This fact is not surprising since Little Big Town provides backing vocals on eight of the album’s 10 tracks. This song is more country leaning than the artist's previous output, but still rocks. Yet the song helped Freedom’s Road have his highest Billboard debut (No.5). While the songwriter knew how to play the game, (much like Bob Seeger, whose "Like a Rock" was also used in a Chevrolet ad back in 1991), Mellencamp was not immune to the inherent hypocrisies that existed in having one of his compositions help sell a product. The reason: the songwriter gave this patriotic composition to Chevrolet to help them launch its newest pickup truck, the Silverado. "Jack & Diane" (1982)Ĭritics called Mellencamp a sell-out upon this song’s release. In honor of John Mellencamp's storied - and very much continuing - legacy, combed his catalog to highlight 12 essential tracks. A new record (Orpheus Descending) is also coming next year. The 71-year-old is hitting the road in February 2023 for a 76-date North American theater tour that kicks off with a pair of home state dates in Bloomington, Indiana. Mellencamp’s storied career spans more than four and a half decades and shows no signs of slowing. alone, the songwriter has sold more than 30 million albums and boasts more than 4.8 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The numbers alone illustrate Mellencamp’s mastery: 67 singles and 22 Top 40 hits, including 11 in the Top 10. As the opening stanza from one of his most beloved songs decrees: "I was born in a small town/And I live in a small town/ Probably die in a small town/ Oh, those small communities." The GRAMMY-winning, Songwriters Hall of Famer, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, painter, father, and humanitarian, needs no introduction.ĭespite worldwide success, this Midwestern boy - forever an advocate for the downtrodden - never abandoned his roots. A hard-nosed blue-collar worker who knows how to pen catchy choruses, John Mellencamp can also delve deeper - making social commentary amidst and alongside chart-topping sing-alongs.
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