I Need a Lover

Mellencamp vehemently protested the name, but was flatly overruled.

His earliest albums failed to gain commercial traction, but he finally achieved a mainstream breakthrough in late 1979 when his track I Need a Lover climbed the charts.

By 1982, he was 30 years old, continually clashing with his record company over his musical direction, and working at Criteria Studios in Miami.

He was crafting the tracks for an album titled American Fool.

They had a toy guitar, and somebody was playing some kind of weird percussion instrument that isn't on the song.

I can't remember if they were I Need a Lover or what song they were doing.

And they were just kind of making fun out of things like, of course, we're not playing live.

We don't want anybody to think we think we're fooling anybody.

The singles find a little traction in the UK, but nothing crazy.

But something is bubbling, however, in the land down under, and it is there that Johnny Cougar gets his first taste of success because the album's lead single, I Need a Lover, is a top 10 hit in good old Aussie land, peaking at number one, and surprising, I think, everyone involved in the project.

Now, Alan, you have definitely heard this song.

Not just because John Mellencamp put it also on his next album, but also Pat Benatar covered it.

It's the song, "I need a lover that won't drive me crazy." You know that song?

[laughs] Yeah.

I know it.

[laughs]