A distanza di due anni dal successo di critica e di pubblico ottenuto da "Scarecrow", John Cougar Mellencamp torna con un nuovo capitolo della sua vicenda musicale. "The Lonesome Jubilee" esce nel 1987 ed è prodotto, come "Uh-Huh" e "Scarecrow", con l'aiuto di Don Gehman. Il successo di vendite dei lavori precedenti non ha per nulla scalfito o inquinato lo spirito di Little Bastard un artista, per natura, schivo e tagliente nei confronti del music business e della promozione di massa a buon mercato.
La particolarità di "The Lonesome Jubilee" è il suono dettato dall'accoppiata violino-fisarmonica. Cougar, creativo come mai prima d'ora, arricchisce le splendide ballate elettroacustiche dell'album con lontani echi musicali presi a prestito dalla tradizione irlandese e celtica. Spesso persino un pizzico di bluegrass fa capolino nei solchi dell'opera. John Mellencamp rinnova e rinfresca la musica delle radici, nella sua opera non c'è spazio per banali pop songs prive di significato. Le chitarre (Mike Wanchic e Larry Crane) sono sempre protagoniste ma suonano più raffinate e meno grezze che in passato. La sezione ritmica (Toby Myers al basso e il grande Kenny Aronoff alla batteria) guida con spettacolare professionalità le dieci perle del disco. Cougar arricchisce il suo suono con il fiddle gentile di Lisa Germano e con gli strumenti della tradizione: il banjo, il mandolino, il dobro, la fisarmonica e il penny whistle. Inoltre, il già numeroso combo, viene completato con la presenza di due coriste, Pat Peterson e Crystal Taliefero (poi con Springsteen e Billy Joel).
L'album, un capolavoro per la critica americana, mette in fila con "Paper In Fire", "Check It Out", "Cherry Bomb", "The Real Life", "Rooty Toot Toot" una serie di singoli vincenti e travolgenti, presenze fisse nelle scalette dei concerti. L'autore non si dimentica dei tempi duri che stanno vivendo le persone oneste e, nelle tematiche di fondo, compaiono frecciate ai politici e denunce sociali contro una classe dirigente miope davanti ai problemi della gente comune. Così, come un grande folk singer, in "Down And Out In Paradise" e in "Empty Hands" lascia che a parlare siano individui che vivono un'apparente normalità con poche soddisfazioni. Egli, come dimostra in "We Are The People", si schiera sempre con i più deboli ("Se sei un senza casa, che il nostro pensiero possa essere con te...").
Al disco segue un fortunatissimo tour (testimoniato dal bootleg "Overdrive") e un nuovo successo di critica e pubblico anche in Europa. Durante questi concerti l'intesa tra i musicisti crescerà data dopo data trasformando il gruppo di Cougar in una delle migliori live band del periodo. Nelle scalette dei concerti spicca una splendida rilettura del classico di Bob Dylan "Like A Rollin Stone", cantato a tre voci da John con le due coriste. Un importante tributo fatto da un grande a uno dei più grandi.
"The Lonesome Jubilee" negli anni a seguire sarà fonte di ispirazione per una generazione di nuovi musicisti (Michael McDermott, Will T. Massey, Whiskeytown e Jayhawks tra gli altri). La sua matrice folk arriverà fino al nuovo millennio quando Bruce Springsteen la rispolvererà citandola in alcuni ispirati momenti del capolavoro "The Rising".
