Mellencamp blames Petty (for turning him into a whore)

Mr. Mellencamp, whose 21st album, “Freedom’s Road,” arrives in stores tomorrow, had long expressed objections to the use of pop songs in advertising. But he said a turning point for him came last year, after he heard “Highway Companion,” the latest album by his contemporary Tom Petty. He liked it and thought the single “Saving Grace” would be a hit, but then never heard the song on the radio or saw it on the video channels. Fearing a similar fate for his own music, Mr. Mellencamp said he decided to accept Chevrolet’s offer to use “Our Country,” which he had been performing live for a few years and appears on the new album, as the theme for its Silverado truck."

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/22/arts/music/22mell.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

 

I should have known that dreck was the fault of my stalker (Hi Tom!)

 

As Holden Caufield would say: Mellencamp's a phony.

 

No wonder he comes across so bitter in his posts.

 

But Mellencamp ... you don't have to live like a refugee.

 

They played it a lot around here. It was OK, but hardly one of his best.

 

Hey Mellencamp ... Don't come around here no more.

 

You're gonna put me out of a job

 

Hey Mellencamp ... let's get to the point ... and roll another joint. 8)

 

No, the world will always need postpadders

 

Did Petty even do a video for "Saving Grace"? That would explain why he wouldn't see it on the video channels. As for the radio, if he didn't hear it on the radio he's been listening to the wrong stations.
Veteran artists like Springsteen, Dylan, Petty, and even Mellencamp will get their new stuff played on the radio for a period after the release just because of who they are. The sustained radio airplay will likely have to come from independent or public radio stations like WXPN in Philly, WFUV in New York City and so on.
Mellencamp is just making excuses for a money grab in the commercial

 

Estreet nails it.

Fuck the Cougar.