He’s got an interstate runnin’ through his front yard, you know he thinks he’s got it so goodĪnd there’s a woman in the kitchen cleanin’ up the evenin’ slopĪnd he looks at her and says, hey darlin’ “I can remember when you could stop a clock” Well there’s a black man with a black cat livin’ in a black neighborhood I thought, ‘Wow, is this what life can lead to? Watching the fuckin’ cars go by on the interstate?’” And thus “Pink Houses”‘ first verse was born.
He was sitting on his front lawn in front of a pink house in one of those shitty, cheap lawn chairs. “I was driving through Indianapolis on Interstate 65 and I saw a black man holding either a cat or a dog. The song’s inspiration came about when Mellencamp saw a striking image so simple yet profound that, to him, was a take on modern America at the time. The American dream had pretty much proven itself as not working anymore.” Mellencamp told Rolling Stone in 2013. “This one has been misconstrued over the years because of the chorus – it sounds very rah-rah. On the surface, its chorus laden with claps and innately nationalistic lyrics can come off as self-indulgent, but the song delves much deeper.
“Pink Houses” took on an extremely large idea and found a way to embody America in a three-verse pop song. But throughout its offerings, one track really challenged the boundaries of a typical 80’s rock song. 1983’s Uh-Huh was as gritty, homeland, and humble as pop music could get in the rise of the “greed decade.” Tracks like “Crumblin Down” and “Authority Song” became instant hits and remain radio staples to this day. Mellencamp may have been willing to reluctantly compromise on his name early on, but he was never willing to compromise his music and ideals. Mellencamp was finally allowed to put his real last name on the record when he did the highly anticipated follow-up to his breakthrough hit under the proper title of “John Cougar Mellencamp.” Mellencamp, the singer-songwriter struggled to establish an identity, which became one of rock’s most infamous tugs-of-war. His 1982 breakthrough hit “Jack and Diane” helped make Mellencamp a household name – but not by the name those close to him knew him by. Related: “John Mellencamp’s ‘American Fool'” While many were trying to break artistic boundaries in the new medium of video, Mellencamp showed humble images of his small hometown and the idiosyncracies he sang about.
The Indiana rocker carried a torch for middle America into the MTV age with lyrics and stories pertaining to life in smalltown U.S.A. At a time dominated by synthesizers and excess, there was Mellencamp smoking cigarettes in ripped denim and swinging an acoustic guitar bigger than his torso. Mellencamp was undoubtedly a champion of Americana in the 1980s. Second was Bob Seger which I’m still convinced to this day was a vehicle to mellow his brazen exterior and channel his sentimental side. The first was his premiere musical love above all else, Aerosmith – hometown heroes and rockstar extraordinaire. The majority of his collection consisted of three musical discographies. Half of the time the stereo would be set to the local classic rock station, and the other half would be from his personal CD collection. His garage would often emit the sounds of frustration from his work and the music that helped mask the former. Growing up in rural Massachusetts my father was a welder, mechanic, and most of all a hard worker.
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