Scarecrow (CD - 1985)

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.

Recorded in 1985.

Personnel: John Mellencamp (vocals, guitar); Mike Wanchic (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Sarah Flint, Mimi Mapes (vocals, background vocals); Rickie Lee Jones, Laura Mellencamp (vocals); Larry Crane (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); A. Jack Wilkins (saxophone); Richard Fanning (trumpet); John Cascella (keyboards); Kenny Aronoff (vibraphone, drums, tambourine, background vocals); Toby Myers (electric bass, bass guitar, background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Don Gehman; George Tutko; Greg Edward.

Recording information: Belmont Mall Studio, Belmont, IN (03/20/1985-04/29/1985); Rumbo Studio, Los Angeles, CA (03/20/1985-04/29/1985).

Photographer: Marc Hauser.

Unknown Contributor Role: John Mellencamp.

Uh-Huh found John Mellencamp coming into his own, but he perfected his heartland rock with Scarecrow. A loose concept album about lost innocence and the crumbling of small-town America, Scarecrow says as much with its tough rock and gentle folk-rock as it does with its lyrics, which remain a weak point for Mellencamp. Nevertheless, his writing has never been more powerful: "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Small Town" capture the hopes and fears of Middle America, while "Lonely Ol' Night" and "Rumbleseat" effortlessly convey the desperate loneliness of being stuck in a dead-end life. Those four songs form the core of the album, and while the rest of the album isn't quite as strong, that's only a relative term, since it's filled with lean hooks and powerful, economical playing that make Scarecrow one of the definitive blue-collar rock albums of the mid-'80s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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. minimize