Strictly a One-Eyed Jack

Last updated

Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
John Mellencamp Strictly a One-Eyed Jack.jpg
Studio album by
John Mellencamp
ReleasedJanuary 21, 2022
StudioBelmont Mall (Belmont)
Genre Rock
Length48:37
Label Republic
Producer John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp chronology
Sad Clowns & Hillbillies
(2017)		Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
(2022)		 Orpheus Descending
(2023)
Singles from Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
  1. "Wasted Days"
    Released: September 29, 2021
  2. "Chasing Rainbows"
    Released: December 10, 2021
  3. "Did You Say Such a Thing"
    Released: January 21, 2022
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Pitchfork 6.0/10 [3]
PopMatters 8/10 [4]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
StereoboardStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
Aftonbladet Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Stereophile Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]

Strictly a One-Eyed Jack is the 24th studio album by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp. The album was released on January 21, 2022, by Republic Records. [9] [10] The album's cover, a portrait of Mellencamp, was painted by Mellencamp's son Speck, who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently, as of 2024; the executive director of Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour, Indiana. [11]

Contents

Background and production

Mellencamp stated that he began working on Strictly a One-Eyed Jack shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and he also told iHeart Radio that most of its songs were written before the pandemic. Recording sessions stopped in March 2020 when the pandemic first began and did not resume for a full year, until March 2021. In April 2021, Mellencamp invited Bruce Springsteen to his Belmont Mall recording studio in Belmont, Indiana to play guitar and sing on a few tracks. The pair recorded one full-fledged duet, "Wasted Days", which became the album's lead single when it was released on September 29, 2021. Springsteen also contributed guitar and background vocals to the album's third single, "Did You Say Such a Thing", and guitar (but no vocals) to "A Life Full of Rain", the record's closing track.

Mellencamp said he approached the album as if all the songs were coming from the voice of a single character. "I realized after a couple, three songs, it was the same voice," he told Forbes . "It sounds silly, and I'm sure you've heard it a thousand times, but it was the same messenger delivering these songs to me. And I realized that this is one guy's story. And I felt that it was important to make sure that this guy was represented properly." [12]

Songs

"I Always Lie to Strangers," which Mellencamp teased a one-minute snippet of on his website on February 3, 2021, is a slow piano ballad that Mellencamp was inspired to write after finding out that the average person hears several hundred lies a day, and tells about 150 of their own. He told the Associated Press: "You're watching television, you're watching false advertising. You're watching the news—I don't care which side of the rope you swing on — you're hearing lies. If you go to church, you hear lies." [13]

He expounded further to Forbes: "The first song on the record is a song called 'I Always Lie To Strangers.' And I thought, 'Well, I don't really do that, but I guess maybe I do. And I guess maybe everybody does.' And then I did a little research. The average person hears 300 or 400 lies a day and will tell 150 himself and not even know it. 'Cause you turn the news on, you get lies. You turn advertising on, you get lies. You talk to people, they lie to you. Even as simple as, 'How are you doing today?' 'I'm doing great.' No, they're not, but they say it anyway. So it was just that simple of the thought that led to that song." [12]

"Driving in the Rain," a euphemism Mellencamp's grandfather used to warn a young Mellencamp when he was living dangerously, was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic. [13] “That’s an old term,” Mellencamp told the Washington Post of "Driving in the Rain". "My grandfather used to tell me, 'John, you better be careful or you'll be driving in the rain soon,' which means you're getting into dangerous territory." [14] Rolling Stone magazine wrote: "On the most movingly lovely song, 'Driving in the Rain,' fiddles drone gorgeously over a gentle country lope as Mellencamp amiably growls 'And the days scurry by so fast/I finally see myself and laugh, noticing the change,' a little like Louis Armstrong fronting Son Volt." [15]

"Sweet Honey Brown" is a song about a life wasted by heroin. [13] Although on the surface it may seem that "Sweet Honey Brown" is a love song to a woman, the "sweet honey brown" referred to in the song is, in fact, heroin.

"Gone So Soon" has a late-night jazz club arrangement and is about a relationship ending. The song features a trumpet solo from Joey Tartell, a Professor of Trumpet and the Director of Undergraduate Studies at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music. It is the first time a trumpet has been heard on a Mellencamp recording since 1991's "Love and Happiness".

Lead single "Wasted Days," Mellencamp's first ever duet with Bruce Springsteen, is sung from the point of view of an aging man who knows his days are numbered, but who tries to make the most of each day he has left. This is reflected in the song's opening lyric: "How many summers still remain?" Stated Mellencamp guitarist Andy York: “Not many people would sing a song starting with that line. But I think it’s important. It’s important to be sung because, ultimately, your takeaway from that song is you need to squeeze every bit of happiness and life out of every day and not waste days.” [13] Mellencamp told Jim Kerr of iHeart Radio: "'Wasted Days' is a very simple song with a very simple message. I think it is so simple that a lot of people will be able to feel it, especially when Bruce sings."

