Check It Out (John Mellencamp song)
| "Check It Out" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by John Cougar Mellencamp | ||||
| from the album The Lonesome Jubilee | ||||
| B-side | "We Are the People" | |||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Studio | Belmont Mall (Indiana, US) | |||
| Genre | Heartland rock | |||
| Length | 4:19 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | John Mellencamp | |||
| Producer(s) | John Mellencamp, Don Gehman | |||
| John Cougar Mellencamp singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Check It Out" is a 1987 song by John Mellencamp released as the third single from his album The Lonesome Jubilee in 1988. The single was a top 20 hit, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1][2]
Lyrics and music[edit]
According to Mellencamp biographer David Masciotra, the song "describes the rewards and punishments of a typical American middle-class family" and professes that "our attempts to solve the mysteries of the heart and grasp the truth of humanity are fraught with disaster and disappointment."[3] Mellencamp biographer Paul Rees called its sound "uplifting".[4]
Reception[edit]
Cash Box said that Mellencamp's rough county-ish feel takes you into the heartland [of America]" and that the song "features a nice instrumental hook line that sounds like an otherworldly bagpipe and leads into the verses."[5]
Masciotra calls it "a uniquely powerful testament to the mystery of inner life".[3]
Music video[edit]
The video was shot as a live performance at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on December 11, 1987, during Mellencamp's massive Lonesome Jubilee tour.
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Cashbox[6] | 14 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 14 |
References[edit]
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 649. ISBN 978-0898201802.
- ^ Bessman, Jim (2007). John Mellencamp: The Concert at Walter Reed. Bloomington, Indiana: Author House. p. 5. ISBN 9781434346469.
- ^ a b Masciotra, David (2022). Mellencamp: American Troubadour. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 4, 100–103, 106, 122, 135. ISBN 9780813195582.
- ^ Rees, Paul (2021). Mellencamp. Atria Books. p. 94. ISBN 9781982112165.
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. February 6, 1988. p. 10. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
- ^ "John Mellencamp Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
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