What a surprise to me, because I was a kid when I wrote it, and really, “Oh yeah, life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone” is not a positive message and people sing it like it’s the national anthem. They aren’t John Mellencamp fans, they’re just singing it. I used to really not like playing “Jack & Diane” until a few years ago I saw a whole football stadium of people singing that song – 80,000 singing it at football game. I’ll do a few of those songs, but only because I want to do that. Q: You mentioned you had to cancel your tour again, but when you are out there, do you still get any joy playing the old hits? Luck is nothing but thinking you’re lucky. I was born with spina bifida in 1951 and the other four kids they did surgery on (at the same time as me) died. You’re talking to the luckiest guy in the world. I don’t want to feel obligated to put on a show or travel. I’ll never perform in the summer again because I want to enjoy the summer. But on the sliding ruler, you start pushing it toward time and you realize that 70 summers have come and gone, you don’t want to waste them. When you’re a kid, summers go on forever. I’ve had 70 summers and it’s just a math problem. This record was made half before the pandemic and half during. Mellencamp: That song was written before the pandemic. What prompted this rumination? Did the isolation of the first year of the pandemic play into your songwriting? Q: “Wasted Days” obviously keys in on the passing of time, a theme that seems to run throughout the album. I was singing in rock bands and playing in bars when I was 12. I had a motorcycle, my dad was vice president of an electrical firm, I never wanted for money. I think I had it a little easier than Bruce as a kid. We come from very similar backgrounds – small towns. He’s a sweet guy, and I think the world of him. Mellencamp: Bruce came to Indiana and stayed at my house. Q: Where did you record these three songs? Maybe I didn’t see it that way, but I do now. He’s been an inspiration and I told him, you made me work harder, I’ve gotta compete with that. But Bruce and I have grown to be almost brothers, and I love the guy. Mellencamp: Bruce and I have known each other since we were kids, but I was always kind of considered the poor man’s Springsteen. What took so long for this collaboration to happen? Question: There is being much made of you and Bruce singing together on a record for the first time, but you’ve known each other for decades. In his conversation with USA TODAY, Mellencamp, who recently canceled his tour because of COVID-19 obstacles (“for the third time,” he says with a sigh), delves into his long relationship with Springsteen, the portentous themes on the new album and the history of the everlasting “Jack & Diane.” The duo romp a little more on the easy swinging “Did You Say Such a Thing,” but also warn “the forecast is severe” on the piano and accordion-laden “A Life Full of Rain.” The album’s first single, “Wasted Days,” finds the pair in a reflective state (“Who’s counting now, these last remaining years / How many minutes do we have here?”). He also enlisted an old friend for a trio of songs, a kindred spirit in wistful storytelling: Bruce Springsteen. On Friday, Mellencamp unveils his first album in five years. “Strictly a One-Eyed Jack” features a dozen songs packed with themes of mortality and dense lyrics, guided by the album’s protagonist, “a dangerous old man” (i.e., the one-eyed Jack, which Mellencamp will further explain). From the early days of Johnny Cougar – a name he says “was forced on me. and I don’t like anybody telling me what to do” – through '80s MTV staples (“Pink Houses,” “Hurts So Good,” “Small Town”) rootsy zigzags (“Paper in Fire,” “Get a Leg Up,” “Wild Night”) a shadowy musical written with Stephen King (“Ghost Brothers of Darkland County”) and voluminous accolades (the Songwriters Hall of Fame, ASCAP Founders Award and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are but a few), his accomplishments overwhelm. Mellencamp’s is a rightfully celebrated career. Or, as it turns out, on the other end of the phone for an hour. Exactly the type who would make an ideal conversationalist over a few drinks. He’s calling from “on top of the mountain” in Northern California – not literally, but in his home – and for a guy often pegged as prickly, he’s immediately disarming. “If a squirrel chews through the line, we’re in trouble,” John Mellencamp says by way of introduction. Watch Video: Diamond shines at Songwriters Hall of Fame
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