Scarecrow

In the 1980s, with each successive studio album, John Mellencamp found his authorial voice. 1985’s Scarecrow delves into populist chants (“R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to ‘60s Rock”), populist sloganeering (“You’ve Got to Stand For Something” – or you’ll fall for anything) and populist storytelling (“Small Town”) with its rock n’ roll credentials on full display, courtesy of Mellencamp’s snarling rhythm guitars and drummer Kenny Aronoff’s unrelenting backbeat. This economical, back-to-basics drive captured the wave of ‘80s Americana rock like no other. While no one can say for sure what Mellencamp had in mind when he penned “Justice and Independence ’85,” a lyric that wants to say great things but falls short of coherence, there’s no question that “Lonely Ol’ Night” and “Rumbleseat” desire to bring a nostalgic old time rock n’ roll memory back to life, while “Rain on the Scarecrow,” “The Face of the Nation” and “Small Town” wish to give comfort and deserved attention to people living on what’s become society’s margins.  The duet with Rickie Lee Jones on “Between a Laugh and A Tear” shows “Jack and Diane,” that is John Mellencamp, all grown up.