Published on Mar 20, 1998
In 1985, John Mellencamp was on a roll. He had successfully
reverted to his real name (though he kept his stage name of
“Cougar” as a middle name for a few albums) and had garnered his
biggest success with his album
Uh-Huh. So by the time 1985 rolled around, the question
Mellencamp had to face was how he could top the success he had
already enjoyed.
His answer was to write and record
Scarecrow, an album that was his most vocal (to that point)
about his defense of Midwestern life and the plight of the American
farmer. Some people didn’t know how to deal with the angrier side
of Mellencamp, but in the end, he created one of the few albums of
his career that I would call an album that everyone should own.
The first single “Lonely Ol’ Night” was a logical follow-up to
the hits Mellencamp enjoyed on
Uh-Huh – this one sounds like it could have been written at
the same time as “Authority Song” and “Crumblin’ Down”. This, by
the way, is not a bad thing – I found this track to be highly
underrated -it almost seemed like people were expecting to hear
something radically different from Mellencamp.
The gloves come off early on the album – “Rain On The
Scarecrow,” the album’s lead-off track, was a scathing commentary
about the decline of the American farm and theplight of the farmers
who could no longer afford to eek out a living. It is a song that
makes you think – and it should make you angry for the farmers.
This track might be the peak of Mellencamp’s songwriting; I don’t
think he’s ever topped the sheer power of this song. Thirteen years
later, it’s still a great track.
Of the remaining singles,
Scarecrow becomes a matter of taste. One website (whose
address I can’t recall off the top of my head) ranked “R.O.C.K. In
The U.S.A.” as one of the worst songs ever recorded. I disagree –
it may be a tad simplistic, but it is an enjoyable track that
helped to keep the names of some older rockers registered in the
heads of Generation X. (How many kids listening to the radio in
1985 had ever heard of someone like Mitch Ryder or Bobby Fuller
prior to this song?) However, the other single “Small Town” is one
that I’ve just never warmed up to. It sounds like a re-tread of
“Pink Houses,” only without as much power. Nevertheless, others
love this track – more power to them.
But an album is more than the singles that get airplay – and
more often than not,
Scarecrow continues to show its strengths in the “forgotten”
tracks. “Minutes To Memories” is a great number that could have
enjoyed success had it been given a fair shake on the airwaves,
while “Justice And Independence ’85” is a better track than I
originally imagined it to be – Mellencamp sounds incredibly
comfortable performing this one. (For that matter, the whole feel
of this album is more laid-back than anything Mellencamp had done
to this point – which helps the album. When the artist is at home
with the material, we’ll feel more at home with it as well.)
There are a few clunkers on
Scarecrow – “You’ve Got To Stand For Somethin'” and “Between
A Laugh And A Tear” don’t stand out as anything special – but even
the weak material has enough promise to carry the album.
I don’t think that Mellencamp ever was more popular than he was
around the time of
Scarecrow, and I could argue with members of the Pierce
Posse for hours as to whether his future albums were as good as
this one. No matter what your view of Mellencamp’s career and
output, it can’t be denied that
Scarecrow is an incredibly powerful album that challenges
you to listen to the message behind the melody.