights:
Rain On the Scarecrow
Small Town
Minutes to Memories
Lonely Ol’ Night
Rumbleseat
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
After a loooooong string of garbage something must’ve happened to John Mellencamp. I’m sure someone’s written a book about it, or maybe he did. I’m too lazy to look it up.
I really liked Uh Huh.
Scarecrow is different. It’s like watching some boring documentaries in high school about glassblowers (I did) and then turning on Ken Burns’ The Civil War.
Scarecrow is richer. That’s probably Don Gehman’s doing. But it’s also nostalgic and immediate. It’s wistful with punch. It picks up where Springsteen left off. While the Boss was writing about loss, so is Mellencamp. Only, his songs feel like he wants to do something about it.
I never gave John the time of day. Even though, every single hit of his I like. “Peaceful World” from 15+ years later is a song that gets me every time.
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