John Mellencamp revisits ‘Scarecrow,’ his game-changing disc

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s not often you hear a record that’s a reputation-changer for a musician.

For John Mellencamp, that disc was “Scarecrow” in 1985, which lifted him from generic heartland rocker to a serious artist who inhabited his native Midwest creatively as well as physically.

The disc, which includes the hit songs “Small Town,” “R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.,” and “Lonely Ol’ Night,” gets the deluxe reissue treatment this week.

In an interview, Mellencamp describes the making of the record, which partly inspired the Farm Aid movement that exists today, and his influences as a songwriter. Says the 71-year-old singer: “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I’m not surprised that people liked that record.”