#4 - Lonely Ol' Night

Artist: John Cougar Mellencamp
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.

#21 - Small Town

Artist: John Cougar Mellencamp

Album: Scarecrow
Video: From YouTube, with ads.

We go from the glitz and glamour of California to the heart of Middle America.  Quite a contrast in tone and mood compared to the last video, possibly unparalleled elsewhere in this countdown.  I challenge you, the reader, to find a starker contrast between two consecutive videos!

In 1985, we were still getting used to the “Mellencamp” portion of Johnny Cougar.  With several top ten singles and a #1 album under his belt, the man had enough juice to demand that his real name be used.  By the 1990s, the Cougar was gone forever.

“Small Town” was not one of my favorites.  The simple, folksy message was lost on this San Fernando Valley boy.  But it was very popular nationwide, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100.  And I grew to appreciate the song in time, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t measure up to “Jack and Diane” or even “Pink Houses”.

The “Scarecrow” album was one of Mellencamp’s most successful, spawning five top 30 hits.  Its release coincided with the first Farm Aid, an annual benefit concert he created with Willie Nelson and Neil Young.

The video has the feel of a home movie, peppered with pictures from what appears to be Mellencamp’s personal scrapbook.  Set in Seymour, Indiana (just an hour outside Bloomington!), it is a tour of all the different facets of small town life.  Kids playing baseball, people involved with their different activities, and I swear I even caught a glimpse of Bobby Knight.