John Mellencamp Announces New LP ‘Orpheus Descending,’ Shares New Single, “Hey God”

Iconic heartland rocker John Mellencamp has announced his forthcoming new LP, Orpheus Descending, which is due out on June 2.

Videos by American Songwriter

To celebrate the news, Mellencamp has shared the new single and accompanying music video for the track “Hey God.” Mellencamp has also been playing a new song, “The Eyes of Portland,” on his current Live and In Person 2023 Tour. (See the song live, here.)

Mellencamp, who released his most recent album, Strictly A One Eyed Jack, in 2022, has released a new book of paintings and showed his artwork at the New York Academy of Art while launching a permanent collection at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Mellencamp also reissued his LP Scarecrow.

American Songwriter caught up with Mellencamp amidst the release of his 2022 LP, where he talked about the idea of receiving inspiration for his work.

“You have to be open to the gods,” says Mellencamp, “or whatever it is that sends songwriters songs. I did not sit down and think, ‘I want to write a song called ‘I Always Lie To Strangers,’ but I was sitting there and all of a sudden there was a voice in my head that said, ‘John you should write these words down.’”

Check out Mellencamp’s new single and his upcoming tour dates below.

John Mellencamp’s Remaining Tour Dates:

April 21—Stifel Theatre—St. Louis, MO
April 22—Stifel Theatre—St. Louis, MO
April 24—Orpheum Theatre—Memphis, TN
April 25—Orpheum Theatre—Memphis, TN
May 5—Old National Events Plaza—Evansville, IN
May 6—Old National Events Plaza—Evansville, IN
May 8—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
May 9—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
May 10—Ryman Auditorium—Nashville, TN
May 12—Aronoff Center—Cincinnati, OH
May 13—Aronoff Center—Cincinnati, OH
May 15—Embassy Theatre—Ft. Wayne, IN
May 16—Embassy Theatre—Ft. Wayne, IN
May 17—Palace Theatre—Columbus, OH
May 19—Peace Center—Greenville, SC
May 20—DPAC —Durham, NC
May 22—Benedum Center—Pittsburgh, PA
May 23—Benedum Center—Pittsburgh, PA
May 25—Playhouse Square—Cleveland, OH
May 26—Playhouse Square—Cleveland, OH
June 2—The Lyric—Baltimore, MD
June 3—Kimmel Cultural Campus—Philadelphia, PA
June 5—Beacon Theatre—New York, NY
June 6—Beacon Theatre—New York, NY
June 7—Beacon Theatre—New York, NY
June 10—Boch Center – Wang Theatre—Boston, MA
June 11—Providence Performing Arts Center—Providence, RI
June 13—Palace Theatre—Albany, NY
June 14—Landmark Theatre—Syracuse, NY
June 16—Shea’s Performing Arts Center—Buffalo, NY
June 17—Masonic Temple Theatre—Detroit, MI
June 19—Massey Hall—Toronto, ON
June 21—DeVos Performance Hall—Grand Rapids, MI
June 23—Morris Performing Arts Center—South Bend, IN
June 24—Morris Performing Arts Center—South Bend, IN

Photo by Mark Sagliocco/Getty Images

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