"R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.", subtitled "A Salute to 60's Rock", is a rock song written and performed by

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumen ...

. It was the third single from his 1985 album ''

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesle ...

'' and a top-ten hit on both the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Hot 100 and

Top Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in ...

charts, peaking at number 2 and number 6 respectively. In Australia, the single effectively became a double-A side when the B-side " Under the Boardwalk" received significant airplay and both tracks were listed together on the singles chart, reaching #18.

Background and recording

According to Mellencamp biography ''Born in a Small Town'', Mellencamp was initially reluctant to include "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." on ''

'', feeling the song was too light-hearted to include alongside the otherwise grim songs such as "Rain on the Scarecrow" and "Face of the Nation". Mellencamp told Timothy White in a 1986 article for the Illinois Entertainer of his decision to include "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." on ''

'': "It was one of those absolute last-split-second decisions. I was only including it on the cassette and CD copies of ''

'' as a bonus party track, but my manager loved the energy of it and I thought, 'Yeah! What the hell!'" Mellencamp required his band to learn how to play about 100 songs from the 1960s before recording ''

'', and the song includes several direct musical references to 1960s songs, including

The Troggs The Troggs (originally called the Troglodytes) are an English garage rock band formed in Andover, Hampshire in May 1964. Their most famous songs include the US chart-topper "Wild Thing", " With a Girl Like You" and " Love Is All Around", all ...

' "

Wild Thing Wild Thing or Wild Things can refer to: Books and comics * Wild Thing (comics), a 1999 Marvel Comics superheroine in the MC2 alternate future * ''The Wild Things'', a 2009 novel written by Dave Eggers Film and television * ''Wild Thing'' (film), ...

". The song was recorded at Belmont Mall in Belmont, Indiana. The recording was

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

by Mellencamp (under the alias "Little Bastard") and Don Gehman,

engineered Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...

by Gehman and Greg Edward; backing Mellencamp on the recording were Kenny Aronoff ( drums), Toby Myers (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

), Mike Wanchic (

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

s, background vocals), Larry Crane (guitars, flutophone), John Cascella ( keyboards), an
Sarah Flint
(background vocals).

Reception

'' Cash Box'' called it a "no-holds-barred rocker." ''

'' said that it "evokes, without quite quoting, reference points from ' La Bamba' to ' 96 Tears.'"

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Music video

A music video for the single was released in 1986. The video was

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

by Mellencamp and Faye Cummings, and it was filmed using a kinescope camera. It featured an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

-vocal group and a

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

-instrumental group with the two groups playing together at the end of the video.

In popular culture

During George W. Bush's first presidential campaign, "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." was played at a campaign event. While Mellencamp had denied the request of President Ronald Reagan to use "

Pink Houses "Pink Houses" is a song written and performed by John Cougar Mellencamp. It was released on 23 October 1983 album '' Uh-Huh'' on Riva Records. It reached No. 8 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1984 and No. 15 in Canada. "Pink Houses" ...

" as a campaign song in 1984, he expressed reluctance to object to Bush's use of "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." at the event, telling ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

'' that despite his opposition to Bush's political positions, "I don't see any sense in being silly about it. It's entertainment. It's a song." In 1994, the song was also used during the 1994 USA World Cup, when announcing the United States as one of the teams who qualified. "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." has appeared on a number of Mellencamp compilations, including 1997's '' The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988'' and 2004's '' Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits''. The song was also featured in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' episode " Eight Misbehavin' during the scene where Apu and Majula's octuplets were being used in a zoo show.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. 1986 songs 1986 singles John Mellencamp songs Riva Records singles Songs written by John Mellencamp Song recordings produced by Don Gehman Songs about rock music