"this land fed a nation, this land made me proud..."

Or, Hey, a lefty heartland rocker I actually like!
No matter what they called him, I've always liked the music of John Mellencamp. I heard "Pink Houses" on the radio a few minutes ago, but with that I was reminded of another number that seems to be one of his lesser-remembered numbers, that I heard earlier this week. No doubt everyone's familiar with the age-old tale of the American family farmers who struggle to keep their heads above water. Sometimes they make it, but many times they don't. Mellencamp's own take on that tale, "Rain On The Scarecrow" from his 1985 album Scarecrow, only made it to No. 16, but it lingered with me from the first time I heard it. I'm sure a lot of folks heard it and thought, "Damn, but he's telling my story." A great song, and a great record too.