Album: Scarecrow
Video: From YouTube.
"Lonely Ol' Night" was the first of five top 40 songs from John Cougar Mellencamp's wildly successful "Scarecrow" album.
The song was inspired by a Paul Newman line from "Hud", a movie Mellencamp enjoyed so much that he named one of his sons after the title. Newman's character actually says "it's a lonesome old night", but it sounds so much cooler when you drop the "d" in "old".
Growing up in 1985, this song never made an impression of me. In fact, if pressed I would say I didn't like it. However, after watching the video all these years later, I was surprised that I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It's a simple song about feeling lonely and looking for a little company, if you know what I mean.
But the fourth best video of the year? No, that is just ridiculous, especially after all the awesomeness that is ranked in the lower spots. But such is the MTV countdown. This song peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The video is another Indiana special, shot entirely in black and white. Most of the scenes take place at a county fair, and the vibe is captured perfectly with spinning rides and characters and fried goodness. Another great scene is Mellencamp playing guitar on a stoop with a porch swing and small amp. Groovy stuff.
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