John Mellencamp Wrote This 1983 Rocker About Turning Into Someone He Hated

After four albums and a couple of name changes, John Mellencamp, who went by John Cougar at the time, had a hit record with American Fool in 1982. The album sat at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 for 9 weeks. “Hurts So Good” hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album’s second single “Jack & Diane” made its way to No. 1. You’d think Mellencamp felt like he was on top of the world, but he didn’t seem to enjoy that kind of success for too long.

When The Walls Came “Crumblin’ Down”

In an interview with Creem in January of 1984, John Mellencamp explained the meaning behind the lead single, “Crumblin’ Down”, off his next studio album, Uh-Huh.

“I was having problems after American Fool came out because all of a sudden I turned into the guy I hated – the guy who’s on the radio all the time, and the guy dealing more with business sometimes than music. It was hard for me to deal with, and I think writing ‘Crumblin’ Down’ helped me. Because when the walls come crumbling down—when all the big-time deals fall through – I’m still going to be ‘the same old trouble you’ve been having for years.’ So why the f*ck are people treating me differently? What’s the big deal? People seem to be more affected by what they think I am than I am about the whole thing myself.”

Further Success for John Mellencamp

The song’s high energy truly reflects these feelings and earned Mellencamp another top 10 hit. Success isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, a theme consistent with many artists in the 1980s. Uh-huh generated three top 20 hits, including “Pink Houses” and “Authority Song”.

Ultimately, John Mellencamp saw much more success throughout the decade as he earned fourteen Top 20 hits. Mellencamp also holds the record for the most No. 1 songs on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart as a solo artist, with 7 hits.

Mellencamp co-founded Farm Aid, an organization aimed at raising awareness of the loss of family farms in the Midwest. In 1985, Farm Aid held a concert in Champaign, Illinois, raising funds to keep family farms alive. Hailing from the Midwestern state of Indiana, John Mellencamp took this opportunity to turn his success into a helping hand in the heartland.