John Mellencamp – Just Another Day

This song and “Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First) came out around the same time off the album Mr. Happy Go Lucky in 1997.

This album was his first album released after his 1994 heart attack and some of the music dealt with his brush with death. The cover artwork caused some controversy with Walmart. They didn’t like that it depicted Jesus and the Devil with Mellencamp holding what looked like to them to be a dead boy. He told them that no…that was his son Hud and he was asleep at the time. The artwork was changed because Mellencamp didn’t care since he didn’t design it. Jesus and the Devil were taken off. As long as the music didn’t have to change he was alright.

The song peaked at #46 on the Billboard 100 and  #1 in Canada in 1997.

Some trivia about Mellencamp. Mellencamp’s first manager, Tony DeFries, gave him the name “Johnny Cougar.” He started using “John Cougar Mellencamp” in the early ’80s and eventually dropped the “Cougar.” DeFries is the same guy who persuaded David Jones to change his name to David Bowie. With Bowie I understand because of Davy Jones…but Cougar?

Mellencamp released the album “Strictly a One-Eyed Jack” this year and it contained three songs with Bruce Springsteen… “Wasted Days, A Life Full of Rain, and Did You Say Such a Thing.

John Mellencamp on the song: “That was what the record company wanted to put out as the first single. They said, ‘It sounds familiar.'”

Just Another Day

Bobie Doll and Big Jim Picato
Call me up every single day
They don’t work and they don’t want to
Come on down to some damn café

Bobie Doll tells me, “Live in the moment”
Don’t get too far ahead, don’t live in the past
I blink my eyes and the moment is over
I guess another day has passed

But it’s just another day
It’s just another day
Watching girls on the street
Well, that’s alright with me
And it’s just another day

Bobie Doll and Big Jim Picato
Always there with their free advice
They’ve got pearl-handled pistols under their vests
They want me to go out drinkin’ with them tonight

But it’s just another day
It’s just another day
Watchin’ girls on the street
Well, that’s alright with me
And it’s just another day

You’ve got clean white sheets in the mornin’
Conversation all afternoon
Bobie Doll and Big Jim Picato, baby
And me and you

But, it’s just another day
Just another day
Watching girls on the street
Well, that’s alright with me
And it’s just another day

Well, it’s just another day
It’s just another day
Watching girls on the street
Well, that’s alright with me
And it’s just another day

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball fan, old movie and tv show fan... and a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

35 thoughts on “John Mellencamp – Just Another Day”

  2. A pretty good song, but to me not one of his best singles…but you won’t go too far wrong with any of his work from ‘American Fool’ on. Just skimmed over his book to see what he said about it; this one started out as a more traditional folk song when he first came up with it but they changed it around a bit in the studio. some of his band felt he was much more relaxed making this album than he’d been in awhile but he was feeling really pressured and almost quit music after it because he was working a lot harder to sell a lot fewer records than a decade earlier and he hated his record company contacts.

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    1. That was during the time when the record business was starting to drop….and then mp3s came and it all went to hell.
      Oh like this one and the other single a bunch.

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      1. It is good for sure though I think the whole ‘Human Wheels’ album before it and his latter 2/3 of 80s stuff was better. He wasn’t alone in selling 5million an album in 80s and struggling to hit 1 mil by late-90s, as you suggest.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. true, any established artist were struggling to sell very much by then. Nirvana, a few other grunge bands and all those Canadian ladies – Alanis, Shania, Celine, Sarah – were racking up record sales (no pun intended but ..) but the Springsteens, Mellencamps, Segers and ZZ Tops were out to pasture more or less.

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  5. I really like(ed) JCM. ‘Jack & Diane’ was my wife (Diane) and my adopted ‘our song’ when we were courting even though I was a bit of a punk! ‘Jackie (me) wants to be a football star’ … Diane would travel Newcastle to Glasgow for a weekend – knowing I’d be away all Saturday afternoon playing for my team! 😀

    Still like his music, though I hear from US pals that he’s a bit of a ****? Into hunting wild animals like another old hero, Ted Nugent? Hmmmn.

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    1. I haven’t heard of Mellencamp hunting or anything…but yea he is not known as Mr Sunshine lol.
      I can say this honestly…I never got into Nugent.

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    2. I have to pipe in & say, while I’m not an expert on him, I have read his autobiography & seen quite a few interviews &nothing at all suggests he’s like Nugent. Never seen references to him being a hunter, let alone a ‘gun nut’. He clearly says he’s a liberal from as ‘red state’s and he let his ‘Small Town’s be used in ads for a Democrat presidential candidate. He’snoNuge… thankfully. That siad, he is prickly & short-tempered, no question about that ..he himself embraced the ‘little bastard’s nickname others gave him.

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  6. I recall hearing some hyper jacked-up DJ back in the day saying ‘this is the hot new talent all set to burn his way up the charts and into your hearts (or some similar hyperbollocks bullshit)- its JohnNY COUGAR!!!’ The name sounded so contrived, and I instantly thought ‘this guy is gonna be a big poseur…’ I was wrong, and once he eventually lost that stupid name he became far more relatable.
    Perfect lyrics in the second verse as well.

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    1. I don’t blame you…it was so bad…just bad. Who would have ever guessed an Americana singer/writer would come out of the Cougar.

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  7. John Mellencamp is one of my favorite artists and has been for many years. I have most of his albums on CD, which I’m pretty sure includes “Mr. Happy Go Lucky.” That being said, I had forgotten about “Just Another Day” – great tune!

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      2. I love the John Lennon line…
        Oh speaking of Lennon….have you ever seen that 19 minute video from the Rubber Soul sessions? They were working on Think for Yourself and had down time….it’s so funny. Lennon was hilarious.

        Liked by 1 person

      6. Oh yes it does… they say some funny stuff like “wonder what Ron Richards” is doing tomorrow…the producer for the Hollies after Martin didn’t play them the lyrics. They didn’t mean it bad…but was joking with him.

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I bought this and checked out after this one as Whenever We Wanted was the record for me in regards to Cougar and even Dance Naked had its moment but it was time for me to move on from John at this point! lol

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  10. Pingback: John Mellencamp – Just Another Day – MobsterTiger

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