| "I Need a Lover" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Johnny Cougar | ||||
| from the album A Biography and John Cougar | ||||
| B-side | "Welcome to Chinatown" | |||
| Released | 1978 | |||
| Studio | AIR (London, England) [1] | |||
| Genre | Hard rock | |||
| Length | 5:38, [1] 3:30 (single) | |||
| Label | Riva | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Mellencamp | |||
| Producer(s) | John Punter [1] | |||
| Johnny Cougar singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"I Need a Lover" is the debut single by John Mellencamp, first released in 1978 under the stage name "Johnny Cougar".
The song appeared on his 1978 album A Biography , which was not released in the United States. [2] After becoming a top 10 hit in Australia, the song was later included on his 1979 follow-up album John Cougar [3] to introduce it to U.S. audiences, and was released there as a single, becoming his first U.S. top 40 hit when it reached No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1979. [4]
AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "I Need a Lover" as Mellencamp's "first good song". [2] Cash Box said that "Cougar's gutsy, forthright vocals and lyrics are nicely backed by passionate guitar and a footstomping, hell-raising beat." [5] Record World said that "Cougar's midwestern roots grow into urban urgency on this explosive rocker." [6]
On his inspiration for writing "I Need a Lover", Mellencamp said: "The song's about a friend of mine who goes to Concordia College. When that song was written, he was pretty sad. He was . . . livin' in his bedroom. I told him, 'You got to get the hell out of the house!' He'd say, 'Man, if I only had a girl, she'd make me forget my problems.' I just said, 'Well . . . '"
Mellencamp has also stated that "I Need a Lover" was inspired by the Rolling Stones' 1972 song "Happy".
| "I Need a Lover" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Pat Benatar | ||||
| from the album In the Heat of the Night | ||||
| B-side | "No You Don't" | |||
| Released | August 1979 [7] | |||
| Genre | Arena rock [8] | |||
| Length | 3:30 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Mellencamp | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Pat Benatar singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was covered and released as the debut single in 1979 by American rock singer Pat Benatar for her debut studio album, In the Heat of the Night (1979). The song became an album-oriented rock radio hit for the singer and has been part of the live set list on tour. Chrysalis Records released a live music video for the song, released in 1981.
John J. Mellencamp, previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008, followed by an induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.
"Jack & Diane" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing as "John Cougar." Described by critics as a "love ballad", this song was released as the second single from Mellencamp's 1982 album American Fool, and was chosen by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of the Songs of the Century. It spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and is Mellencamp's most successful hit single.
Scarecrow is the eighth studio album by John Mellencamp. Released on July 31, 1985, it peaked at number two on the US chart. The album contained three top-ten hits: "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", which peaked at number two in the US; "Lonely Ol' Night", which peaked at number six; and "Small Town", which also peaked at number six. "Lonely Ol' Night" also peaked at number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, his second chart-topping single on this chart.
Uh-Huh is a 1983 album by John Cougar Mellencamp, a stage name for John Mellencamp and a transition from his early work under the name John Cougar. It was Mellencamp's seventh studio album and the first in which he used his real last name. It charted at #9 on the Billboard 200.
Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll artist John Mellencamp. This two-disc set was released October 19, 2004 on the Island and UTV Records labels. It is a retrospective of Mellencamp's career at the time of its release, and features at least one song from each of his studio albums released between 1978's A Biography and 2003's Trouble No More. Two songs, "Walk Tall" and "Thank You", were recorded exclusively for this album. No songs from Mellencamp's 1976 debut album Chestnut Street Incident or 1977's The Kid Inside are represented. Also omitted is Mellencamp's cover of "Without Expression", which was released on his previous compilation album The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988.
The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 is the first greatest hits compilation album by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, released by Mercury Records in 1997. It compiles Mellencamp's most popular material recorded during his first decade with Riva and Mercury Records, beginning with 1978's A Biography, up through 1987's The Lonesome Jubilee, with a new recording of Terry Reid's "Without Expression". Mellencamp picked the songs for the album and also came up with the title for the album. The album reached No. 33 on the Billboard 200. This album and Rough Harvest came about because, after leaving Mercury Records for Columbia Records, Mellencamp still owed the label two more albums.
