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John Mellencamp — Last Chance
Album: Whenever We Wanted
Avg rating:
6.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1216









Released: 1991
Length: 3:33
Plays (last 30 days): 0
A cold day in December
I'm still here alone
I look through my window and I surrender
Should be gone
But I've no place to go

Last chance to get up
Last chance to go
Last chance to get up and go
Last chance to get up
Last chance to go
Last chance to get up and go

If there were someone
I'd hold her
If there was love
I'd let it take me away
But I just stay here alone

Last chance to get up
Last chance to go
Last chance to get up and go
Last chance to get up
Last chance to go
Last chance to get up and go

I feel nothing I feel no pain
I feel no joy nor hurt inside
I only have myself to blame
If I see that the world's past me by

Last chance to get up
Last chance to go
Last chance to get up and go
Last chance to get up
Last chance to go
Last chance to get up and go
Comments (109)add comment
I can't believe I missed this all these years! Great rocking tune.
 pfreet wrote:

Just love the different tones on the guitar parts in this song. Such a craftsman. 



Totally agree! The guitar gets me every time.  
Good album.
 ddbz wrote:

He is regional for me so I heard him all the time and I don't know how big he was nationally.

Listening to this song today I wondered how much Tom Petty might of stole his thunder back then?

He has more than a hand full of darn good songs,  but Tom had an 'American Girl'




That's kind of like me, being from New Jersey when he shot on the scene, that I don't know how big Bruce Springsteen, or Bon Jovi for that matter, might have been, nationally. And I don't like either band other than a handful of songs from each.
while not a fan, I have now heard 2 tunes of his that I thought "huh, this is pretty good for John Mellencamp". The music has improved over time...imho
 ace-marc wrote:

Ho Hum at best, like the rest.
And who cares what Johnny Cash said, he wrote country music,  and was probably drunk when he said it. 


Just like your mom.
Just love the different tones on the guitar parts in this song. Such a craftsman. 
 ace-marc wrote:
Ho Hum at best, like the rest.
And who cares what Johnny Cash said, he wrote country music,  and was probably drunk when he said it. 
 
And even then, Johnny was an order of magnitude more credible than ... some other folks.
Killer groove.
He is regional for me so I heard him all the time and I don't know how big he was nationally.

Listening to this song today I wondered how much Tom Petty might of stole his thunder back then?

He has more than a hand full of darn good songs,  but Tom had an 'American Girl'
The guy has been putting out really good albums for 40 years. 

Always puts on a good show. 
Stellar guitar playing on this track. And yes, Mellencamp did write this song.
Ho Hum at best, like the rest.
And who cares what Johnny Cash said, he wrote country music,  and was probably drunk when he said it. 
 h8rhater wrote:
lizardking wrote:

It's always amazed me (as can clearly be seen in similar posts in this same thread), now 3 plus decades on, that so many music loving people still have John Mellencamp in that "Little-Johnny-Cougar-Jack-and-Diane" box that the record company locked him in in the late 70's.

He left that behind in the mid-80s with the critically acclaimed Scarecrow album, the last to bear "Cougar" in the artist's name and the first to bear "Mellencamp" (It is the only John Cougar Mellencamp authored album). Just about everything he has done since has been high quality.



I regret that I mentally "wrote off" John Mellencamp based on the songs I heard on mainstream radio back in the late 70's/ early 80's.

I am enjoying and appreciating everything by Mellencamp that Bill and Rebecca share with us on RP.

I am one of those listeners who loves poetic lyrics; and I am often just transported when a truly fine lyric is interwoven with evocative and interesting music, sung and played by amazingly gifted artists.

I can never fully express my gratitude to the Goldsmiths for their profound and uplifting contribution to my quality of life in these "interesting times."


 h8rhater wrote:
 
Don't be dissin' Small Paradise now!
 Mullet music baby.
 h8rhater wrote:
 

After witnessing farm foreclosures in the '80's, 'Rain on the Scarecrow' still blows me away

yes, not this song, but added comment in support of h8rhater pointing out that Mellancamp had evolved into some heavier themes over time
 lizardking wrote:
Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008. On June 14, 2018, Mellencamp was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His biggest musical influences are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, James Brown and the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone contributor Anthony DeCurtis
said: "Mellencamp has created an important body of work that has earned
him both critical regard and an enormous audience. His songs document
the joys and struggles of ordinary people seeking to make their way, and
he has consistently brought the fresh air of common experience to the
typically glamour-addled world of popular music."