The album's second single, "Chasing Rainbows", which features Mellencamp harmonizing on the chorus with guest musician Merritt Lear (who played violin on Mellencamp's Good Samaritan Tour in 2000), offers the message that money does not lead to happiness and advises people to recognize their blessings. [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Mellencamp

Strictly a One-Eyed Jack track listing
No.TitleLength
1."I Always Lie to Strangers"3:36
2."Driving In the Rain"3:25
3."I Am a Man That Worries"4:33
4."Streets of Galilee"2:49
5."Sweet Honey Brown"5:18
6."Did You Say Such a Thing" (featuring Bruce Springsteen)3:39
7."Gone So Soon"3:31
8."Wasted Days" (featuring Bruce Springsteen)4:31
9."Simply a One-Eyed Jack"4:41
10."Chasing Rainbows"3:27
11."Lie to Me"3:30
12."A Life Full of Rain" (featuring Bruce Springsteen)5:27
Total length:48:37

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Visuals

Charts

Chart performance for Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
Chart (2022)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [16] 52
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [17] 89
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [18] 163
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19] 24
Scottish Albums (OCC) [20] 16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [21] 6
US Billboard 200 [22] 196
US Folk Albums (Billboard) [23] 5
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [24] 30

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mellencamp</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1951)

John J. Mellencamp, previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his 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.

<i>The Rising</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

The Rising is the twelfth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on July 30, 2002, on Columbia Records. The album is based in large part on Springsteen's reflections in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks the year before. The album was a critical and commercial success, representing Springsteen's first album to top the US Billboard 200 since Tunnel of Love in 1987.

<i>In Concert/MTV Plugged</i> 1993 live album by Bruce Springsteen

In Concert/MTV Plugged is a 1992 concert video and 1993 live album by Bruce Springsteen.

<i>18 Tracks</i> 1999 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

18 Tracks is an album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1999. All but three selections had been on the boxed set Tracks, released six months before. This single album was intended to capture more casual fans, and thus was oriented towards the shorter, more pop-oriented selections from Springsteen's vault.

<i>The Lonesome Jubilee</i> 1987 studio album by John Cougar Mellencamp

The Lonesome Jubilee is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Cougar Mellencamp. The album was released by Mercury Records on August 24, 1987. Four singles were released from the album, the first two in 1987 and the last two in 1988.

<i>Scarecrow</i> (John Mellencamp album) 1985 studio album by John Cougar Mellencamp

Scarecrow is the eighth studio album by John Cougar 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.

<i>Dance Naked</i> 1994 studio album by John Mellencamp

Dance Naked is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp released on June 21, 1994. The album was released in response to the record company's accusations that Mellencamp's previous album, Human Wheels, didn't "fit the format." Mellencamp was irritated with this remark, feeling that none of his albums ever fit the format. As a result, he wrote several purposely radio-friendly songs and recorded them within the span of 14 days at his Belmont Mall recording studio in Belmont, Indiana, intending to show the lack of effort required to produce the type of album they were asking for. It is also the shortest of Mellencamp's albums, clocking in at just 29 minutes.

<i>We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions</i> 2006 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is the fourteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen. Released in 2006, it peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.

<i>No Frills</i> (Bette Midler album) 1983 studio album by Bette Midler

No Frills is the sixth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, released on Atlantic Records in 1983. No Frills was Midler's first studio album in four years, following the movies The Rose, Divine Madness! and Jinxed!. The rock and new wave influenced album was produced by Chuck Plotkin, best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and included three single releases; the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones song "Beast of Burden".

<i>Words & Music: John Mellencamps Greatest Hits</i> 2004 greatest hits album by John Mellencamp

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.

<i>The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988</i> 1997 greatest hits album by John Mellencamp

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.

<i>Big Daddy</i> (John Mellencamp album) 1989 studio album by John Cougar Mellencamp

Big Daddy is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Cougar Mellencamp, released in 1989 by Mercury Records. The album peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and contained the singles "Pop Singer" and "Jackie Brown", which peaked at No. 15 and 48, respectively, on the Billboard Hot 100. A re-mastered version of the album was released on May 24, 2005, and contains a bonus acoustic version of "Jackie Brown". Like The Lonesome Jubilee, Big Daddy is folk-inspired as violins and fiddles are significantly utilized on a number of tracks. The album's lyrics largely take a serious tone and the album as a whole is regarded by some as Mellencamp's most reflective.

<i>Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin</i> 2007 live album by Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin is a 2007 video and audio offering that captures in-concert performances from the Bruce Springsteen with The Seeger Sessions Band Tour recorded in November 2006 at The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. The release consists of a concert DVD, a Blu-ray Disc, and separate two-CD audio set. A "special edition" of the CD set includes the concert DVD as well. The album is dedicated to friend and Irish show-business giant, Jim Aiken.

