Music

The Decay of the Midwest — Ronald Reagan & John Mellencamp — pt.1 of 4

John Cougar Mellencamp — Uh-huh (1983)

Photo by Mick De Paola on Unsplash

John Mellencamp’s commercial peak coincided with the two terms of the Ronald Reagan administration. With 1983’s Uh-huh, Mellencamp began to explore more socially conscious songs. He produced four albums using his songs as a clarion call to the fallacy of “Reaganomics” and its impact.

The relationship between music and social consciousness has a long history. In western culture, socially conscious music is traced back to “The Cutty Wren,” a coded anthem against feudal oppression dating back to the English peasants’ revolt of 1381.

Not surprisingly, America’s first musical social commentary songs have their beginnings with slavery. Songs like “Go Down Moses,” an Old Testament story of Moses freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, were derived from hymns about freedom.

The repetition and simplicity of songs like “John Brown’s Body” (the abolitionist whose Harpers Ferry raid sparked tensions that led to the start of the Civil War) made them easy to learn and share with others:

John Brown’s body lies a-moldering in the grave
John Brown’s body lies a-moldering in the grave
John Brown’s body lies a-moldering in the grave
But…