In 2001, Billboard magazine editor-in-chief Timothy White said:

Johnny Cash called Mellencamp "one of the 10 best songwriters" in music.


It's always amazed me (as can clearly be seen in similar posts in this same thread), now 3 plus decades on, that so many music loving people still have John Mellencamp in that "Little-Johnny-Cougar-Jack-and-Diane" box that the record company locked him in in the late 70's. 

He left that behind in the mid-80s with the critically acclaimed Scarecrow album, the last to bear  "Cougar" in the artist's name and the first to bear "Mellencamp"  (It is the only John Cougar Mellencamp authored album).  Just about everything he has done since has been high quality.

Johnny Cash knew what he was talking about.  Many others do not.
 
 Segue wrote:
I do not hate this! Mellencamp? Did he write this? Not bad.
 

Mellencamp was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008. On June 14, 2018, Mellencamp was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. His biggest musical influences are Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, James Brown and the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone contributor Anthony DeCurtis said: "Mellencamp has created an important body of work that has earned him both critical regard and an enormous audience. His songs document the joys and struggles of ordinary people seeking to make their way, and he has consistently brought the fresh air of common experience to the typically glamour-addled world of popular music."

In 2001, Billboard magazine editor-in-chief Timothy White said:

Johnny Cash called Mellencamp "one of the 10 best songwriters" in music.


CougarCamp rocks!!
truly a really good album
not a dud on the list
I do not hate this! Mellencamp? Did he write this? Not bad.
 rdo wrote:

Are you related to him?..sheesh.  dont take it so personally
h8rhater wrote:

No, I am not related to Mr. Mellencamp.   ..jeepers, that would be cool.

That being said... the comment to shesdifferent was not a criticism but, rather, an attempt to get her to check out some more John Mellencamp given that she seemed to like Last Chance.  He has not been commercial in over 2 decades and I really believed that she might enjoy checking out some of what he has done since.  It's really that simple.

You can crawl back under your bridge now.

 
you tell him h8rhater! 

 


Indiana is the best place in the world to get a Mullet.
This rocks
Nice riffs tho
 rdo wrote:

Are you related to him?..sheesh.  dont take it so personally
 
 
No, I am not related to Mr. Mellencamp.   ..jeepers, that would be cool.

That being said... the comment to shesdifferent was not a criticism but, rather, an attempt to get her to check out some more John Mellencamp given that she seemed to like Last Chance.  He has not been commercial in over 2 decades and I really believed that she might enjoy checking out some of what he has done since.  It's really that simple.

You can crawl back under your bridge now.
Heart attack victim JM was on Letterman last night, still smoking like a chimney (and not looking very good).
His rationale? "My body is so unhealthy, cancer could never survive in it." Kinda funny, kinda sad.
 he definitely rocked despite the nay sayers..{#Mrgreen}
Great buried track!
 h8rhater wrote:

Mellencamp hasn't been "commercial" since the 1980's.  Check out what he has done since.  It's great stuff.


 
Are you related to him?..sheesh.  dont take it so personally
 fredriley wrote:

Pickings are non-existent in the UK, where there's no such thing as music FM (other than execrable 'genre' channels such as Smooth which are more full of sh1t than a septic tank), so I'd never get to hear numbers like this without being exposed to them by RP. IMO this is classic rock 'n roll, vaguely reminds me of Bad Company, and the Nottingham jury concurs with your 8.

 
fr says it again. {#Dancingbanana_2}
How can you possibly say that?
I worked in a real hot record store from 1972 to 1984,  pretty much "The Golden Age of the LP" 
and yes we had an amazing run of great albums, bands & concerts.
With the internet, we can find music right here with Bill or even launch out on our own. There is so much great and woderful music avalable at our fingertips it is overwhelming.
If you want to sit & watch a concert of damn near anyone, Beatles, Stones or even one of those cool bands only you & your buddy's know about or even catch the latest & greatest on Letterman or local corner bar.
It is all there and more.
Much more.

