John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John J Mellencamp, also known as John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, and actor. He is known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. He rose to superstardom in the 1980s while "honing an almost startlingly plainspoken writing style that, starting in 1982, yielded a string of Top 10 singles," including "Hurts So Good," "Jack & Diane," "Crumblin' Down," "Pink Houses," "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town," "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," "Paper in...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMusician
Date of Birth7 October 1951
CountryUnited States of America
I'm the guy who wrote The Authority Song. Did they think I was kidding? Did they think it was only a song to entertain?
Grandma's on the front porch with a Bible in her hand, sometimes I hear her singing take me to the promised land.
I couldn't have recorded this record 15 years ago. My voice didn't have the depth to pull these songs off.
People in Indiana have known me for 25 years. They've known George Bush four.
I don't want to be a politician. I don't like politics. It's petty; it fights dirty.
All I'm doing is painting. It's my hobby. And that's that.
A lot of Woody Guthrie's songs were taken from other songs. He would rework the melody and lyrics, and all of a sudden it was a Woody Guthrie song.
Bob Dylan's first couple of records in the 60's weren't considered cover records, but he only wrote one or two original songs on each album.
I'm your average Joe guy. I don't really care for politicians.
I want to sell to people my own age, because that's the way I write songs.
I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is.
In so many musicals today, the story is moved forward by a song. I don't think we're gonna try to do that.
Natalie from the Dixie Chicks could have said what she said before 9-11 and no one would have cared.
I don't have to worry about any pop sensibility. I can write adult songs, and I don't have to worry about choruses and hook lines.