Songoftheday 4/10/13 - No good deed goes unpunished & I don't mind bein' their whippin' boy...

John Cougar Mellencamp - "Crumblin' Down"
from the album Uh-Huh (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (three weeks)
Weeks in the top-40: 11

Today's Song of the Day is by Indiana's pride John Mellencamp, who under the surname of Cougar broke through with his biggest album American Fool in 1982 which scored two huge hits with "Hurts So Good" and the #1 follow-up "Jack And Diane", along with a third top-20 pop hit with "Hand To Hold On To". With the success of the album, John was able to force his label to attach his true last name on his next record, Uh-Huh. Also delving deeper into roots-rock, Mellencamp came back roaring with the first single, "Crumblin' Down", which started out with a similar echoed-guitar effect used on his last records, and the album tackled more personal and social subjects. Written with collaborator George Green (who co-wrote "Hurts.."), the song focused on life after the pinnacle...

"Crumblin' Down" became John's third top-10 pop hit, ensuring that the "Mellencamp" will continue on the records, and also reached #2 on the rock radio chart as well. It also made the top-20 in Canada.

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...and here's John and the band on TV in 1983..

...and more recently at Farm Aid in 2005...

Up tomorrow: Bay Area arena-rockers go postal.