Thank you Bill for the great ear that you & family possess.


badgerv wrote:
John COUGAR Mellencamp:

"I think the internet is the most dangerous thing invented since the atomic bomb. It's destroyed the music business..."

 

 


 On_The_Beach wrote:

Damn you, Al Gore!

 
{#Roflol}
 badgerv wrote:
John COUGAR Mellencamp:
"I think the internet is the most dangerous thing invented since the atomic bomb. It's destroyed the music business..."
 
Damn you, Al Gore!
 paulmack wrote:
Seems to me that you could tolerate the occasional song on RP that might overlap with what you'd hear elsewhere. I avoid local radio altogether - pickings are pretty slim in my neck of the woods - so I don't experience what you do, but still. Anyway, I personally really like this song and haven't heard it in awhile even though I own it. It's an '8' for me.
 
Pickings are non-existent in the UK, where there's no such thing as music FM (other than execrable 'genre' channels such as Smooth which are more full of sh1t than a septic tank), so I'd never get to hear numbers like this without being exposed to them by RP. IMO this is classic rock 'n roll, vaguely reminds me of Bad Company, and the Nottingham jury concurs with your 8.
 Shesdifferent wrote:

I agree, I'm not a Mellencamp fan....but I liked this, and I don't mind an occasional off track from a commercial artist thrown into RP.

 
Mellencamp hasn't been "commercial" since the 1980's.  Check out what he has done since.  It's great stuff.

So I'm thinking to myself, can that be Mellencamp on guitar on this track? Really? I look it up and I see "David Grissom" and I think, ah ha! That explains it.

I do like this song, but especially enjoy the guitar work.

Mellencamp has a few true gems tucked into his kit bag. This may be one of them. I rate it an easy "8". Thanks RP, once again, for expanding my musical horizons!  {#Cool}

John Mellencamp playlist: Protest Songs

"Political songs are songs by the people," says Mellencamp. "I think it was Jefferson who said that if the people do not seriously question the government every 20 years, then democracy is no longer working. That's why protest songs exist."

1. "Vigilante Man" | Woody Guthrie, 1940
He was writing about the corruptness of people who were supposed to be peacekeepers, dominating the migrant workers and beating them into submission. The strong preying on the weak. Sound familiar?
2. "Strange Fruit" | Billie Holiday, 1939
The label wouldn't even put it out - they felt a song about lynching was so inflammatory. She may have expressed it poetically, but the message was loud and clear.
3. "The Times They Are A-Changin'" | Bob Dylan, 1964
Bob always said he wasn't a protest singer, but of course he was. This is the obvious one, but he's got hundreds: "Hattie Carroll" and "Masters of War," on and on. He took what Woody Guthrie did and brought it to another level.
4. "Give Peace a Chance" | John Lennon, 1969
With Lennon, the message was always so direct. It takes a lot of talent and a lot of courage to do that.
5. "Front Line" | Stevie Wonder, 1982
This is an amazing song about the Vietnam War, and it was played to death.
6. "What's Going On" | Marvin Gaye, 1971
Another Vietnam song. It's astonishing, almost unbelievable, that white America actually heard these two.
7. "Compared To What" | Les McCann and Eddie Harris, 1969
That's a motherfucker. The first time I heard it, 100 years ago, I thought, "How great, being able to speak to a culture about race and equality."
8. "Ohio" | Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, 1970
Neil wrote this right after the Kent State shootings, and in weeks he had it on the radio. Sometimes you just need to report the news, and that's protest enough.
9. "Folsom Prison Blues" | Johnny Cash, 1955
A protest song of incarceration and lack of rehabilitation in the prison system at the time - which is even worse today.
10. "Get Up, Stand Up" | The Wailers, 1973
With Bob Marley, it wasn't only protest songs, but pop records that spoke to millions.

rollingstone.com


 tphord wrote:
Don't usually take Mellencamp very seriously, never heard this one before... not bad.
 
I agree, I'm not a Mellencamp fan....but I liked this, and I don't mind an occasional off track from a commercial artist thrown into RP.

