Heart of Darkness

PERFORMER: JOHN MELLENCAMP

ALBUM: HUMAN WHEELS

+

LABEL: MERCURY

THE BOTTOM LINE: By lacing his small town twang with urban soul, Mellencamp brews an all-American sound.

Like a troubadour adrift on the blue highways of America, John Mellencamp has hitched his muse to the hopes and broken dreams of the heartland. Even before the mid-'80s, when he renounced the pop artifice of his John Cougar past and took back his given name, he had found his calling as a spinner of hook-laden odes to the ordinary man. Early hits that hinted at the darker dimensions of suburbia, like Jack and Diane...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!