Scarecrow (John Mellencamp album)

Scarecrow
Studio album by
John Cougar Mellencamp
ReleasedJuly 31, 1985 (1985-07-31)
StudioBelmont Mall Studio, Belmont, Indiana, U.S.
GenreHeartland rock
Length41:07
LabelRiva
Producer
John Cougar Mellencamp chronology
Uh-Huh
(1983) 		Scarecrow
(1985) 		The Lonesome Jubilee
(1987)
Singles from Scarecrow
  1. "Lonely Ol' Night"
    Released: August 1985
  2. "Small Town"
    Released: November 2, 1985
  3. "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A."
    Released: January 1986
  4. "Rain on the Scarecrow"
    Released: April 1986
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Kerrang![2]
Pitchfork8.1/10[3]
Robert ChristgauB+[4]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

Scarecrow is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Cougar Mellencamp. Released on July 31, 1985, it peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200. The album contained three top-ten hits: "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", which peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100; "Lonely Ol' Night", which peaked at number six; and "Small Town", which also peaked at number six. "Lonely Ol' Night" also peaked at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his second chart-topping single on this chart.

In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll for the year's best albums, Scarecrow finished at No. 3.[7] In 1989, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Scarecrow number 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."[8]

A remastered version was released May 24, 2005, on Mercury/Island/UMe and includes one bonus track.[9] On November 4, 2022, a "deluxe" two-CD remastered and remixed version of the album was released.[10][11]

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Scarecrow - John Mellencamp". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  2. ^ Johnson, Howard (3 October 1985). "Crow's Feat". Kerrang!. Vol. 104. London, UK: Morgan Grampian. p. 10.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 14, 2022). "John Mellencamp: Scarecrow (Deluxe Edition) Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: John Cougar Mellencamp". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
  5. ^ Guterman, Jimmy (1985-09-26). "Scarecrow". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  6. ^ "John Mellencamp: Album Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2012-11-05.
  7. ^ "The 1985 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. 18 February 1986. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  8. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s". Rolling Stone. No. 565. November 16, 1989.
  9. ^ "John Mellencamp - Official Website :: Discography". www.mellencamp.com. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  10. ^ "John Mellencamp To Reissue "Scarecrow" - "Scarecrow Deluxe" Out November 4th". Mellencamp.com. 13 September 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  11. ^ Andrew Gulden. "Review: John Mellencamp 'Scarecrow' Reissue". Americana Highways. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.