Song:Hurts So Good
Album:Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
The 1982 top five hit Hurts So Good was John Mellencamp's commercial breakthrough back when he was called John Cougar. He had been around for a few years but the 1982 album American Fool set the stage for long term success, not to mention the right to use his real name. He was born Oct. 7, 1951 in Seymour, IN. He played in bands as a teen and pursued a career in music after graduating from college. He had been in the glitter band Trash. His demo got the attention of David Bowie's manager Tony DeFries and he got him a record deal with MCA Records. DeFries came up with Johnny Cougar because he thought Mellencamp was too hard to market. Mellencamp's 1976 debut album Chestnut Street Incident flopped and MCA dropped him after rejecting his second album The Kid Inside. Mellencamp left DeFries for Rod Stewart's manager Billy Gaff. He owned Riva Records and had Mellencamp move to London to record the 1978 album A Biography. The album wasn't released in the US but I Need A Lover was a big enough hit in Australia that it was added to his 1979 album John Cougar when Mercury picked it up and became his first top 30 hit. The song was a bigger hit for Pat Benetar. So he was doing OK and Mellencamp has admitted that he could have continued making light pop songs for many years. But the 1982 album American Fool gave him the clout he needed to change the direction. Hurts So Good reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Mellencamp wrote it with his long time partner George Green. Then Jack & Diane topped the charts. American Fool was certified 5XPlatinum. This earned Mellencamp the right to use his own name on his albums. His next few albums were very successful. He also helped organize the original Farm Aid concert and opened his own recording studio in Indiana. He continued to be billed as John Cougar Mellencamp until his 1991 album Whenever We Wanted. His success continued until he left Mercury for Columbia Records in 1998 but he wasn't as successful there. This 2CD comp is a good overview of Mellencamp's career. John Mellencamp continues to record.His latest CD No Better Than This was released on Rounder Records Aug. 2010 and was produced by T-Bone Burnett. The two have written a musical with Stephen King called Ghost Brothers of Darkland County that is supposed to premiere in 2012. A CD for the show has been recorded but has yet to be released. It took a long time for John Mellencamp to get respect in the music business. He certainly has it now. Here's the video for Hurts So Good by John Mellencamp.
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