John Mellencamp - Scarecrow (1985)
Tracklist front / back album covers
"Rain on the Scarecrow" (Mellencamp, George M. Green) – 3:46
"Grandma's Theme" (traditional)[A] – 0:56
"Small Town" – 3:41
"Minutes to Memories" (Mellencamp, Green) – 4:11
"Lonely Ol' Night" – 3:45
"The Face of the Nation" – 3:13
"Justice and Independence '85" – 3:32
"Between a Laugh and a Tear" – 4:32
"Rumbleseat" – 2:58
"You've Got to Stand for Somethin'" – 4:32
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60s Rock)" – 2:54
"The Kind of Fella I Am" [cassette and CD only] – 2:55
"Small Town" (Acoustic Version) [2005 re-issue bonus track] - 4:14
John Mellencamp Band Members / Musicians
John Mellencamp – vocals, guitar, harmonica on "Small Town"
Larry Crane – electric guitars, acoustic guitars, backing vocals
Kenny Aronoff – drums, tambourine, vibes, backing vocals
Mike Wanchic – electric guitars, backing vocals
Toby Myers – electric bass, backing vocals
John Cascella – keyboards
Rickie Lee Jones – vocals on "Between a Laugh and a Tear"
Sarah Flint – background vocals on "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."
Laura Mellencamp (John Mellencamp's grandmother) – lead vocal on "Grandma's Theme"
Mimi Mapes – backing vocals on "Minutes to Memories"
A. Jack Wilkins – saxophone on "Justice and Independence '85"
Richard Fanning – trumpet on "Justice and Independence '85"
Ry Cooder – slide guitar on "The Kind of Fella I Am"
Scarecrow is the 8th studio album by John Mellencamp. Released in August 1985, it peaked at #2 on the U.S. chart. The remastered version was released May 24, 2005 on Mercury/Island/UMe and includes one bonus track.
This album contained three Top 10 hits, a record for a Mellencamp album: "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," which peaked at #2 in the U.S.; "Lonely Ol' Night," which peaked at #6; and "Small Town," which also peaked at #6. "Lonely Ol' Night" also peaked at #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his second chart-topping single on this chart.
In 1989, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Scarecrow #95 on its list of the 100 greatest albums of the 1980s, saying: "Scarecrow consolidated the band's rugged, roots-rock thrash and the ongoing maturation of Mellencamp's lyrics."
