Human Wheels | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by John Mellencamp | ||||
Released | September 7, 1993 | |||
Recorded | 1992–1993 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 45:17 | |||
Label | Mercury | |||
Producer | John Mellencamp, Malcolm Burn, David Leonard, Mike Wanchic | |||
John Mellencamp chronology | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | link |
Robert Christgau | [1] |
Rolling Stone | link |
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Human Wheels is the 12th album released by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp in 1993. Released on Mercury Records, it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The single "What If I Came Knocking" was Mellencamp's last No. 1 single on the Album Rock Tracks chart, staying atop for two weeks in the summer of 1993.
The title track was borne out of a poem Mellencamp's friend George Green wrote as a eulogy delivered at the grave site upon the death of his grandfather. “He had no intention of using it as a song,” Mellencamp said in a 2008 interview with the Bloomington Herald Times. “He had me read it and I said, ‘These are the best lyrics you ever wrote.’ He said, ‘They’re not lyrics’ and I said ‘I can make them lyrics.’ I took it and kind of cut it up and wrote the chorus.”[2]
The album is dedicated to band member John Cascella, who died unexpectedly about halfway through production.
Contents |
All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.
Album - Billboard (North America)[3]
Year | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|
September 25, 1993 | The Billboard 200 | 7 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)[4]
Year | Single | Chart | Position |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | "When Jesus Left Birmingham" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 35 |
1993 | "What If I Came Knocking" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
1993 | "Human Wheels" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 48 |
1993 | "Human Wheels" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 2 |