Peaceful World (John Mellencamp song)
Encyclopedia
"Peaceful World" is a 2001 song by John Mellencamp
and India.Arie
, and was featured on Mellencamp's album Cuttin' Heads
. Mellencamp also included the track on his 2007 album 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of John Mellencamp. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
, but lost to "Dig In
" by Lenny Kravitz
.
The song was first played during the 2001 Indianapolis 500
, during a commercial for the Indy Racing League, which Mellencamp's wife, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp
, was a spokesperson for at the time. The song went on to be the official song of the League for the remainder of the 2001 Indy Racing League season.
The single's lyrics led it to be somewhat of a song of comfort following the September 11, 2001 attacks
, being performed during The Concert for New York City
along with a live acoustic version without Arie being included in Columbia Records
' benefit album God Bless America. Mellencamp also performed the song during the 2001 United States Grand Prix
, which was held 3 weeks after the attacks.
, features Mellencamp and Arie in a mostly dark room, with only their faces shown. The two sing as select lyrics from the song are flashed in front of them in light.
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...
and India.Arie
India.Arie
India.Arie is a Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter and record producer . She has sold over 3.3 million records in the U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards from her 21 nominations, including Best R&B Album.-Background:Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado...
, and was featured on Mellencamp's album Cuttin' Heads
Cuttin' Heads
Cuttin' Heads is an album by American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp, released in 2001. It was his second album for Columbia Records.- Track listing :All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted....
. Mellencamp also included the track on his 2007 album 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of John Mellencamp. The single was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
, but lost to "Dig In
Dig In
"Dig In" is the lead-single by Lenny Kravitz from his sixth studio album, Lenny. It was released in October 2001. It was used in promos by the National Basketball Association for the 2002 NBA Playoffs, as well as the ending theme for the film Returner....
" by Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
.
The song was first played during the 2001 Indianapolis 500
2001 Indianapolis 500
The 85th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 2001. Race rookie Hélio Castroneves led the final 52 laps and won his first Indy 500.-Changes for 2001:...
, during a commercial for the Indy Racing League, which Mellencamp's wife, Elaine Irwin Mellencamp
Elaine Irwin Mellencamp
Elaine Irwin Mellencamp is an American model, and formerly worked as the face of Almay Cosmetics and Ralph Lauren.-Early life and career:...
, was a spokesperson for at the time. The song went on to be the official song of the League for the remainder of the 2001 Indy Racing League season.
Composition
The song's lyrics, which are sung in a duet form between Mellencamp and Arie, primarily deal with issues of race and prejudice.The single's lyrics led it to be somewhat of a song of comfort following the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, being performed during The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City
The Concert for New York City was a benefit concert, featuring many famous musicians, that took place on October 20, 2001 at Madison Square Garden in New York City in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks...
along with a live acoustic version without Arie being included in Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
' benefit album God Bless America. Mellencamp also performed the song during the 2001 United States Grand Prix
2001 United States Grand Prix
The 2001 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on September 30, 2001 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana. This was the first international sport/race event held in USA after the September 11, 2001 attacks.__FORCETOC__...
, which was held 3 weeks after the attacks.
Music video
The music video of Peaceful World, directed by Kurt MarkusKurt Markus
Kurt Markus, self-taught American photographer, was born in rural Montana. Markus is a nationally and internationally published photographer of "unique vision." He has won major awards for his editorial, advertising, and personal work...
, features Mellencamp and Arie in a mostly dark room, with only their faces shown. The two sing as select lyrics from the song are flashed in front of them in light.
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 27 |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
38 |
| U.S. 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... |
104 |