The Lonesome Jubilee

The Lonesome Jubilee
Studio album by John Cougar Mellencamp
Released	August 4, 1987
Recorded	September 1986 – June 1987 at Belmont Mall Studio, Indiana
Genre	Rock, folk, country
Length	39:42
Label	Mercury
Producer	John Mellencamp, Don Gehman
Professional reviews
Allmusic link Robert Christgau (A−) link Rolling Stone (favorable) link
John Cougar Mellencamp chronology
Scarecrow (1985) The Lonesome Jubilee (1987) Big Daddy (1989)

The Lonesome Jubilee is the ninth album by John Mellencamp, released in 1987 on the Mercury Records label. It has considerable country and folk music influences, including the use of steel guitar, violins, accordion and hammond organ. It contained a number of hit singles, including "Paper in Fire" (Mainstream Rock #1, Hot 100 #9) and "Cherry Bomb" (Mainstream Rock #1, Hot 100 #8).

The lyrics are a mix of social comment and reflection, and nostalgic descriptions of younger life and the process of maturing. "Paper in Fire" is a cautionary tale concerned with the cost of chasing our dreams. "Down and Out in Paradise" chronicles a series of stories of economic and social hardship as if told to the President, who at the time was Ronald Reagan. "Check It Out" is a commentary on day to day existence that fosters the hope that future generations will understand better how to live. "The Real Life" continues the these of concern about the way lives are lived, and includes two vignettes of the lives of "Suzanne" and "Jackson Jackson." "Cherry Bomb" is a nostalgic but fundamentally happy review of the narrators life - "we were young and we were improving." "We Are the People" lists categories of people - the homeless, the oppressed, people in pain - against the refrain "May my thoughts be with you." Unemployment and its effect on the narrator and his wife Maryanne, is the subject of "Empty Hands." "Hard Times For An Honest Man" continues the existential theme, noting, against a backdrop of two more cautionary tales, that "the rent we pay to stay here gets high." "Hotdogs and Hamburgers" addresses the question of right and wrong, and the need for personal choice, within a narrative describing the a lift given to an Indian girl on Route 66. "Rooty Toot Toot," like "Cherry Bomb," is a happy nostalgic tale of the narrator's youth. Mellencamp originally wrote the song as a nursery rhyme for his daughter, Teddi Jo, who had asked her father to use her name in one of his songs. After it was written, Mellencamp and his band turned "Rooty Toot Toot" into a rock song.

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.

1. "Paper in Fire" – 3:51
2. "Down and Out in Paradise" – 3:37
3. "Check It Out" – 4:19
4. "The Real Life" – 3:57
5. "Cherry Bomb" – 4:47
6. "We Are the People" – 4:17
7. "Empty Hands" (Mellencamp/Green) – 3:43
8. "Hard Times For An Honest Man" – 3:27
9. "Hotdogs and Hamburgers" – 4:04
10. "Rooty Toot Toot" – 3:29
11. "Blues from the Front Porch" (2005 re-issue bonus track) – 2:02

Personnel

• John Mellencamp – vocal, guitar
• Kenny Aronoff – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Larry Crane – guitars, mandolin, harmonica, autoharp, banjo, backing vocals
• John Cascella – accordion, keyboards, saxophone, melodica, penny whistle, claves
• Lisa Germano – fiddle
• Toby Myers – bass guitar, banjo, backing vocals
• Pat Peterson – backing vocals, cowbell, tambourine
• Crystal Taliefero – backing vocals
• Mike Wanchic – guitars, dobro, banjo, dulcimer, backing vocals

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)^[1]

Singles - Billboard (North America)^[2]

References