John Mellencamp Albums Ranked

John J. Mellencamp  (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, painter, actor, and film director. He is known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. Mellencamp rose to fame 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 Fire,” and “Cherry Bomb.” He has amassed 22 Top 40 hits in the United States. In addition, he holds the record for the most tracks by a solo artist to hit number one on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, with seven. Mellencamp has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, winning one. His latest album of original songs, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies, was released on April 28, 2017.
Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008. On June 14, 2018, Mellencamp was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His biggest musical influences are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, James Brown, and the Rolling Stones.  Rolling Stone contributor Anthony DeCurtis said: “Mellencamp has created an important body of work that has earned him both critical regard and an enormous audience. His songs document the joys and struggles of ordinary people seeking to make their way, and he has consistently brought the fresh air of common experience to the typically glamour-addled world of popular music.” Here are all of John Mellencamp’s albums ranked.

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10. John Mellencamp (1998)

“I have been a JM fan since 1982. As a native Hoosier it was hard to avoid “John Cougar” on the radio. With each record since that time, he has not been afraid to pursue new directions in sound. Remember the unique sound of the violin and the accordion on Lonesome Jubilee? Well, I have come to expect it from John and this new record shows it. There are lots of unique sound combinations in these songs. He is forever looking of a unique sound that seems almost unreachable. One thing he does maintain is a solid back-beat and I appreciate that (I do miss drummer Kenny Arnoff, however the new drummer is quite good). This is a good disc. I have never been disappointed by JM’s CDs.”

9. John Cougar (1979)

“This is in my opinion the best complete album by John (Cougar) Mellancamp.  The highlight of course is I need a Lover, but sleeper greats such as Sugar Marie, Taxi Dancer (a beautiful love song), A Little Night Dancing, Small Paradise and Great Mid-West are as good as any hits he he has had on his latter albums. The rest of the songs are strong and fill in any potential gaps. It is an album that holds up over time, and gets stronger with every listen.  My only complaint is that he never does any of these songs live! He teased us last concert in Winnipeg with a bit of the instrumental intro to I Need a Lover, but then switched into another song in a medley.  Still a great live performer though, and this is an excellent album putting him squarely into mainstream success. For good reason.”

8. Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996)

“This is one of mellencamp’s a finest composition this one for to consider a truly crafted piece of work. Production is over the top and listener is rewarded with a enjoyable album Ignore the cover picture it’s probably will put some folk of purchasing this cd. If you want something completely different and are bored with today’s 2017 rock music then this one from a number of years ago should do the trick.( Light rock)” If you go to rock concerts then this one will show how it should be done you can forget about going to live gigs and appalling sound and prospect of needing a hearing aid in your 50s This music will do the honours etc

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7. Human Wheels (1993)

“This by far is one great album, and really the only music of his that I like. And I LOVE this. “Human Wheels” is a great title b/c that’s what I get from these songs, and a few are quite memorable for me. When this came out I heard 2 songs on the radio and was hooked into buying the disc, and I was not disappointed in the rest. I’m a musician for many long years and I’ve grown tired of the ‘hits’ played endlessly on the radio. This music is different, refreshing, and is unique in my collection of hundreds. I’m buying the MP3 download to carry it with me easily.”

6. Big Daddy (1989)

“Big Daddy finds John Cougar Mellencamp in a quiet, self-reflective mood. The album has a folk sound to it and although a few songs have electric guitars, it is mostly acoustic based. Songs like “Big Daddy Of Them all”, “Void In My My Heart”, “Mansions In Heaven”, “Sometimes A Great Notion” and “JM’s Questions” all deal with his family and his crumbling marriage. “Martha Say” is one of his most powerful songs and Lisa Gerimano’s violin cuts through the songs. “Theo & Weird Harold” & “Jackie Brown” are like old Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl songs with their narrative tales. “Pop Singer” finds him railing against his early John Cougar image. The album closes out on an upbeat note with his raucous cover a 60’s chestnut by The Hombres, Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out). Big Daddy is often overlooked, but it ranks right up there with any of his albums. The bonus track is an acoustic version of “Jackie Brown” which was originally released as the b-side to the album version of the song.”

