Mellencamp vs Springsteen (2 Viewers)

Mr. Blue Sky

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Here is my sizzling hot take of the day…. John Mellencamp is every bit as great a songwriter as Bruce Springsteen EVER was……. I have heard Mellencamp called ‘Springsteen Lite’.. i disagree with that.. i think Bryan Adams is Mellencamp Lite, but i think that Mellencamp is easily on par with Bruce.. i wont even get into the Dylan thing since he’s not my cup of tea, but i know that a lot of people put him in a class by himself.


Discuss.





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Are you sleep posting again?



Wide awake , in fact.. which is why my thoughts on this matter are so coherent.


The thing Mellencamp lacks is one singular song that is as perfect as Born to Run…. BUT if you put their respective “Americana as an indictment of America” songs head to head- Pink Houses is a far better song that Born in the USA in my opinion.

I realize that JM has his share of clunkers .. R.O.C.K. in the USA, anyone? Scarecrow?? And I realize that i may in fact be biased since the first concert i ever attended was John COUGAR Mellencamp at the BR Centroplex… but i stand by this thread .
 
No. Just no.



You’re a lawyer, for Chrissakes…. Thanks for providing such compelling evidence to back up your statement.


Find me a Springsteen tune , not named Born to Run, that is better than any of the following:




Pink Houses
Lonely ol Night
Small Town
Jack & Diane
Cherry Bomb
Key West Intermezzo
 
Wide awake , in fact.. which is why my thoughts on this matter are so coherent.


The thing Mellencamp lacks is one singular song that is as perfect as Born to Run…. BUT if you put their respective “Americana as an indictment of America” songs head to head- Pink Houses is a far better song that Born in the USA in my opinion.

I realize that JM has his share of clunkers .. R.O.C.K. in the USA, anyone? Scarecrow?? And I realize that i may in fact be biased since the first concert i ever attended was John COUGAR Mellencamp at the BR Centroplex… but i stand by this thread .
If you can’t get with Dylan, then you are unprepared for this discussion
 
You’re a lawyer, for Chrissakes…. Thanks for providing such compelling evidence to back up your statement.


Find me a Springsteen tune , not named Born to Run, that is better than any of the following:




Pink Houses
Lonely ol Night
Small Town
Jack & Diane
Cherry Bomb
Key West Intermezzo
The River
 
l

Find me a Springsteen tune , not named Born to Run, that is better than any of the following:




Pink Houses
Lonely ol Night
Small Town
Jack & Diane
Cherry Bomb
Key West Intermezzo

It’s obviously style dependent and a few of those are pretty solid songs.

But to suggest the Born to Run is Springsteen’s only song that can compete with JCM is loony.

Bruce has so many good songs that Rolling Stone ranked the top 100. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/...all-time-32486/tenth-avenue-freeze-out-48827/

For my taste, these songs have as much merit or more (in rough chronological order)

Rosalita
Blinded by the Light
Sprit in the Night
10th Avenue Freezout
Badlands
Prove It All Night
Hungry Heart
The River
Nebraska
Atlantic City
Cover Me
I’m on Fire
Dancing in the Dark
Glory Days
BUSA
Brilliant Disguise

There’s others but those jump out at me. There’s a few of those that I still crank up every time I hear them.
 
But to suggest the Born to Run is Springsteen’s only song that can compete with JCM is loony.



Reading comprehension bro.. i clearly stated that Born to Run is Sprinsteen’s only PERFECT song.



As for your list, there are some great tunes, no doubt.. especially Prove It All Night, and another Bruce favorite of mine that you didnt mention: My Hometown…. But i would put my list of personal favorite JM songs up against your favorite BS songs any day of the week, and twice today (Sunday)…. And i didnt even mention Authority Song, I Need a Lover, and maybe my all time favorite JM song , Ain’t Even Done with the Night.
 
^ good list
And while I said Dylan was the godfather of the genre I’m referring to Heartland Rock or Americana Rock or whatever its Dylan’s inclusion of rock into folk that Springsteen and JCM are heirs too
But obviously Pete Seeger is the forebear to all that, and Springsteen’s best work might be the Seeger Sessions - he really shows his bona fides there
 
Reading comprehension bro.. i clearly stated that Born to Run is Sprinsteen’s only PERFECT song.



As for your list, there are some great tunes, no doubt.. especially Prove It All Night, and another Bruce favorite of mine that you didnt mention: My Hometown…. But i would put my list of personal favorite JM songs up against your favorite BS songs any day of the week, and twice today (Sunday)…. And i didnt even mention Authority Song, I Need a Lover, and maybe my all time favorite JM song , Ain’t Even Done with the Night.

First of all, I’m not 100% in love with your tone right now. You said (quoted in my post) that Born to Run was the only Springsteen song better than that list.

Head to head with your list and mine, the Springsteen songs would get the nod more often than not. IMO. And probably among credentialed critics as well. But so what, you can have your style choice all you want.
 

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