Crumblin' Down
Encyclopedia
"Crumblin' Down" is a rock
song co-written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp
, released as the lead single from his 1983 album Uh-Huh
. It was a top-ten hit on both the Billboard
Hot 100
and Mainstream Rock charts.
. It was among the last songs recorded for Uh-Huh; after listening to the masters for the other tracks recorded, Mellencamp decided that the album needed another hit song. He contacted Green, with whom he had previously written "Hurts So Good
," to solicit ideas. Green had begun a song with lines about walls crumbling down; he and Mellencamp then built the song by trading lines, attempting to top one another.
According to Green, the song attempts to answer the question of what to do when success eventually fades, and "the big-time deal falls through." The song touches on Mellencamp's fame as well as the frustrations of losing one's livelihood: the lyrics were inspired, in part, by Mellencamp's cousin losing his job as an electrical engineer
.
The video for "Crumblin' Down" received heavy play on MTV
. It featured a chain-smoking Mellencamp in intentionally ripped denim jeans, dancing and kicking over chairs. "Crumblin' Down" was the first single released by Mellencamp to include his real last name: previous releases were credited to "John Cougar".
"Crumblin' Down" was the lead single from Uh-Huh, following his previous hit single "Hand to Hold on To" (from 1982's American Fool
) to the Billboard Top 40, where it debuted October 22, 1983. It peaked at number 9 on that chart and at number 2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
"Crumblin' Down" is also included on Mellencamp's greatest hits compilations The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 and Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
.
In the Season 2 of the hit 1980s TV series Knight Rider
, an episode titled "White Line Warriors" features the song playing on the radio when burglaries in a small town take place.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song co-written and performed by John Cougar 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 as the lead single from his 1983 album Uh-Huh
Uh-Huh
Uh-Huh is an 1983 album by John Cougar Mellencamp, a stage name for John Mellencamp. It was Mellencamp's seventh album and the first in which he used his real last name. It charted at #9 on the Billboard 200....
. It was a top-ten hit on both the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
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...
and Mainstream Rock charts.
Details
"Crumblin' Down" was written by Mellencamp and longtime writing partner George GreenGeorge Green (songwriter)
George Michael Green was an American songwriter. His compositions included the Top 10 Billboard hits "Crumblin' Down" and "Hurts So Good" , as well as another Canadian Number 1 hit in "Key West Intermezzo ".- Biography :Green was John Mellencamp's long-time writing...
. It was among the last songs recorded for Uh-Huh; after listening to the masters for the other tracks recorded, Mellencamp decided that the album needed another hit song. He contacted Green, with whom he had previously written "Hurts So Good
Hurts So Good
"Hurts So Good" is a song from 1982 by the American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing as John Cougar. The song was a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the singer. It was the first of three major hit singles from his 1982 album American Fool...
," to solicit ideas. Green had begun a song with lines about walls crumbling down; he and Mellencamp then built the song by trading lines, attempting to top one another.
According to Green, the song attempts to answer the question of what to do when success eventually fades, and "the big-time deal falls through." The song touches on Mellencamp's fame as well as the frustrations of losing one's livelihood: the lyrics were inspired, in part, by Mellencamp's cousin losing his job as an electrical engineer
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
.
The video for "Crumblin' Down" received heavy play on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. It featured a chain-smoking Mellencamp in intentionally ripped denim jeans, dancing and kicking over chairs. "Crumblin' Down" was the first single released by Mellencamp to include his real last name: previous releases were credited to "John Cougar".
"Crumblin' Down" was the lead single from Uh-Huh, following his previous hit single "Hand to Hold on To" (from 1982's American Fool
American Fool
American Fool is the sixth album by John Mellencamp, released under the stage name John Cougar in 1982. This was Mellencamp's last album to be released under the name John Cougar. His next album, Uh-Huh, would be released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp. The album was Mellencamp's commercial...
) to the Billboard Top 40, where it debuted October 22, 1983. It peaked at number 9 on that chart and at number 2 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
"Crumblin' Down" is also included on Mellencamp's greatest hits compilations The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 and Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits
Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll artist John Mellencamp. This 2-disc set was released October 19, 2004 on the Island and UTV Records labels....
.
In the Season 2 of the hit 1980s TV series Knight Rider
Knight Rider
Knight Rider is an American television series that originally ran from September 26, 1982, to August 8, 1986. The series was broadcast on NBC and starred David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, a high-tech modern-day knight fighting crime with the help of an advanced, artificially intelligent and...
, an episode titled "White Line Warriors" features the song playing on the radio when burglaries in a small town take place.