Pink Houses
Encyclopedia
"Pink Houses" is a song written and sung by John Cougar Mellencamp
. It was released on the 1983 album Uh-Huh
on Riva Records
. It reached #8 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
in early 1984. "Pink Houses" was ranked #439 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
.
, the song was inspired when Mellencamp was driving along an overpass on the way home to Bloomington, Indiana
from the Indianapolis airport. There was an old black man sitting outside his little pink shotgun house
with his cat in his arms, completely unperturbed by the traffic speeding along the highway in his front yard. "He waved, and I waved back," Mellencamp said in an interview with Rolling Stone
. "That's how 'Pink Houses' started."
' presidential campaign
. The song was also used at events for Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign
.
"Pink Houses" along with "Our Country" was played by Senator John McCain
at political events for his 2008 presidential campaign
. Mellencamp contacted the McCain campaign pointing out Mellencamp's support for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party
and questioning McCain's use of his music; in response, the McCain campaign ceased using Mellencamp's songs.
Similarly, in 2010, "Pink Houses" was used by the National Organization for Marriage
(NOM) at events opposing same-sex marriage
. At Mellencamp's instruction, his publicist sent a letter to NOM stating "that Mr. Mellencamp's views on same sex marriage and equal rights
for people of all sexual orientations are at odds with NOM's stated agenda" and requesting that NOM "find music from a source more in harmony with your views than Mr. Mellencamp in the future."
, Little Bastard. Director: Chris Gabrin. First aired in December 1983. Shot in Southern Indiana locations such as Seymour and Bloomington. The "young man in a t-shirt" segment was shot in Little York at the former Moody Grocery (among other proprietors) - it's now (2010) the local Masonic lodge.
, glee club member Kurt Hummel
discusses the meaning of the song with his father, and then covers it at the glee club.
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...
. It was released on the 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....
on Riva Records
Riva Records
Riva Records was a record label founded the UK in 1975 by Billy Gaff, manager of Rod Stewart.Rod Stewart signed to the label in the UK, but stayed with Warner Bros. Records in the US. Another well known artist on the label was John Cougar Mellencamp, distributed by PolyGram in the US, and WEA in...
. It reached #8 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
in early 1984. "Pink Houses" was ranked #439 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"....
.
Origins
Recorded in a farmhouse in Brownstown, IndianaBrownstown, Indiana
Brownstown is a town in Brownstown Township, Jackson County, Indiana, United States. The population was 3,000 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Jackson County. It was named for Jacob Brown, a General of the War of 1812.- History :...
, the song was inspired when Mellencamp was driving along an overpass on the way home to Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
from the Indianapolis airport. There was an old black man sitting outside his little pink shotgun house
Shotgun house
The shotgun house is a narrow rectangular domestic residence, usually no more than 12 feet wide, with doors at each end. It was the most popular style of house in the Southern United States from the end of the American Civil War , through the 1920s. Alternate names include shotgun shack,...
with his cat in his arms, completely unperturbed by the traffic speeding along the highway in his front yard. "He waved, and I waved back," Mellencamp said in an interview with Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
. "That's how 'Pink Houses' started."
Use in politics
In 2004, the song was played at events for Senator John EdwardsJohn Edwards
Johnny Reid "John" Edwards is an American politician, who served as a U.S. Senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004, and was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.He defeated incumbent Republican Lauch Faircloth in...
' presidential campaign
John Edwards presidential campaign, 2004
-Background & announcement:In 2000, Edwards unofficially began his presidential campaign when he began to seek speaking engagements in Iowa, the site of the nation's first party caucuses. On January 2, 2003, Edwards began fundraising without officially campaigning by forming an exploratory committee...
. The song was also used at events for Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign
John Edwards presidential campaign, 2008
John Edwards is the former United States Senator from North Carolina and was the Democratic nominee for Vice President in 2004. On December 28, 2006, he announced his entry into the 2008 Presidential election in the city of New Orleans near sites devastated by Hurricane Katrina...
.
"Pink Houses" along with "Our Country" was played by Senator John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
at political events for his 2008 presidential campaign
John McCain presidential campaign, 2008
John McCain, the senior United States Senator from Arizona, launched his second candidacy for the presidency of the United States in an unsuccessful bid to win the 2008 presidential election. His candidacy, in the works for a number of years, was informally announced on February 28, 2007 during a...
. Mellencamp contacted the McCain campaign pointing out Mellencamp's support for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and questioning McCain's use of his music; in response, the McCain campaign ceased using Mellencamp's songs.
Similarly, in 2010, "Pink Houses" was used by the National Organization for Marriage
National Organization for Marriage
The National Organization for Marriage is a nonprofit political association established in 2007 to work against legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, specifically to pass California Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriage in California...
(NOM) at events opposing same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
. At Mellencamp's instruction, his publicist sent a letter to NOM stating "that Mr. Mellencamp's views on same sex marriage and equal rights
Equal rights
Equal rights can refer to:*Equality before the law, when all people have the same rights*Human rights, when such rights are held in common by all people*Civil rights, when such rights are held in common by all citizens of a nation...
for people of all sexual orientations are at odds with NOM's stated agenda" and requesting that NOM "find music from a source more in harmony with your views than Mr. Mellencamp in the future."
Music video
Producers: Don GehmanDon Gehman
Don Gehman is an American record producer, best known for his work in the 1980s with John Mellencamp.Gehman grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and played bass in a local rock band...
, Little Bastard. Director: Chris Gabrin. First aired in December 1983. Shot in Southern Indiana locations such as Seymour and Bloomington. The "young man in a t-shirt" segment was shot in Little York at the former Moody Grocery (among other proprietors) - it's now (2010) the local Masonic lodge.
Releases on albums
- Uh-HuhUh-HuhUh-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....
(1983) - The Best That I Could Do (1997)
- Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest HitsWords & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest HitsWords & 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....
(2004)
In popular culture
In the TV series GleeGlee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
, glee club member Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
discusses the meaning of the song with his father, and then covers it at the glee club.
Further reading
- Pink Houses at Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
- Pink Houses