Synchronistic Wanderings is a compilation album by American rock singer Pat Benatar. Spanning three discs, it is a box set chronicling her career from 1979 to 1999—twenty years. Included are soundtrack contributions, b-sides, studio outtakes, previously unreleased songs, and rarities, as well as well-known singles—overall, it adds up to fifty-three tracks total. The accompanying booklet chronicles her career, discussing her ups and downs and giving additional commentary and background on most of the included songs from Benatar and husband Neil Giraldo.
"Ain't Love a Bitch" is a song written by Gary Grainger and Rod Stewart. Stewart released it on his 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun, and it was one of four songs on the album co-written by Stewart and Grainger. The song was released as a single in 1979, reaching #11 on the UK charts, and #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. It spent 8 weeks on the UK charts and 6 weeks on the US charts. The song also reached the Top Ten in several countries, including Ireland. Billboard magazine placed Stewart #7 on its list of the Top Single Artists of 1979 on the strength of "Ain't Love a Bitch" and its predecessor, "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?".
"Hurts So Good" is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing under the stage name "John Cougar". The song was a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the singer/songwriter. It was the first of three major hit singles from his 1982 album American Fool. The others were "Jack & Diane" and "Hand to Hold On To," which were all released in 1982. The song was also a critical success with Mellencamp, winning the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male at the 25th Grammy Awards on February 23, 1983.
John Cougar is the third studio album by John Mellencamp. It was his first album to be released by his new record company Riva Records and to credit him as "John Cougar". Released in 1979, following the success in Australia of the single "I Need a Lover" from his previous album A Biography, John Cougar included the aforementioned track for U.S. audiences, as well as a re-working of A Biography's "Taxi Dancer".
"Wild Night" is a song written by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison and is the opening track on his fifth studio album Tupelo Honey. It was released as a single in 1971 and reached number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 2022, the song peaked at #1 on the radio airplay chart in Canada.
A Biography is the second album by the American musician John Mellencamp, credited to his then-stage name "Johnny Cougar". Recorded in London, it was released in the UK and Australia by Riva Records on March 6, 1978.
"Lonely Ol' Night" is a rock song written and performed by singer-songwriter John Mellencamp. It appeared on his 1985 album Scarecrow and was released as the album's lead single, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number 1 on the Top Rock Tracks chart, staying at the top spot for five weeks.
"Crumblin' Down" is a rock song co-written and performed by John Mellencamp, released as the lead single from his 1983 album Uh-Huh. It was a top-ten hit on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian pop charts, and it reached #2 on the US Mainstream Rock charts.
"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", subtitled "A Salute to 60's Rock", is a rock song written and performed by John Mellencamp. It was the third single from his 1985 album Scarecrow and a top-ten hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Top Rock Tracks charts, peaking at number 2 and number 6 respectively. In Australia, the single effectively became a double-A side when the B-side "Under the Boardwalk" received significant airplay and both tracks were listed together on the singles chart, reaching #18.
"Paper in Fire" is a song by American rock singer John Mellencamp, released on August 15, 1987 as the first single from his ninth studio album The Lonesome Jubilee.
"Dependin' on You" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons that was first released by the Doobie Brothers on their 1978 album Minute by Minute. It was also released as the third single from the album. It has subsequently been released on live and compilation albums.
"Fire and Ice" is a song by Pat Benatar, released on July 6, 1981 as the lead single off her third album, Precious Time. The track was written by Benatar, Tom Kelly, and Scott Sheets. It peaked at #17 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #2 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart. The song also won Benatar her second Grammy award for Best Female Rock Performance in 1982.
"Cherry Bomb" is a song by American rock singer John Mellencamp. It was released as the second single from Mellencamp's ninth studio album, The Lonesome Jubilee (1987). "Cherry Bomb" is a nostalgic song that reflects on Mellencamp's teenage years hanging out at the Last Exit Teen Club. The single was released in the United States in October 1987, backed with the B-side "Shama Lama Ding Dong".
"Pop Singer" is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, released in April 1989 from Mellencamp's tenth studio album, Big Daddy (1989). Mellencamp wrote the song himself, in response to how the music industry was attempting to hide his "real" image, which included adopting one of his previous stage names, Johnny Cougar. The single was moderately successful worldwide, reaching number one in Canada and New Zealand, number eight in Australia, and number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)  | This 1970s single–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