Don't usually take Mellencamp very seriously, never heard this one before... not bad.
 Droidac wrote:
Not a bad song, but I come here to get away from singers/bands like JM. I get plenty of that on my local radio stations when I can't get RP.
 

Seems to me that you could tolerate the occasional song on RP that might overlap with what you'd hear elsewhere. I avoid local radio altogether - pickings are pretty slim in my neck of the woods - so I don't experience what you do, but still. Anyway, I personally really like this song and haven't heard it in awhile even though I own it. It's an '8' for me.
John COUGAR Mellencamp:

"I think the internet is the most dangerous thing invented since the atomic bomb. It's destroyed the music business..."

 
Not a bad song, but I come here to get away from singers/bands like JM. I get plenty of that on my local radio stations when I can't get RP.

I forgot all about this one, they didn't run this one into the ground. Always like it, pretty good song.


 drews wrote:
He used to be called john "cougar" mellancamp, so what happened?
 
Before that, he was Johnny (Johnnie?) Cougar.

I guess he grew up and wanted to be taken more seriously.

He used to be called john "cougar" mellancamp, so what happened?


Wow, Bill's on a real Mellencamp kick of late. I like it.
I think I like this.
 ckcotton wrote:

The album came out almost 19yrs ago {#Angel}
 
That being said, Mellencamp has released many great CDs since Whenever We Wanted and has another one coming out this year.

 starfishNcoffee wrote:
Damn, this is John Mellencamp? This sounds good! What happened to him? Cool. I really like the guy. Glad to see that he's still doing good stuff.
 
The album came out almost 19yrs ago {#Angel}
 somli wrote:
This is a very good and underrated Mellencamp album.
 
Couldn't agree more {#Clap}
Like.
a sold 9 fer'sure!
 NeuroJoe wrote:

This was pre "sell out to GM and the World Series" Mellencamp

 
whatever

 bindi wrote:
Wow, He sure has come a long, long way from Jack & Diane!  Great multi-layered guitars.
 
Yeah... and he had managed that by 1991.  He's come even further since.

This is a very good and underrated Mellencamp album.
I like
Damn, I keep hearing "Last chance to get a Van Gogh"...
As if I could afford one.
 keller1 wrote:

Like Oasis, Mellencamp is getting clobbered for who he is, not for the quality of his music.


Luckily the Nottingham jury doesn't know who Mellencamp is, so we can safely rate a 7 on the music alone.

Like Oasis, Mellencamp is getting clobbered for who he is, not for the quality of his music.

A great tune, far better than 6.2.


Wow, He sure has come a long, long way from Jack & Diane!  Great multi-layered guitars.
 Krow_Pie wrote:


They're his paintings aren't they?
 
..and his unbelievably hot wife.

The latest Mellencamp CD is phenomenal. I'd like to hear it played on RP.

 starfishNcoffee wrote:
Damn, this is John Mellencamp? This sounds good! What happened to him? Cool. I really like the guy. Glad to see that he's still doing good stuff.
 
