JOHN MELLENCAMP - LOVE AND HAPPINESS - Whenever We Wanted - (1991) HiDef :: SOTW #176

Bergo '45 Song of the Week #176 - Dwight's Pick for 11/13/16: http://www.bergo45.com "Love And Happiness" by John Mellencamp from Whenever We Wanted (1991) Mercury Records "How can this song (and so many others) still be so timely, so relevant, 25 years after the fact? It's astonishing, yet the answer is simple, and simply this: It's an act of protest; a protest song as well as a rocker with teeth. And there are thousands of them in rock - and in pop, rap, reggae - and the list goes on. So the real question is - aren't acts of social protest a permanent part Of the human experience? Of course they are. Just as much as acne, libido and fear. The trick is, what are the various forms of social protest to choose from, and which of them ought to be beneath you?" - Dwight Lewis This is a weekly dive into the musical mind of Bergo '45. Each week, a new song is chosen by a different member of the band. Check out the playlist to see all of the past selections. Take a chair, grab a towel and give it a listen.... Whenever We Wanted is American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp's 11th album, and the first to be credited simply to Mellencamp's given name (i.e., without the "Cougar" name). The album includes the hits "Get A Leg Up" (#1 for three weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart), "Now More Than Ever" (#3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), "Last Chance" (#12 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), and "Again Tonight" (#1 for two weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart). "Get A Leg Up" (#14) and "Again Tonight' (#36) also cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a positive review, stating: "To Mellencamp's credit, even though 'Whenever We Wanted' delivers his signature rock & roll punch, he doesn't try to. That Mellencamp still has the courage to make depressing assessments in a pop context is a victory that outweighs the record's other shortcomings." Despite calling Whenever We Wanted one of the best records he had ever made during his 1991 promotional radio tour to support the album, Mellencamp's opinion of Whenever We Wanted has since diminished. He told Alan Sculley of Call Newspapers in 2005: "“There were some records that I really wasn't there for. “I mean, I did a record called Whenever We Wanted, which really isn't a very good record. I mean, I was there, but I was painting. I'd be hours late for sessions just because I was in the middle of a painting. That’'s not good doing that kind of thing. Human Wheels turned out pretty good, but I kind of was doing the same thing during Human Wheels.”" All rights belong to their respective owners © Mercury Records