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03 Check It Out (04:21)
A million young poets screaming out their words
To a world full of people just living to be heard
Future generations, riding on the highways that we built
I hope they have a better understanding
(Check it out) Going to work on Monday
(Check it out) Got yourself a family
(Check it out) All utility bills have been paid
You can't tell your best buddy that you love him
(So check it out) Where does our time go
(Check it out) Got a brand new house in escrow
(Check it out) Sleeping with your back to your loved one
This is all that we've learned about happiness
(Check it out) Forgot to say hello to my neighbors
(Check it out) Sometimes I question my own behavior
(Check it out) Talking about the girls that we've seen on the sly
Just to tell our souls we're still the young lions
(So check it out) Getting too drunk on Saturdays
(Check it out) Playing football with the kids on Sundays
(Check it out) Soaring with the eagles all week long
And this is all that we've learned about living
This is all that we've learned about living
Check it out
Check it out
Check it out
Check it out
A million young poets screaming out their words
Maybe someday those words will be heard
By future generations riding on the highways that we built
Maybe they'll have a better understanding
(Check it out) Hope they'll have a better understanding
(Check it out) Maybe they'll have a better understanding
(Check it out) Maybe they'll have a better understanding
(Check it out) Hope they have a better understanding
Check it out
Check it out
Check it out
Check it out
Check it out
Check it out
05 Cherry Bomb (04:49)
Well, I lived on the outskirts of town
In an eight room farmhouse, baby
When my brothers and friends were around
There was always somethin' doin'
Had me a couple of real nice girlfriends
Stopped by to see me every once in a while
When I think back about those days
All I can do is sit and smile
That's when a sport was a sport
And groovin' was groovin'
And dancin' meant everything
We were young and we were improvin'
Laughin', laughin' with our friends
Holdin' hands meant somethin', baby
Outside the club "Cherry Bomb"
Our hearts were really thumpin'
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
The winter days they last forever
But the weekends went by so quick
Went ridin' around this little country town
We were goin' nuts, girl, out in the sticks
One night, me with my big mouth
A couple guys had to put me in my place
When I see those guys these days
We just laugh and say do you remember when
That's when a sport was a sport
And groovin' was groovin'
And dancin' meant everything
We were young and we were improvin'
Laughin', laughin' with our friends
Holdin' hands meant somethin', baby
Outside the club "Cherry Bomb"
Our hearts were really thumpin'
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
Seventeen has turned thirty-five
I'm surprised that we're still livin'
If we've done any wrong
I hope that we're forgiven
Got a few kids of my own
And some days I still don't know what to do
I hope that they're not laughing too loud
When they hear me talkin' like this to you
That's when a sport was a sport
And groovin' was groovin'
And dancin' meant everything
We were young and we were improvin'
Laughin', laughin' with our friends
Holdin' hands meant somethin', baby
Outside the club "Cherry Bomb"
Our hearts were really thumpin'
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
Say yeah, yeah, yeah
09 Hotdogs and Hamburgers (04:05)
Drivin' down on a dry summer's day
Old Route 66 and I was just a kid
Met a pretty little Indian girl
Along the way
Got her into my car
And tried to give her a kiss
I'll give you beads and wampum
Whatever it takes girl, to make you trade
She jumped into the back seat
And she kind of flipped her lid
She said you're tryin' to get something for nothing
Like the pilgrims in the olden days
We rode for a while till the sun went away
And I realized it was sort of an honor
Bein' around this girl
I felt embarrassed
Of what I tried to do earlier that day
She was the saddest girl I ever knew
She told me stories about the Indian nations
And how the white man stole their lives away
And although she kinda liked me
She could never trust me
And when the sun comes up
We'd go our different ways
Now everybody has got the choice
Between hotdogs and hamburgers
Every one of us has got to choose
Between right and wrong
And givin' up or holdin' on
So I dropped her off at some railroad crossing in Texas
An old Indian man was waiting there
He smiled and thanked me
But he saw right through me
I could tell he didn't like me
For my kind he did not care
Because to him I was the white man
The one who sold him something that he already owned
And it was like he'd been riding in the car right there with us
And I felt ashamed of my actions
And the way the west was really won
So I drove down the highway
Till I came to Los Angeles
The town of the angels
The best this country can do
I got down on my knees
And I asked for forgiveness
I said, Lord, forgive us for we know not what we do
Now everybody has got the choice
Between hotdogs and hamburgers
Every one of us has got to choose
Between right and wrong
And givin' up or holdin' on
10 Rooty Toot Toot (03:29)
Written by: John Mellencamp
Got my hands on a little bit of dough
So I went to the grocery store
And got some steaks to go
went by and picked up my gal, Teddi Jo
We had ourselves a picnic
Beside a dirt road
Chorus
Rooty toot toot
Rooty toot toot
We had it made in the shade
Like a ball through the hoop
Spinnin' and tumblin' inside this hoola hoop
Livin' and learnin'
Rooty toot toot
We laid out a blanket
And started a fire
Had the radio playin'
From inside the car
I took off my shirt and kicked off my shoes
She read the paper
And told me the news
She said, there's a lot of people out there
Who are at the end of their rope
Sometimes baby
You've got to lay low
Chorus
We stayed there all day
We both got us some real good suntans
I thought that was ok
Sometimes life can be so grand
We were gettin' ready
To shake out of that place
When the Illinois state trooper
Got in my face
He said, You're on private property
But once he cooled down he was ok
Sometimes you're golden, man
That's all I got to say
Chorus
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