This was pre "sell out to GM and the World Series" Mellencamp

Damn, this is John Mellencamp? This sounds good! What happened to him? Cool. I really like the guy. Glad to see that he's still doing good stuff.
With an interstate runnin' though his front yard, getting up and going should be pretty easy, no?
E_A_D_G wrote:
Nice work John; made me sit up and take notice. No overproduced shuck and jive – just fundamentally good stuff. Album cover has a Dylan "Bringing It All Back Home" vibe.
They're his paintings aren't they?
i'm not a JCM fan myself, but i like this tune. the guitars sound kinda like Big Head and the lyrics are honest.
Nice work John; made me sit up and take notice. No overproduced shuck and jive – just fundamentally good stuff. Album cover has a Dylan "Bringing It All Back Home" vibe.
This whole Album is Great!
Someone once called John Mellencamp the "Jeff Bridges" of the rock world. I like the comparison. Good, consistent body of work over the years from both artists. They don't always hit the mark, but both can boast some classic performances in their careers.
Great tune, fine percussion, excellent groove
atticus wrote:
I agree. Great tune. Mellencamp won't get his due until he's dead. Long career, and he's come a long way: Both as a musician and as a person. Love the guitar riffs, too. Could get into the politics, but won't. :tapedshut: Wait, sorry... I must speak! Just want to say... there's lots of eye-opening information out there we should all be listening, looking for. 8O Books. Radio. Documentaries. Not much t.v. (thanks Rupert...) Unless we're talking The Awful Truth. Frontline. And anything where Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn are speaking. Oh yeah... and Ann Coulter. She's "fair and balanced," along with everyone's pal, Bill O'Reilly. Here's one: Did you know the name for Bush's pre-emptive strike on Iraq BEFORE 9/11? Operation Iraqi Liberation: O.I.L. (Gotta' think George Jr. came up with that one on his own.)
Song comments only. There's plenty of other places on RP to talk politics.
joemama wrote:
That was a great song from one of his best albums. I remember hearing that song for the first time playing the record. It was pretty kickass guitar sound and riffs. Good choice Bill, that one will wake you up.
I agree. Great tune. Mellencamp won't get his due until he's dead. Long career, and he's come a long way: Both as a musician and as a person. Love the guitar riffs, too. Could get into the politics, but won't. :tapedshut: Wait, sorry... I must speak! Just want to say... there's lots of eye-opening information out there we should all be listening, looking for. 8O Books. Radio. Documentaries. Not much t.v. (thanks Rupert...) Unless we're talking The Awful Truth. Frontline. And anything where Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn are speaking. Oh yeah... and Ann Coulter. She's "fair and balanced," along with everyone's pal, Bill O'Reilly. Here's one: Did you know the name for Bush's pre-emptive strike on Iraq BEFORE 9/11? Operation Iraqi Liberation: O.I.L. (Gotta' think George Jr. came up with that one on his own.)
BooKitty wrote:
Who is "we"? The hateful religious right? Anti-environment & anti-worker big business? The Saudi Royal Family? Your "we" can get on your knees and with your collective tongues manually remove the debris from around my anus.
Gee, with thoughtful, reasoned, even-handed, mature, compassionate and principled statements like that, it's almost hard to believe that "your side" lost. Ah, and more to the point, this song is actually quite dull.
trekhead wrote:
NICE! Good choice from Mr. M. Despite his annoying pro-Kerry stance.... Oh, well...at least we won.
Who is "we"? The hateful religious right? Anti-environment & anti-worker big business? The Saudi Royal Family? Your "we" can get on your knees and with your collective tongues manually remove the debris from around my anus.
You know, throwing this rediculous, fruitless political discussion aside, I'd just like to state for the record that this song is BORING. I gave it a 3.
bluedot wrote:
bush/diebold STOLE IT AGAIN. bush is a war criminal. bush "winning" is a pathetic abomination. Bush should be in PRISON. bush is leading us off a cliff.
You sound like just like google!
bluedot wrote:
bush/diebold STOLE IT AGAIN. bush is a war criminal. bush "winning" is a pathetic abomination. Bush should be in PRISON. get a CLUE, trekhead. turn on your brain. wake up and smell the coffee. bush is leading us off a cliff.
The sky is falling! the sky is falling! Bluedot, is your real name Chicken Little? The Democrats sure aren't good at winning Presidential elections, but they sure are good at filling small minded heads with fear and drivel. You ask Trekhead to smell the coffee. Perhaps you should have asked him to drink the Koolaid......
That was a great song from one of his best albums. I remember hearing that song for the first time playing the record. It was pretty kickass guitar sound and riffs. Good choice Bill, that one will wake you up.
trekhead wrote:
NICE! Good choice from Mr. M. Despite his annoying pro-Kerry stance.... Oh, well...at least we won.
