Scarecrow (John Mellencamp album)

Scarecrow
Studio album by John Cougar Mellencamp
Released August 19, 1985 (1985-08-19)
Recorded March 20 - April 29, 1985, Belmont, Indiana
Genre Rock, Americana
Length 41:07
Label Riva
Producer John Mellencamp, Don Gehman
John Cougar Mellencamp chronology
Uh-Huh
(1983)		 Scarecrow
(1985)		 The Lonesome Jubilee
(1987)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau (B+)[2]
Rolling Stone (favorable)[3]
Kerrang! [4]
This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information.

Scarecrow is the eighth album by John Mellencamp. Released in August 1985 by Mercury Records, it peaked at #2 on the U.S. charts. It was remastered and reissued on Mercury Records on May 24, 2005, with one bonus track.[5]

This album contained three Top 10 hits, a record for a Mellencamp album. They were "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," which peaked at #2 in the U.S., "Lonely Ol' Night," which peaked at #6, and "Small Town," which also peaked at #6. "Lonely Ol' Night" also peaked at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his second chart-topping single on this chart.

In 1989, it was ranked #95 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s.

Contents

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.

  1. "Rain on the Scarecrow" (Mellencamp, George M. Green) – 3:46
  2. "Grandma's Theme" (traditional) – 0:56
  3. "Small Town" – 3:41
  4. "Minutes to Memories" (Mellencamp, Green) – 4:11
  5. "Lonely Ol' Night" – 3:45
  6. "The Face of the Nation" – 3:13
  7. "Justice and Independence '85" – 3:32
  8. "Between a Laugh and a Tear" – 4:32
  9. "Rumbleseat" – 2:58
  10. "You've Got to Stand for Somethin'" – 4:32
  11. "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to '60s Rock)" – 2:54
  12. "The Kind of Fella I Am" (cassette and CD only)^ – 2:55
  13. "Small Town" (acoustic version) (2005 re-issue bonus track) - 4:14

^also appears as the B-side to "Lonely Ol' Night"

Band

Guests

Charts

Album

Year Chart Position
1985 Billboard 200 2

Singles

Year Single Chart Position
1985 "Lonely Ol' Night" Billboard Hot 100 6
1985 "Small Town" Billboard Hot 100 6
1985 "Small Town" Adult Contemporary 2
1986 "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." Billboard Hot 100 2
1986 "Rain on the Scarecrow" Billboard Hot 100 21
1986 "Rumbleseat" Billboard Hot 100 28

Charted album tracks

Year Title Chart Position
1985 "Lonely Ol' Night" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 1
1985 "Small Town" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 2
1985 "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." Billboard Top Rock Tracks 6
1985 "Rain on the Scarecrow" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 16
1985 "Justice and Independence '85" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 28
1986 "Minutes to Memories" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 14
1986 "Rumbleseat" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 4
1986 "Under the Boardwalk" Billboard Top Rock Tracks 19

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "John Mellencamp Scarecrow review". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. http://www.allmusic.com/album/scarecrow-r12911/review. Retrieved 2011-08-27. 
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "John Cougar Mellencamp 'Scarecrow' review". Robert Christgau. http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=2278. Retrieved 2011-08-27. 
  3. ^ "John Cougar Mellencamp Scarecrow review". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/johnmellencamp/albums/album/101103/review/6211512/scarecrow. 
  4. ^ Johnson, Howard (3 October 1985). "Crow's Feat". Kerrang!. 104. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. pp. 10. 
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Scarecrow (Bonus Track) - John Mellencamp". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/scarecrow-bonus-track-r744504/review. Retrieved February 18, 2011. 
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