Crumblin' Down

Album: Uh-Huh (1983)
Charted: 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Mellencamp describes this as a "political song." He told Rolling Stone in 2013: "Reagan was president - he was deregulating everything and the walls were crumbling down on the poor. the song was the last one recorded and the first single. It was a hit immediately. I felt like I was pulling the wool over everyone's eyes."
  • This is one of several songs Mellencamp wrote with the songwriter George Green, who was a childhood friend. Green also co-wrote "Hurts So Good," "Rain On The Scarecrow" and "Human Wheels."
  • This was the first single from Uh-Huh, Mellencamp's seventh album and the first one on which he used his real last name. After two albums as "Johnny Cougar" and four as "John Cougar," he had enough clout to wean off the stage names, but he kept the "Cougar" until his 1991 album Whenever We Wanted.

    Along with the superficial changes, Mellencamp was also coming into his own with his songs. "Real songwriting didn't come to me until by sixth or seventh album, when I realized, this is what real poetry and art is about," he said in his Plain Spoken DVD.

Comments: 1

  • Kristina Powell from Conway ArkansasI'm ready to tear down the wall
see more comments

Editor's Picks

The Evolution of "Ophelia"

The Evolution of "Ophelia"Song Writing

How five songs portray Shakespeare's character Ophelia.

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Actors With Hit Songs

Actors With Hit SongsMusic Quiz

Many actors have attempted music, but only a few have managed a hit. Do you know which of these thespians charted?

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."