bush/diebold STOLE IT AGAIN. bush is a war criminal. bush "winning" is a pathetic abomination. Bush should be in PRISON. get a CLUE, trekhead. turn on your brain. wake up and smell the coffee. bush is leading us off a cliff.
trekhead wrote:
NICE! Good choice from Mr. M. Despite his annoying pro-Kerry stance.... Oh, well...at least we won.
Oh no......nuh uh.....no you di'int.... We all lost.
Very satisfying, John!
It's strange that the one or two songs that I like off of certain cds I eventually end up hearing on RP. We definitely hear ear to ear!
NICE! Good choice from Mr. M. Despite his annoying pro-Kerry stance.... Oh, well...at least we won.
ScottFromWyoming wrote:
You are sort of right. But he's spent the last couple of decades trying to recover from what the "industry" did to him--Cougar wasn't his idea. In those years, he's done a lot of good and made a lot of good music. I don't own a single note, so it isn't like you've stepped on some rabid fan's toes here, I'm just saying that we should tip our hat to anyone who bucks the system and tries to be something more than what the record label had in mind. It might take a long long time to get used to, say, Britney Spears taking control of her artistic direction, but I think we should all encourage her to at least try.
Oh, man, that would be hilarious. Or terrifying. :-k
This is not among the best, but I've been a JCM fan for so long that I tend to be more forgiving the weaker songs. I enjoyed hearing this - just love to hear that gravelly voice.
Joyfulchristine wrote:
It's too repetitive. It's too redundant. It's too repetitive and redundant.
and it says the same thing over and over... too many times
Leaving aside the overplayed stuff, JCM has his moments. If you never listened to his Mr. Happy Go Lucky CD, please give it a shot. Amazing and intense stuff recorded after his heart attack. Guess he was feeling lucky.
jnhashmi wrote:
Mellencamp is an incredible songwriter, as this song shows. Yet another excellent move by RP to recognize and play a great song - regardless of listener's preconceived opinions of the artist. That's what I like most about RP.
That pretty much sums it up. I don't hear much Mellencamp on RP, so I was surprised to hear it. I went to look what else there was, and to my surprise, there's a bunch! Please serve some more of it up! bc
Mellencamp is an incredible songwriter, as this song shows. Yet another excellent move by RP to recognize and play a great song - regardless of listener's preconceived opinions of the artist. That's what I like most about RP.
sergeant_x wrote:
OK, I may be totally off base on this, but I'm interested in how many of you feel the same. To me, John Cougar Watermelon Summercamp has always seemed kind of like a wanna be. Well, he's more than that obviously, but it just seems like ever since he hit with some pretty inspired rock stuff in the early eighties(late seventies?) he's been trying to live it down. "But mom! I don't waaaana be a rock star. All the cool kids are deep thinking song writers. That's what I wanna be when I grow up." Oh wait, I'm a music snob, nevermind.
You are sort of right. But he's spent the last couple of decades trying to recover from what the "industry" did to him--Cougar wasn't his idea. In those years, he's done a lot of good and made a lot of good music. I don't own a single note, so it isn't like you've stepped on some rabid fan's toes here, I'm just saying that we should tip our hat to anyone who bucks the system and tries to be something more than what the record label had in mind. It might take a long long time to get used to, say, Britney Spears taking control of her artistic direction, but I think we should all encourage her to at least try.
Get up and go. Please.
OK, I may be totally off base on this, but I'm interested in how many of you feel the same. To me, John Cougar Watermelon Summercamp has always seemed kind of like a wanna be. Well, he's more than that obviously, but it just seems like ever since he hit with some pretty inspired rock stuff in the early eighties(late seventies?) he's been trying to live it down. "But mom! I don't waaaana be a rock star. All the cool kids are deep thinking song writers. That's what I wanna be when I grow up." Oh wait, I'm a music snob, nevermind.
Having heard this song quite a bit on local radio in the past, my first reaction was "what's this commercial stuff doing on RP?" After a short time of listening to the song through a "new set of ears" though, I saw past the fact that it'd been played to death in the past, and realized it's a pretty well-crafted song. Again, RP enlightens the masses. (If not the masses, at least this guy.)
It\'s too repetitive. It\'s too redundant. It\'s too repetitive and redundant.
Totally like this guy. You know he lived in a 2 bedroom house up until a few years ago because he didn\'t want anybody thinking that he could not identify with the working class citizen that he sings so much about.
I like this tune. Sure surprised me though, I don\'t think of myself as a \'John Mellencamp-type\' fan. Pretty good.
Wow, John...nice surprise.
Good song from a good CD - love the guitars!