![]() ![]() “Now I talked to him about everything, everything and anything. “At the rainforest thing, Bruce and I connected and we just started talking and the next thing you know, we're talking all the time and, he's like my, like my big brother now,” Mellencamp confessed. But when Springsteen came on stage, it was like, ‘Jesus Christ, this guy’s got some energy.’”ĭespite teaming up in the ‘80s, Mellencamp admitted he didn’t become close friends with Springsteen until much more recently, when the rockers joined forces at Sting’s 2019 Rainforest Benefit concert. I always felt like, you know, whoever I was singing with that I was overshadowing them because of my presence. And I remember this, he was the only guy that I ever sang with - and I've sang with a lot of people - that I could feel his presence next to mine. Sharing the stage with Springsteen, however, proved to have an entirely different feeling. “I’ve played with a lot of people, but I always thought the one thing that I had going for me was on stage, that I had a certain charisma on stage and that, that's how we got over, because I wasn't afraid to make a fool of myself.” Bruce came up on stage with me and played ‘Way Back Then,’" Mellencamp explained. “In the 80s, I was playing down in Laguna Beach. And I always was able to deliver, as a 19-year-old kid, singing these blues songs - at least I thought I could.Mellencamp went on to recall the first time he and Springsteen performed together. ![]() Can you imagine? I thought, 'S***.' I said, 'How do all these f***ing people know this song?'”Īlthough most of his success has been on the pop and rock charts, John Mellencamp admitted he feels comfortable now being associated with the blues: “I knew I could always sing the blues, because, y'know, when I was a kid and, y'know, when I first got my first record deal, I was in, y'know, bar bands, and we played blues. I watched a football game this past weekend, and 80,000 people were singing that song at half time. He went on to reveal, “I wrote a song called 'Jack & Diane.' And I always detested that song until the last couple, three years. And at first I didn't like that idea, but now, I'm happy it happened because it gave me the opportunity to have the chip on my shoulder and to grow.” And I wrote songs and I grew up in public. 'What, you want me to write songs? I'm a singer.' So I had to learn how to write songs. I was a ballroom singer, and the idea of writing a song was like almost laughable. And I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I was 21-years-old when I made my first record. Mellencamp, who's now 70-years-old, went onto explain, “I grew up in public. It never dawned on me that it would happen. And so even you can tell by just talking to me, that my voice is raspy, and that's all from smoking. It wasn't anything I tried to do, it's just that cigarettes take their f***ing toll on your vocal chords. We were laughing, when we were making this record, it was like, 'John, your voice has changed so much since you started.' And I said, 'Well, the cigarettes are starting to pay off.' And I was happy when I heard me sing 'Gone So Soon,' that I sounded like Louis Armstrong. And I admire Bruce, and I admire Woody Guthrie, and I admire Nat King Cole. Mellencamp was asked about which artists he admires for their creative evolution: “I admire Bob (Dylan). He came to Indiana, he stayed at the house. And then we became really good friends, and it just kind of happened. And all of a sudden he was like my big brother, and he treated me like I was his sibling, and I treated him with respect. But we did a rainforest thing for Sting and we played together. We met each other years ago, but we just knew each other enough to say hi. ![]() And Bruce and I have known each other for years. For my entire career I was always like the poor man's Bruce Springsteen. Mellencamp was asked by Forbes how he and “The Boss” happened to finally decide to team up: “It was quite by accident. ![]() Joining Mellencamp for the sessions was Bruce Springsteen, who guests on three songs. On Friday (January 21st), John Mellencamp will release his 25th album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, with advance reviews touting the set as not only a return to form but breaking new ground for the rock veteran. ![]()
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