Impact Meese has been called one of the leading
figures of the conservative revolution of the 1980’s,
especially in regard to legal affairs and jurispru-
dence. His controversial tenure as attorney general
reflected the polarization of American politics dur-
ing the 1980’s, as, like many other members of the
Reagan administration, he was simultaneously cele-
brated as a heroic public servant and vilified as a
criminal corrupting the nation’s government.
Further Reading
Edwards, Lee.To Preserve and Protect: The Life of Edwin
Meese III.Washington, D.C.: Heritage Founda-
tion, 2005.
Meese, Edwin.With Reagan: The Inside Stor y. Wash-
ington, D.C.: Regnery/Gateway, 1992.
Mark S. Joy
See also Conservatism in U.S. politics; Iran-Contra
affair; Pornography; Reagan, Ronald; Reagan Revo-
lution; Tower Commission.
Mellencamp, John Cougar
Identification American singer and songwriter
Born October 7, 1951; Seymour, Indiana
Mellencamp emerged on the popular music scene in the
1980’s. His popularity and success spread from his mid-
western roots and the sense of place at the center of his mu-
sic, as he wrote and performed songs treating teen and
twentysomething relationships, small-town Americana, and
the fate of workers and farmers across the United States.
During the 1980’s, John Cougar Mellencamp and
his band produced six albums and several hit singles.
Nothin’ Matters and What If It Did(1980) sold nearly
300,000 copies and included “Cry Baby,” “Tonight,”
and “This Time.”American Fool(1982) sold almost
three million copies in its first year, and two hit sin-
gles from the album, “Hurts So Good” and “Jack and
Diane,” ranked in the top ten of theBillboardHot
100 chart at the same time. It was the first time two
songs from the same album had gained simulta-
neous top-ten rankings since the Beatles accom-
plished the same feat in the 1960’s.
While the albumUh-Huh(1983) produced three
hits—“Authority Song,” “Pink Houses,” and “Crum-
blin’ Down”—it was withScarecrow(1985) andThe
Lonesome Jubilee(1987) that Mellencamp succeeded
in bringing populist themes and social realism to the
forefront of his music. DedicatingScarecrowto the
memory of his beloved grandfather Speck, Mellen-
camp captured what he saw as the deleterious effects
of Reaganomics on farmers in the hit single “Rain on
the Scarecrow.” The album also paid homage to his
hometown of Seymour, Indiana, with the popular
single “Small Town.” Considered by many to be his
most artistically accomplished album,Lonesome Jubi-
leewas certified platinum and incorporated such tra-
ditional folk instruments as the fiddle, accordion,
dobro, mandolin, and hammered dulcimer to pro-
duce “Down and Out in Paradise” and “The Real
Life.” Mellencamp concluded a very successful de-
cade withBig Daddy(1989), which featured the
haunting ballad “Jackie Brown.” An artist who
achieved maturity as a singer and songwriter in the
1980’s, Mellencamp understood his role and re-
sponsibility through the lyrics he wrote representing
life experiences and the people he knew and loved.
Impact By grounding his electronically and acous-
tically generated music in America’s heartland, John
Cougar Mellencamp added a distinctive voice and
vision to American popular music. Often compared
to New Jersey-born rocker Bruce Springsteen, Mel-
lencamp became one of popular music’s most out-
spoken activists. In tandem with country-western
singer Willie Nelson, Mellencamp helped organize
three Farm Aid benefit concerts to raise money for
farmers in financial trouble.Indianapolis Monthly
voted Mellencamp one of Indiana’s “Favorite Sons,”
and he was included on the state’s list of “all-time ex-
emplary men.”
Further Reading
Elteren, Mel van. “Populist Rock in Postmodern So-
ciety: John Cougar Mellencamp in Perspective.”
Journal of Popular Culture28, no. 3 (1994): 95-123.
Harshfield, David.Manchild for Real: The Life and
Lyrics of John Cougar Mellencamp.New York: Van-
tage Press, 1986.
Torgoff, Martin.American Fool: The Roots and Improba-
ble Rise of John Cougar Mellencamp.New York: St.
Martin’s Press, 1986.
West, Evan. “Favorite Sons.”Indianapolis Monthly28,
no. 1 (September, 2004): 138-151.
Kevin EysterSee also Farm Aid; Farm crisis; Music; Pop music;
Reaganomics; Springsteen, Bruce.634 Mellencamp, John Cougar The Eighties in America