Crumblin walls john mellencamp biography
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I was very physical, like an athlete. With over 60 million records sold worldwide, the Farm Aid co-founders' earnest heartland rock is an American radio staple.
When the walls come tumblin' down;
When the walls come crumblin', crumblin';
When the walls come tumblin', tumblin';
Crumblin', crumblin' down.
I'm the same old trouble you've been havin' for years.
I felt like I was pulling the wool over everyone’s eyes.”
Some people say I’m obnoxious and lazy
That I’m uneducated and my opinion means nothin’
But I know I’m a real good dancer
Don’t need to look over my shoulder to see what I’m after
Everybody’s got their problems, ain’t no new news here
I’m the same old trouble you’ve been having for years
Don’t confuse the problem with the issue, girl,
‘Cause it’s perfectly clear
Uh-Huh
The album title made reference to those same unpleasant characters in the music business who made Mellencamp their “whipping boy” years earlier and to the younger version of himself who went along with them.
You can bend me,
you can break me but you better stand clear. What you lift up must fall
They’re waiting outside to claim my crumblin’ walls
He Needed Another Hit
Before he delivered the album to PolyGram, Mellencamp reached out to his old high school buddy George Green.
to every stage they play on!
Just Need One More Hit: The Story Behind “Crumblin’ Down” by John Cougar Mellencamp
“I don’t hear a hit.” How many times has that sentence been uttered after an established artist turns in their latest project to a record label?
But I know I'm a real good dancer. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it one of Mellencamp's top 10 hits in the United States.
Songwriter Credits
The song was co-written by Mellencamp and his longtime drummer, George Green. The pair had written together before and had their biggest success with “Hurts so Good” on the previous album.
When the walls come tumblin' down;
When the
walls come rumblin', rumblin';
When the walls (when the walls) come tumblin', tumblin' down.
Want to put my arms around you, feel your breath in my ear.
He had success with his earlier videos, and people anticipated them.
When the walls come tumblin’ down
When the walls come crumblin’ crumblin’
When the walls come tumblin’ tumblin’ down
A Raw Steak on His Eye
Backup singer Crystal Taliefero told author Paul Rees in his 2021 biography Mellencamp, “We had this one routine we did onstage during ‘Crumblin Down.’ [Mellencamp would] stand on the spot, middle of the stage, and I’d run at top speed and jump clear over his head.
I went to John’s dressing room. Ain't no new
news here. Tell me, what else can I do? I was scared.
And now some people don't want to
treat me the same. … It’s a very frightening thing when you realize the industrial revolution is over, and there’s no place to go.”
When the walls come tumblin’ down
When the walls come crumblin’ crumblin’
When the walls come tumblin’ tumblin’ down
The Lead Single
The song jumped onto the charts, propelling the album into the Top 10 and setting up the success of “Pink Houses” and “Authority Song.” In 2013, Mellencamp told Rolling Stone magazine, “Reagan was president—he was deregulating everything, and the walls were crumbling down on the poor.
And I don't mind being their whippin' boy.