R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. (A Salute to 60's Rock)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by John Cougar Mellencamp | ||||
from the album Scarecrow | ||||
B-side | "Under the Boardwalk" | |||
Released | January 1986 | |||
Recorded | April 25, 1985 at Belmont Mall, Belmont, Indiana | |||
Genre | Rock and roll[1] | |||
Length | 2:55[2] 2:48 (7") | |||
Label | Riva | |||
Songwriter(s) | John Mellencamp | |||
Producer(s) | John Mellencamp (a.k.a. "Little Bastard"), Don Gehman[2] | |||
John Cougar Mellencamp singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." on YouTube |
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", subtitled "A Salute to 60's Rock", is a
Background and recording
According to Mellencamp biography Born in a Small Town, Mellencamp was initially reluctant to include "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." on Scarecrow, feeling the song was too light-hearted to include alongside the otherwise grim songs such as "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Face of the Nation".[6]: 71, 73 Mellencamp told Timothy White in a 1986 article for the Illinois Entertainer of his decision to include "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." on Scarecrow: "It was one of those absolute last-split-second decisions. I was only including it on the cassette and CD copies of Scarecrow as a bonus party track, but my manager loved the energy of it and I thought, 'Yeah! What the hell!'"
Mellencamp required his band to learn how to play about 100 songs from the 1960s before recording Scarecrow, and the song includes several direct musical references to 1960s songs, including The Troggs' "Wild Thing".[6]: 74
The song was recorded at Belmont Mall in
Reception
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Chart (1986) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Australian Music Report)[5] | 18 |
Canada (RPM) Top Singles[9] | 7 |
United Kingdom ( Top 100)[10]
|
67 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] | 2 |
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[11] | 36 |
New Zealand (Top 50)[12] | 17 |
Netherlands (Top 100)[13] | 42 |
Year-end charts
Charts (1986) | Rank |
---|---|
Australia (Kent Music Report)[14] | 50 |
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[15] | 66 |
Music video
A music video for the single was released in 1986. The video was
In popular culture
During
In 1994, the song was also used during the 1994 USA World Cup, when announcing the United States as one of the teams who qualified.
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." has appeared on a number of Mellencamp compilations, including 1997's The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 and 2004's Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits.[17]
The song was also featured in The Simpsons episode "Eight Misbehavin'" during the scene where Apu and Majula's octuplets were being used in a zoo show.
References
- ISBN 978-1-4422-5449-7.
- ^ a b c The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 (CD liner). John Mellencamp. U.S.A.: Mercury Records. 1997. p. 11. 314 536 738-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
- allmusic. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8256-7336-8.
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. February 1, 1986. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "Reviews". Billboard. February 1, 1986. p. 81. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20.
- ^ Official Charts Company
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 161.
- ^ Charts.nz
- ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl".
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved January 24, 2023 – via Imgur.
- ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (December 27, 1986). "1986 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 52. p. Y-21.
{{cite magazine}}
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has generic name (help) - White, Timothy(1997). "Who's to Say the Way a Man Should Spend His Days: The First Two Hundred Years of the John Mellencamp Story". The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 (CD liner). John Mellencamp. U.S.A.: Mercury Records. p. 4. 314 536 738-2.
- allmusic. Retrieved November 7, 2010.