5. Whenever We Wanted (1991)

“Maybe the first album of his to have every song be top notch or worthy of 5 stars. This probably should have been a self titled release but that is just semantics. This is a genuine 5 star record though, very edgy and pretty aggressive by what came before. On this album he real shows that he is past singing about not wanting to be a pop singer and seems to be writing what he actually wanted to be writing in the first place.This is a sonic departure from the pop singer into making the albums he has been making of recent years. I wrote this at the end of 2015.”

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4. American Fool (1982)

“American Fool was John Cougar’s major breakthrough. The album was buoyed by two major hits “Hurts So Good” and “Jack & Diane”. The former has a heavy guitar riff that sounds like a motorcycle revving up and it S&M stylings perfectly fit the leather clad rebel rocker image he had at the time. The former has an equally memorable guitar riff, but the song is a reminiscence about days gone by and dealing with growing up. “Hurts So Good” went to number two and “Jack & Diane” became his only number one single and both songs ended up among the ten biggest of 1982. The rest of the album contains some equally pleasing tracks like “Thundering Hearts”, “China Girl”, “Danger List” and “Hand To Hold On To”. The album also went to number one and so far is the only one of his to do so.”

3. Uh-huh (1983)

“I have to admit that when John Mellancamp came out with this album that I was not that much into his work… I was heavily into survivors of the British Invasion Plus American Groups like the Dead, Allman Brothers, Little Feat and so on. To me, John Mellancamp was good radio….. Well, time goes on and today his song Little Pink Houses is close to my theme song. Haven’t you ever seen those houses that probably should not have been built and mixed in with the group is that Pink House. No metaphors here. Haven’t you ever seen a house painted pink? Why would someone paint there house pink? Today I work with people who buy and sell houses, and the one that makes me stare is that Pink House. Who lives inside it? Little Pink Houses for you and me. Mellancamp could not have written it better. In a way, I live there. In a way, its me. Ok, so the song resonates with me, but the other songs on the album are also strong. He was hitting his stride? He was/is for real as a mid-country song writer. This album is for real. Sorry it took so long for me to catch on. PS. The album right after this one is also great-Rain on the Scarecrow.”

2. The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)

“John (Cougar) Mellencamp is one of the big musicians of the ever-diversive ‘Heartland Rock’ genre, and with this album, The Lonesome Jubilee, it’s clear he really tried to go back to basics, with jangly guitar and harmonica. The result is possibly his magnum opus. The catchy as heck ‘Paper In Fire’ is a really strong opener, chugging away like any mainstream rock track, with added harmonica and brass. ‘We Are The People’ and ‘Empty Hands’ are two other highlights from the album, which sound great, political and no-nonsense rock tracks. Mellencamp really is underrated, especially this side of the millennium. ‘Rooty Tooy Toot’ is a throwaway track, but a really infectious one at that. ‘The Real Life’ and ‘Cherry Bomb’ are also some great tracks, as is ‘Down And Out…’. There’s some filler here, perhaps, but the standout tracks really are just that. Stand. Out. A really brilliant album, full of hidden gems and some heartland rockers.”

1. Scarecrow (1985)

“Scarecrow is the most politically charged album of John Cougar Mellencamp’s career. “Rain On The Scarecrow” is about the plight small farmers face. His compassion for the farmers led him to start Farm Aid with Willie Nelson & Neil Young. “Justice & Independence ’85”, “Face Of A Nation” & “You Got To Stand For Something” all take a social commentary slant. The album is also ripe with down home tales from Mr. Mellencamp’s life. “Small Town” was a huge hit and tells of the little Indiana hometown, “Minutes To Memories” is about an old man he meets on a bus and “Rumbleseat” is about being young and in love. “Lonely ‘Ol Night” sounds like it could have been released in 1967. “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.” is a tribute to the sounds and groups he grew up with and is a great song. Scarecrow spent half a year in the top ten, spawned three top ten hits and made Mr. Mellencamp the Midwest answer to Bruce Springsteen. “