John Mellencamp American Fool (1982) Original Audio CD

John Cougar and the American listening public became inseparable after this landmark album arrived in 1982. While AMERICAN FOOL wasn't John Cougar's first full-length recording, it was the one wherein he gained commercial and artistic footing, and established a formula that would become his trademark style--simple roots-rock melodies with stirring choruses, unguardedly emotional vocals, and lyrics that reflect the experiences of the common man.

Album opener "Hurts So Good" is a playful rocker (with a dangerously catchy refrain) that has become part of the pop canon, and "Jack & Diane" is one of the great slice-of-life songs of the '80s. While both songs loom large, other overlooked treasures include "China Girl," with its cheeky faux-Chinese guitar riff, and the ballad "Weakest Moments," which blends transcendent acoustic-guitar changes with a gorgeous, careworn melody. Here and elsewhere on this well-written record, Cougar proves he's nobody's fool.