Whenever We Wanted

Last updated

Whenever We Wanted
Whenever We Wanted.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 8, 1991
RecordedApril–June 1991
Genre Rock
Length38:45
Label Mercury
Producer John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp chronology
Big Daddy
(1989)
Whenever We Wanted
(1991)
Human Wheels
(1993)
Singles from Whenever We Wanted
  1. "Get a Leg Up"
    Released: October 1991
  2. "Love And Happiness"
    Released: November 1991
  3. "Again Tonight"
    Released: January 1992
  4. "Now More Than Ever"
    Released: April 1992
  5. "Last Chance"
    Released: July 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg link
Entertainment Weekly B [1]
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg [2]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg link

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).

Contents

The album reached the top 20 and went platinum. [3] It 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 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."

Mellencamp later said the album was an attempt to "write American Fool with better lyrics" after a fan mentioned the previous two albums "had nothing about sex on them." This inspired him to write less about problems in the heartland and "get back to the basics." [3]

Album notes

The woman featured on the cover with Mellencamp is Elaine Irwin. The cover photo was taken during the shoot for the video for the hit single "Get a Leg Up." The video was shot in July 1991; Mellencamp and Irwin did not see each other again until January 1992 when the Whenever We Wanted Tour pulled into New York City. They become a couple a short time later and were married in September 1992. They separated in September 2010 and were divorced in 2011. [4]

After his previous two albums, The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy , featured such non-traditional rock instruments as the accordion and violin, Mellencamp said that on Whenever We Wanted he wanted to put those instruments "back in their cases" and return to a harder-edged sound. Mellencamp further elaborated on the album, saying: "It's very rock 'n' roll. I just wanted to get back to the basics." [3]

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.

  1. "Love and Happiness" – 3:53
  2. "Now More Than Ever" – 3:43
  3. "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" – 3:36
  4. "Get a Leg Up" – 3:47
  5. "Crazy Ones" (Mellencamp, Randy Handley) – 4:01
  6. "Last Chance" – 3:39
  7. "They're So Tough" – 4:17
  8. "Melting Pot" – 4:47
  9. "Whenever We Wanted" – 3:42
  10. "Again Tonight" – 3:17

2005 re-issue bonus track

  1. "Love and Happiness" (London Club Mix) – 6:33 [5]

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1991)Position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [6] 3
The Billboard 20017

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [7] Platinum70,000^
United States (RIAA) [8] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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 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.

<i>American Fool</i> 1982 studio album by John Cougar

American Fool is the fifth studio album by John Mellencamp, released under the stage name John Cougar in 1982. The album was his commercial breakthrough, holding the No. 1 position on the Billboard album chart for nine consecutive weeks.

<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 Mellencamp, credited as 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>Mr. Happy Go Lucky</i> 1996 studio album by John Mellencamp

Mr. Happy Go Lucky is the 14th album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on September 10, 1996. It was his first album released after his heart attack in 1994. Mellencamp's music on the album is said to reflect his brush with death. The album was recorded in Belmont, Indiana, in Mellencamp's Belmont Mall recording studio. The first single from the album, "Key West Intermezzo ," peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is his last Top 40 single in the United States to date. "Just Another Day" was the album's second single and stalled at No. 46 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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

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.

<i>Uh-huh</i> 1983 studio album by John Cougar Mellencamp

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.

<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.

Elaine Irwin is an American model. She was the face of Almay Cosmetics and Ralph Lauren.

<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>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 Mellencamp, released in 1989 by Mercury Records. It was his last album to be released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp, a combination of his real name and his original stage name of Johnny Cougar. 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>Human Wheels</i> 1993 studio album by John Mellencamp

Human Wheels is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp. Released on Mercury Records on September 7, 1993, it peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. The single "What If I Came Knocking" was Mellencamp's last No. 1 single on the Album Rock Tracks chart, staying atop for two weeks in the summer of 1993. The album has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1,000,000 copies.

<i>Trouble No More</i> 2003 studio album by John Mellencamp

Trouble No More is American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp's 18th studio album and his final recording for Columbia Records, released in 2003. It consists of blues and folk covers.

<i>The King of Rock n Roll: The Complete 50s Masters</i> 1992 box set by Elvis Presley

The King of Rock 'n' Roll: The Complete 50's Masters is a five-disc box set compilation of the complete known studio master recordings by American singer and musician Elvis Presley during the decade of the 1950s. Issued in 1992 by RCA Records, catalog number 66050-2, it was soon followed by similar box sets covering Presley's musical output in the 1960s and 1970s. This set's initial long-box release included a set of collectible stamps duplicating the record jackets from every Presley LP on RCA Victor, every single that had a picture sleeve, and most of his EP releases. The set includes a booklet with an extensive session list and discography, and a lengthy essay by Peter Guralnick. It peaked at #159 on the album chart and was certified a gold record on August 7, 1992, by the RIAA. Further certifications were for platinum on November 20, 1992, and for double platinum on July 30, 2002.

<i>Bruised Orange</i> 1978 studio album by John Prine

Bruised Orange is the fifth album by American folk singer and songwriter John Prine, released on May 16, 1978.

<i>The Missing Years</i> (album) 1991 studio album by John Prine

The Missing Years is the 10th studio album by American folk musician John Prine, released in 1991 on Oh Boy Records. It won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. In July 2003 the label released a deluxe vinyl reissue of the album with a bonus track called "The Third of July" from Prine's appearance on the PBS concert series Sessions at West 54th in 2001.

<i>Love on the Inside</i> 2008 studio album by Sugarland

Love on the Inside is the third studio album by American country music duo Sugarland, first released on July 22, 2008, as a Deluxe Fan Edition, including five bonus tracks, with the standard edition one week later, on July 29, on Mercury Nashville Records. The album has produced three chart singles in "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone" and "It Happens", all number one hits on the Billboard country singles charts. The fourth single, "Joey", reached Top 20. The release of the fifth single "Keep You" was cancelled. It is also the first album of the duo's career to reach Number One on Top Country Albums and The Billboard Top 200. The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 2 million copies in the United States.

<i>Blessed</i> (Lucinda Williams album) 2011 studio album by Lucinda Williams

Blessed is the 10th studio album by American singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, released on March 1, 2011, by Lost Highway Records. The album debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Plain Spoken</i> 2014 studio album by John Mellencamp

Plain Spoken is the 22nd studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp. It was released on September 23, 2014 by Republic Records. Plain Spoken marks the first project of Mellencamp's new lifetime recording contract with Republic Records. The album's cover photo was taken by actress Meg Ryan.

<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>Strictly a One-Eyed Jack</i> 2022 studio album by John Mellencamp

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. 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 the executive director of Southern Indiana Center for the Arts in Seymour, Indiana.

References

  1. Arnold, Gina (October 2, 1991). "Whenever We Wanted Review". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "CG: John Mellencamp". Robert Christgau.
  3. 1 2 3 "25 Years Ago: John Mellencamp Gets Frisky on 'Whenever We Wanted'".
  4. "John Mellencamp, Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp Split – CBS News".
  5. https://www.discogs.com/release/1354646-John-Mellencamp-Whenever-We-Wanted/image/SW1hZ2U6MzYzMjkzNTc=
  6. "Australiancharts.com – John Mellencamp – Whenever We Wanted". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  7. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1991 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  8. "American album certifications – John Mellencamp – Whenever We Wanted". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 27, 2021.