AOTM: The Soundtracks of John Mellencamp

NASHVILLE, TN – FEBRUARY 24: Recording artist John Mellencamp performs onstage during CMT Crossroads: John Mellencamp and Darius Rucker on February 24, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMT)

For many, the name John Mellencamp is synonymous with music. “Jack and Diane”, “Rain on the Scarecrow”, “Small Town”, and many other songs propelled him to the top of the charts and connected him to the blue collar life. What many do not know is the versatility of Mellencamp’s talents. Also an accomplished painter, he has seen his work displayed in New York, Florida, and Nashville. But, he is more than a songwriter and painter. Mellencamp added another career milestone in recent years: film and musical scorer.

In 2013, a musical named The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County made its debut with great success. The Gothic tale of two generations of brothers was written by Stephen King, directed by T Bone Burnett, and scored by John Mellencamp. A mix of blues and roots, the music draws people into the story and also is the driving force behind it. The music, “…reveals the inner workings of the characters as opposed to just propelling the play’s narrative, with only a few songs directly advancing the plot (ghostbrothersofdarklandcounty.com).” The musical was performed with a stellar cast along with a live band and traveled across the country. Although the musical is no longer touring in the U.S., it is being further developed in London, and fans of Mellencamp can purchase the studio version of the score, which includes artists such as Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, and Rosanne Cash, through iTunes and Amazon.

(Roseanne Cash performs “You Don’t Know Me” written by John Mellencamp and on The Ghosts Brothers of Darkland County soundtrack. Video courtesy of RoseanneCashVevo.)

In addition to Ghost Brothers, Mellencamp was involved with the film Ithaca. A 2015 film based off the book The Human Comedy by William Saroyan, it focuses on a fourteen-year-old telegram messenger named Homer Macauley coming of age in the summer of 1942. John Mellencamp scored the entire film and also created two new songs included in the score: “Sugar Hill Mountain” (sung by Carlene Carter) and “Seeing You Around” (sung by Leon Redbone). After a screening of the film at the Bentonville Film Festival Meg Ryan, who starred in and directed the film, said, “The music is so beautiful. John Mellencamp wrote every note – everything – the tiny little needle drops you hear in the back. He wrote about half of it after I read him the script, and then the next half after he saw the movie. He’s just incredible (entertainmentweekly.com).” While Mellencamp has scored both the musical and the film, his music has been involved in other film soundtracks.

Mellencamp’s songs can be heard on a number of soundtracks:

Footloose – “Hurts So Good”, 1984
Colors – “Crumblin’ Down”, 1988
Cocktail – “Rave On”, 1988
Renaissance Man – “R.O.C.K in the U.S.A”, 1994
My Fellow Americans – “Pink Houses, 1996
The Waterboy – “Small Town”, 1998
Pushing Tin – “I’m Not Running Anymore”, 1999
The Perfect Storm – “Yours Forever”, 2000
Welcome to Mooseport – “Small Town”, 2004

Most know John Mellencamp from his award-winning music, however, the songwriter’s talents are versatile. He is also an accomplished painter whose work has been displayed across the country, and recently, has written music for the stage and screen. With both soundtracks beautiful and engaging, one can hope that Mellencamp will create more film and musical scores in the future.

~Jenna Jakes, WOGB

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