Details
Track Listing
1. Rain on the Scarecrow
2. Grandma's Theme
3. Small Town
4. Minutes to Memories
5. Lonely Ol' Night
6. Face of the Nation, The
7. Justice and Independence '85
8. Between a Laugh and a Tear - (with Rickie Lee Jones)
9. Rumbleseat
10. You've Got to Stand For Somethin'
11. R.O.C.K. In the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)
12. Kind of Fella I Am, The
Album Notes
Personnel: John Cougar Mellencamp, Rickie Lee Jones (vocals); Larry Crane, Mike Wanchic (guitar); A. Jack Wilkins (saxophone); Richard Fanning (trumpet); John Cascella (keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (vibraphone, drums, tambourine); Toby Myers (bass); Sarah Flint, Mimi Mapes (background vocals).
Recorded in 1985.
When John Cougar Mellencamp released 1985's SCARECROW, American farmers were taking a major hit from bank foreclosures and soaring interest rates that were destroying their way of life. For Mellencamp, this issue hit close to home since his great-grandfather's family farm had been sold after his sudden death. Looking to his Midwest upbringing for inspiration, the Indiana native composed 11 rootsy songs, featuring fully realized characters that drew from his experiences growing up as a rebel then escaping from small-town life, before he re-embraced his roots.
Among the many highlights of this breakthrough album were the tribute to '60s AM Top 40 radio "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute To 60's Rock)," and the jangly funk of "Justice and Independence '85." The latter was inspired by the healthy birth of his daughter, who was in danger of deformity due to her mom's chicken pox. Elsewhere, Mellencamp mixed in commercially successful populist anthems like "Rain on the Scarecrow," and "Small Town." With SCARECROW's success, John Cougar Mellencamp became the public face of heartland rock and found himself joining forces with Willie Nelson and Neil Young to create the benefit organization Farm Aid.
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