Big Daddy is the tenth studio album by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 and musician John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

, released in 1989 by Mercury Records

Mercury Records

Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

. 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

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and contained the singles "Pop Singer" and "Jackie Brown" which peaked at number fifteen and forty eight respectively on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. 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

The Lonesome Jubilee

The Lonesome Jubilee is the ninth 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.The album was one of...

, Big Daddy is folk-inspired as violins and fiddles (among other instruments) 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.

Lyrical themes

Mellencamp continues his pattern of social commentary used on The Lonesome Jubilee on a number of tracks on the album. "Jackie Brown" addresses the issue of poverty and stimulates images of the hardships faced by those living in poverty. A lyric in the song's final verse which reads "...But who gives a damn about Jackie Brown? Just another lazy man who couldn't take what was his" seems to indicate that Mellencamp believes the issue of poverty to be correlated to the general public and the reluctance to show interest in developing resolutions. "Country Gentleman" is another social commentary addressing Ronald Reagan's presidency and policies. In the song, Mellencamp continually states that it is not Reagan's interest to help the poor, but rather only his "rich friends". "J.M.'s Question" is a broad social commentary addressing many diverse issues prevalent in the United States including the contamination of the environment and violence stemming from the constitutional right to bear arms among other issues. "Void In My Heart" is reflective song regarding Mellencamp's position as an acclaimed singer and as one who has worked hard to make it but still he confesses "There's a void in my heart I can't seem to fill". "Big Daddy of Them All" is the account of a parental authority figure whose selfish womanizing ways have led to his downfall. "Martha Say" is an account of a stubbornly independent woman whose ways lead Mellencamp to caution her to "look out". The album takes a less serious tone on two tracks, the first of which titled "Pop Singer" is a clarification of Mellencamp's identity (he sings that he "never wanted to be no pop singer"). The song seems to describe Mellencamp's evolution from a young man who was manipulated by former manager Tony DeFries in the late 1970s into a strong-minded, independent musician. "Let It All Hang Out" is the second less serious song and is a cover of the Hombres; it was unlisted on the original album's packaging.

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

, except where noted.

1. "Big Daddy Of Them All" – 3:31
2. "To Live" – 3:18
3. "Martha Say" – 3:41
4. "Theo And Weird Henry" – 4:49
5. "Jackie Brown" – 4:03
6. "Pop Singer" – 2:48
7. "Void In My Heart" – 2:30
8. "Mansions In Heaven" – 3:06
9. "Sometimes A Great Notion" – 3:33
10. "Country Gentleman" – 3:17
11. "J.M.'s Question" – 3:40
12. "Let It All Hang Out" (B.B. Cunningham/McEwen/Master/Hunter) – 3:11
13. "Jackie Brown (Acoustic Version)" (2005 re-issue bonus track) - 4:24

Personnel

• John Cougar Mellencamp - vocals, guitar
• Larry Crane - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin
• Kenny Aronoff
  Kenny Aronoff
  Kenny Aronoff is an American drummer. He has played drums for many musicians, including John Mellencamp, Bob Seger, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, John Fogerty, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meat Loaf, The BoDeans, Gregg Alexander, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tony Iommi, Jon Bon Jovi, Vasco Rossi, Cinderella and...
  
   - drums, percussion, background vocals
• Mike Wanchic - electric guitar, bass, dobro, background vocals
• Toby Myers - bass guitar, background vocals
• John Cascella - accordion, keyboards
• Lisa Germano
  Lisa Germano
  Lisa Germano is an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has released seven albums featuring her often-hushed vocal style, confessional lyrics, and distinctive violin. Her 1994 album Geek the Girl received widespread critical acclaim, including being featured as a top album of...
  
   - violin
• Pat Peterson - background vocals
• Crystal Taliefero - background vocals, percussion

Charts

Album - Billboard (North America)

Year	Chart	Position
1989	The Billboard 200	7
1989	Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...  Albums Chart	1

Singles - Billboard (North America)

Year	Single	Chart	Position
1989	"Pop Singer"	The Billboard Hot 100	15
1989	"Pop Singer"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	2
1989	"Martha Say"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	8
1989	"Jackie Brown"	Mainstream Rock Tracks	20
1989	"Jackie Brown"	The Billboard Hot 100	48
1989	"Jackie Brown"	Top Country Singles Chart	89

External links

• Lyrics