- Small Town
Infobox Single
Name = Small Town
Artist = John Cougar Mellencamp
from Album = Scarecrow
B-side = "Small Town" (acoustic version)
Released = 1985
Format = 7"
Recorded = Belmont Mall Studio, 1985
Genre = Rock
Length = 3:42
Label =Riva Records
Writer =John Mellencamp
Producer = Little Bastard,Don Gehman
Certification =
Chart position = U.S. 6
Last single = "Lonely Ol' Night" (1985)
This single = "Small Town" (1985)
Next single = "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." (1986)"Small Town" is a song written by John Cougar Mellencamp off his 1985 album "Scarecrow". The song reached #6 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9fqxqq5ldte~T31]Mellencamp wrote the song about his experiences growing up in a small town in
Indiana , having been born inSeymour, Indiana , and living inBloomington, Indiana , which, at the time of the release of the song, was much smaller. The music video has references to both towns. After that, Mellencamp has been known as champion of "small town America."On December 16, 1987, Mellencamp played two free concerts in the small town of
Chillicothe, Ohio where one-fifth of the population signed a petition asking him to play. He performed at theOhio University-Chillicothe branch on University Drive. At the time, CNN was the only major news carrier, they were at the event with cameras in hand.NBA legend and fellow Indiana native
Larry Bird used this song on his retirement ceremony in 1993, particularly referring his townFrench Lick , Indiana as a "small town". It was also used for him in the NBA Superstars video series.While performing for the NFL Kickoff Special on NBC on September 6, 2007 some of the well-known lyrics were changed. "My wife was 13 when I wrote this song" being among the more humorous of lines not in the original.
The song was also used as the theme song for the
Discovery Times documentary series "Off to War ", which coveredArkansas Army National Guard soldiers, most of them from ruralClarksville, Arkansas , during their tour of duty in .The song is played after
Green Bay Packer games.
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