<i>Magic</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2007 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Magic is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on LP on September 25, 2007, and on CD on October 2. It was his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002, and topped the charts in six countries, including the US and UK, going triple platinum in Ireland. Two songs from the album – "Radio Nowhere" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" – won a total of three Grammys, making Magic the second of only two Springsteen albums with three wins, after The Rising. It ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.

<i>No Better Than This</i> 2010 studio album by John Mellencamp

No Better Than This is the 21st album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the album was released on August 17, 2010. It was recorded at several historic locations throughout the United States. The title track was the album's first single and was sent to multiple radio formats on June 28, 2010.

<i>The Promise</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2010 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

The Promise is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released November 16, 2010, on Columbia Records. The album is a collection of previously unreleased songs which were recorded during the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions in 1977–1978, with some vocals and additional instrumentation overdubs recorded in 2010. It was released in 2CD and 3LP formats. The album is also available as part of the box set The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story. The two-CD version of the release entered the UK Albums Chart at number 7. It had been in production for many years and was originally scheduled to be released for the 30th anniversary in 2008. The Promise debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200, while the box set, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, debuted at number 27.

<i>High Hopes</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

High Hopes is the eighteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on January 14, 2014, by Columbia Records. It went to the top of the charts in eleven countries, and was Springsteen's eleventh No. 1 album in the United States, a record surpassed only by the Beatles and Jay-Z. It was his tenth No. 1 in the UK putting him on par with the Rolling Stones and U2. Rolling Stone named it the second-best album of 2014.

<i>Chapter and Verse</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2016 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

Chapter and Verse is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen that was released on September 23, 2016. The album is a companion piece to Springsteen's 500-plus-page autobiography, Born to Run, which was released four days later. The career-spanning album features eighteen songs handpicked by Springsteen, five of which were previously unreleased. The album contains Springsteen's earliest recording from 1966 and late '60s/early '70s songs from his tenure in the Castiles, Steel Mill, and the Bruce Springsteen Band, along with his first 1972 demos for Columbia Records and songs from his studio albums from 1973 until 2012.

<i>Sad Clowns & Hillbillies</i> Album by John Mellencamp

Sad Clowns & Hillbillies is the 23rd studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on April 28, 2017 by Republic Records. The album features significant contributions from Carlene Carter, who worked with Mellencamp on Ithaca, the movie he scored for Meg Ryan; she sang on the track 'Sugar Hill Mountain' for the soundtrack. Carter opened every show of Mellencamp's 2015–2016 Plain Spoken Tour.

<i>Only the Strong Survive</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2022 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

Only the Strong Survive is the twenty-first studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2022, through Columbia Records. The album is a cover album of R&B and soul songs, and his second cover album following We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006). It was announced on September 29, 2022, along with the release of "Do I Love You ", a cover of the song by Frank Wilson. The singles "Nightshift", "Don't Play That Song" and "Turn Back the Hands of Time" followed throughout October and November 2022. The album title is an eponymous reference to its first track, a cover of the original "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

References

  1. ↑ "Strictly a One-Eyed Jack". AllMusic .
  2. ↑ "John Mellencamp, Years & Years, Elvis Costello: New album reviews". The Daily Telegraph .
  3. ↑ "John Mellencamp: Strictly a One-Eyed Jack Album Review". Pitchfork . January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Strictly a One-Eyed Jack". PopMatters .
  5. ↑ "John Mellencamp is Compellingly Cranky on 'Strictly a One-Eyed Jack'". Rolling Stone . January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  6. ↑ "John Mellencamp - Strictly a One-Eyed Jack (Album Review)". Stereoboard. February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  7. ↑ "John Mellencamp - Strictly a One-Eyed Jack". Aftonbladet . February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Recording of May 2022: Strictly a One-Eyed Jack". Stereophile . April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Strictly a One-Eyed Jack by John Mellencamp". Apple Music . January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  10. ↑ "John Mellencamp Details Upcoming 'Strictly a One-Eyed Jack' Album". Ultimate Classic Rock . December 10, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Speck Mellencamp takes over as executive director of arts center". The Tribune. August 21, 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Sunday Conversation: John Mellencamp On Songwriting, Springsteen, And Why He Is 'The Luckiest Man'". Forbes. January 16, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "John Mellencamp plumbs mortality and regret in his new album". Associated Press. January 21, 2022.
  14. ↑ "John Mellencamp still has plenty of fight left in him". Washington Post. February 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ "John Mellencamp is Compellingly Cranky on 'Strictly a One-Eyed Jack'". Rolling Stone . January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – John Mellencamp – Strictly a One-Eyed Jack" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – John Mellencamp – Strictly a One-Eyed Jack" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – John Mellencamp – Strictly a One-Eyed Jack" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – John Mellencamp – Strictly a One-Eyed Jack" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – John Mellencamp – Strictly a One-Eyed Jack". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  22. ↑ "John Mellencamp Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  23. ↑ "John Mellencamp Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  24. ↑ "John Mellencamp Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.