Songoftheday 8/14/15 - She had a dream and boy it was a good one, so she chased after her dream with much desire...

"Paper In Fire" - John Cougar Mellencamp
from the album The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (three weeks)
Weeks in the top-40: 10

Today's SOTD is by American heartland rocker John "Cougar" Mellencamp, whose magnum opus album Scarecrow, one of the best records of the 80's, spun out five top-40 pop hits, including three ("Lonely Ol' Night", "Small Town", and "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.") that reached the top-10. In 1987 John released his ninth studio album (and third with his true Mellencamp surname), with the same stripped-down sonics and down-home flavor of his previous album. The first single from the project, "Paper In Fire" had a driving percussive flow which carried John's bluesy growl and soulful backup singers, in the end sounding 10 times more "country" than what passes for the genre today (and even 1987, as well...)

"Paper In Fire" became Mellencamp's eighth top-10 pop hit in October of 1987. The single topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart (his third to reach the summit after "Hurts So Good" and "Lonely Ol' Night"). Internationally, the single went to #1 in Canada (his second after "Jack and Diane") and top-20 in both Australia and New Zealand.

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Here's John performing the song at Farm Aid in 1990...

...and from his MTV Unplugged show in 1992...

...back to another Farm Aid performance in 1995...

and finally from last year's benefit concert ....

Up tomorrow: Seattle sisters ask about refuge.