In 2017, John Mellencamp told Men’s Journal, “I used to say, nobody’s the boss of me, not even me. But I’m learning.”
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The singer has talked about growing up and trying to avoid the anger he witnessed in his father, grandfather, and uncles. Mellencamp may not always control his temper, but he has managed to do things his way over a long career filled with ups and downs.
When he began recording The Lonesome Jubilee in September 1986, Mellencamp pushed his band to record a song daily. Some tunes would take shape immediately and finish in a couple of hours. Others would take longer, and the singer would storm off and not return until the following day to take a try from another direction. Let’s look at the story behind one of the songs from The Lonesome Jubilee, “Paper in Fire” by John Cougar Mellencamp.
She had a dream
And boy, it was a good one
So she chased after her dream
With much desire
But when she gets too close
To her expectations
Well, the dream burned up
Like paper in fire
The Origin
The inspiration for “Paper in Fire” came from the Mellencamp men and their fiery tempers. The plan was for the song to start with a slow build and work up to a boil. Mellencamp told his band it was the best song he ever wrote and warned them not to “f–k it up.” As fiddler Lisa Germano and accordionist John Cascella blended their instruments, it convinced Mellencamp he was on the right path. It was a new sound, yet reminiscent of Appalachia.
Paper in fire
Stinking up the ashtrays
Paper in fire
Smoking up the alleyways
Who’s to say the way
A man should spend his days
Do you let them smolder
Like paper in fire
Uncle Joe
Just as recording was underway, cancer took the life of Mellencamp’s Uncle Joe, just as it had taken his grandfather. Joe passed on October 30, 1987. He was 57. Mellencamp told author Paul Rees, “He slept with chewing tobacco in his mouth, and of course, he got pancreatic cancer. You can’t sleep with that stuff slipping down your throat for 30-odd years, but he did every night. He was just a hard-a–. He never bought his wife a birthday or Christmas present. Never even told her he loved her. There was no sentimental horses–t for him. And Aunt Rose was so devoted to this guy she would’ve set herself on fire for him.”
He wanted love
With no involvement
So he chased the wind
That’s all his silly life required
And the days of vanity
Went on forever
And he saw his days burn up
Like paper in fire
“Family Feeling”
As recording continued, Mellencamp focused on the “family feeling” of the band. “Family feeling” doesn’t mean friendly and easygoing. Tempers still flared, and the band learned to cope. Producer Don Gehman told author Rees, “He had his demons. It was always up and down. We wouldn’t have put it down to his anxiety or a panic disorder at the time. We’d have called it him being an a–hole. Daily, it was an unpredictable thing with him. I wouldn’t even try to argue with him when he was furious. I got fired enough times to know what I was up against. He’d know when I disagreed with him, and he’d listen eventually because he knew I had his best interests at heart. Didn’t mean he’d do what I suggested, but he would pause.”
Paper in fire
Stinking up the ashtrays
Paper in fire
Smoking up the alleyways
Who’s to say the way
A man should spend his days
Do you let them smolder
Like paper in fire
Against the Grain
Mellencamp consciously avoided releasing music that sounded like the other popular albums of the time. This batch of songs had nothing in common with Bad by Michael Jackson, Hysteria by Def Leppard, or True Blue by Madonna. Those albums were all big, polished productions. Mellencamp’s record sounded organic and grounded in the old-time string band tradition. He called it The Lonesome Jubilee. Engineer David Leonard said, “It was a tough process, especially early on. We would mix all day and then make a cassette. John would take it home overnight, and you just knew the next day you were going to hear how terrible it was. From when we met, John’s never had an issue telling me what he thinks sucks.”
There’s a good life
Right across the green fields
And each generation
Stares at it from afar
But we keep no check
On our appetites
So the green fields turn to brown
Like paper in fire
Weary and Tiresome
Mellencamp included a Bible verse on the album’s inside sleeve.
“Generations come and go, but it makes no difference. The sun rises and sets and hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south and north, here and there, twisting back and forth, getting nowhere. The rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full, and the water returns to the rivers and flows again to the sea.
“Everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. So I saw that there is nothing better for men than that they should be happy in their work, for that is what they are here for. And no one can bring them back to life to enjoy what will be in the future, so let them enjoy it now.” – Ecclesiastes
Mellencamp never cared for the endless cycle of touring and promotion. The singer looked at it as a necessary evil. Packaging your art and promoting it on a never-ending loop gets old. Mellencamp wanted to avoid repeating the anger of his ancestors, yet was profoundly affected by their passing.
Paper in fire
Stinking up the ashtrays
Paper in fire
Smoking up the alleyways
Who’s to say the way
A man should spend his days
Do you let them smolder
Like paper in fire
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Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for CMT
