Songoftheday 10/5/15 - Well I lived on the outskirts of town in an eight room farmhouse, baby...

"Cherry Bomb" - John Cougar Mellencamp
from the album The Lonesome Jubilee (1987)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #8 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 12

Today's Song of the Day is by heartland rocker John "Cougar" Mellencamp, whose Lonesome Jubilee album had already scored him yet another top-10 pop hit with "Paper in Fire" in the fall of 1987. For the follow-up John went with another feel-good retro-style "Cherry Bomb". Written and co-produced by Mellencamp with Don Gehman, the song had that air of nostalgia carried over from songs like "Jack and Diane", "Small Town", and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." but with a bit more laid-back approach. And on the video, which spotlights a mixed-race couple, John was at peak hair volume...

"Cherry Bomb" became the second top-10 pop hit from The Lonesome Jubilee in January of 1988. The single topped Billboard's Mainstream Rock radio chart for a single week, while climbing to #12 on their Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") chart. Internationally, the single made it to #4 in both Canada and New Zealand and #10 in Australia.

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..and here's John performing "Cherry Bomb" live at Farm Aid in 2014...

Up tomorrow: British metalheads aren't vegetables.