Human Wheels

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
Whenever We Wanted
(1991)		 Human Wheels
(1993)		 Dance Naked
(1994)
Professional ratings
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

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.

  1. "When Jesus Left Birmingham" – 5:16
  2. "Junior" – 4:08
  3. "Human Wheels" (Mellencamp/Green) – 5:33
  4. "Beige to Beige" – 3:52
  5. "Case 795 (The Family)" – 5:15
  6. "Suzanne and the Jewels" – 3:55
  7. "Sweet Evening Breeze" – 4:51
  8. "What If I Came Knocking" – 5:05
  9. "French Shoes" – 3:41
  10. "To the River" (Ian/John Vezner/Mellencamp) – 3:33
  11. "When Jesus Left Birmingham" (2005 re-issue bonus track) - 3:58

Personnel

Charts

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

References

  1. ^ Christgau, Robert. "John Mellencamp". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=2278. 
  2. ^ Songwriter, Mellencamp collaborator George Green dies at 59. Bloomington Herald Times.
  3. ^ Billboard.com - Discography - John Mellencamp - Human Wheels
  4. ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
Studio albums
Chestnut Street Incident (1976)  · The Kid Inside (1977)  · A Biography (1978) · John Cougar (1979)  · Nothin' Matters and What If It Did (1980)  · American Fool (1982) · Uh-Huh (1983)  · Scarecrow (1985)  · The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)  · Big Daddy (1989)  · Whenever We Wanted (1991)  · Human Wheels (1993)  · Dance Naked (1994)  · Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996) · John Mellencamp (1998) · Rough Harvest (1999)  · Cuttin' Heads (2001) · Trouble No More (2003) · Freedom's Road (2007) · Life, Death, Love and Freedom (2008) · No Better Than This (2010)
Live albums
Compilations
The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 (1997)  · Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits (2004)  · 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of John Mellencamp (2007)  · On the Rural Route 7609 (2010)
Singles
Other