My dad and I actually drove by it the other night, and we commented on it, because we remember the entire event. The house still stands, and is a two story colonial in a subdivision not far from where I live here in Louisville, Kentucky. What’s ironic about this is that when this song first came out, John did a promotion with MTV, and a literal pink house was auctioned off. During Mellencamp’s set that evening, he invited a special guest to join him on stage–and what followed was the first and only team-up to date between Bruce and John on one of their own songs. At the 1980s-themed benefit concert for The Rainforest Foundation, Bruce and John finally found their moment. Today, “Pink Houses” is considered one of Mellencamp’s greatest songs, and Rolling Stone has enshrined it as #447 on its Greatest Songs of All-Time list.Īnd yet, even though Bruce and John have shared a stage together a few times over the years, they never teamed up on the most likely candidate from John’s catalog.

“Pink Houses” has been co-opted by conservative politicians and causes ever since its release its very liberal author had to ask candidates Reagan, Bush, and McCain to kindly cease and desist. In fact, while President Reagan was latching onto Bruce’s “ Born in the U.S.A.” during his 1984 reelection campaign, he was also playing “Pink Houses” at his campaign stops. With an anthemic backing track and a rousing chorus, it’s easy to overlook the song’s critical lyrics, which scold America for not being accountable to its ideals.

For one thing, it was famously misinterpreted.

John Mellencamp’s 1983 single (it peaked at #8 in early 1984) has a lot in common with Bruce’s material at the time.

Pink houses lyrics john mellencamp