Songoftheday 7/21/14 - No I cannot forget where it is that I come from, I cannot forget the people who love me...

John "Cougar" Mellencamp - "Small Town"
from the album Scarecrow (1985)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (four weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 13

Today's Song of the Day is by the rural workingman's rocker John Mellencamp, whose second album after winning the right to put his real last name on his records, Scarecrow, had already produced a top-10 pop hit with "Lonely Ol' Night". For its follow-up he released a song that was like a companion to his previous single "Pink Houses". "Small Town" recollected John's days as a kid in Indiana, and its down-home midwestern message rung true throughout the rest of the country...

"Small Town" followed John's previous singles success to the #6 spot in December of 1985, while stopping one rung short of #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart. The record also crossed over to the normally serene Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") chart, making it to #13. Internationally, the single went to #21 in Canada and #40 in New Zealand, and was a minor hit in England (#53).

"Small Town" remains probably the most well-liked of John's hits, perfectly encapsulating his roots and his musical chops in one tight four-minute package.

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As one of the organizers and main attractions at the yearly charity concert Farm Aid, John naturally included "Small Town" reliably in his sets. Here he is in 1986...