What is the meaning of the song Pink Houses by John Mellencamp?

What is the meaning of the song Pink Houses by John Mellencamp?

“It’s really an anti-American song,” Mellencamp told Rolling Stone about “Pink Houses.” “The American dream had pretty much proven itself as not working anymore. It was another way for me to sneak something in.” Inspiration for this song came when Mellencamp was driving on Interstate 65 in Indianapolis.

Why is it called Pink Houses?

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.”

Why did John Cougar change his name?

His manager dubbed him Johnny Cougar out of his belief that nobody would buy a record by anybody named Mellencamp. John protested but was overruled and eventually, of course, reclaimed his birth name as his public name.

Was Jack and Diane originally about an interracial couple?

In 2014 Mellencamp revealed that the song was originally about an interracial couple, where Jack was African American and not a football star, but he was persuaded by the record company to change it.

What is a Jack and Diane drink?

Here’s a little ditty featuring a peach whiskey sour made with Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and red wine. Drink on!

Why is the Olde Pink House Pink?

The mansion’s main structure was made of red bricks, which were then completely covered with white plaster. Perhaps the quality of bricks or the plaster job itself weren’t very good, because the red bricks would bleed through the white plaster, turning the mansion a shade of pink.

Does John Cougar Mellencamp still live in Seymour Indiana?

John Mellencamp was born in a small town – Seymour, Indiana – and he still lives outside another small town about 50 miles away, where last year it crossed fellow Hoosier Jane Pauley’s mind she could die in one.

Why did John drop cougar?

His professional music career began in earnest in 1976 when MCA Records released his first album, The Chestnut Street Incident. His manager dubbed him Johnny Cougar out of his belief that nobody would buy a record by anybody named Mellencamp.

Why are the twins named Jack and Diane on blackish?

The twins, Jack and Diane, are named for “Jack & Diane” the 1982 hit song written and performed by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing as “John Cougar.” Tracy Ellis-Ross and Rashida Jones play sisters. Both actresses are children of parents in the music industry.