It’s a common scenario. You’re stuck in summer vehicular traffic, after a baseball game or fireworks show, and John Mellencamp comes on the radio. You turn the radio dial, and another Mellencamp song plays, about “Pink Houses” or being born in a “Small Town.”
You’re not crazy. John Mellencamp is played more during the summer than any other time of the year.
“You caught us,” said one disc jockey for an adult contemporary station. “Once June rolls around, it’s The Lonesome Jubilee and American Fool on constant rotation.”
Mellencamp hits his musical peak in July, right after the Fourth holiday weekend.
“He embodies everything that America stands for,” said another disc jockey who specializes in classic rock. “The diet soda to artists like Dylan and Springsteen.”
Even the summer Billboard charts show the seasonal frequency, with songs that haven’t been on the charts for 25 to 30 years suddenly showing up in the top 10.
Mellencamp haters can expect the frequency of music from the artist formerly known as “Cougar” to die down around September, when people are more apt to listen to Neil Young.
I heard Mellencamp like three times in one hour last weekend. Studies should be done on this!
Guess everyone summer his royalties buy Mr. Mellencamp another summer house.
When I drive around farm country after June 1st I see actual blood dripping from the scarecrows. Always wondered.
I never noticed, but it does make sense. How interesting. I wonder how Sinatra does in November?