Small Town

Small Town

Infobox Single
Name = Small Town


Artist = John Cougar Mellencamp
from Album = Scarecrow
B-side = "Small Town" (acoustic version)
Released = 1985
Format = 7"
Recorded = Belmont Mall Studio, 1985
Genre = Rock
Length = 3:42
Label = Riva Records
Writer = John Mellencamp
Producer = Little Bastard, Don Gehman
Certification =
Chart position = U.S. 6
Last single = "Lonely Ol' Night" (1985)
This single = "Small Town" (1985)
Next single = "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." (1986)"Small Town" is a song written by John Cougar Mellencamp off his 1985 album "Scarecrow". The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9fqxqq5ldte~T31]

Mellencamp wrote the song about his experiences growing up in a small town in Indiana, having been born in Seymour, Indiana, and living in Bloomington, Indiana, which, at the time of the release of the song, was much smaller. The music video has references to both towns. After that, Mellencamp has been known as champion of "small town America."

On December 16, 1987, Mellencamp played two free concerts in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio where one-fifth of the population signed a petition asking him to play. He performed at the Ohio University-Chillicothe branch on University Drive. At the time, CNN was the only major news carrier, they were at the event with cameras in hand.

NBA legend and fellow Indiana native Larry Bird used this song on his retirement ceremony in 1993, particularly referring his town French Lick, Indiana as a "small town". It was also used for him in the NBA Superstars video series.

While performing for the NFL Kickoff Special on NBC on September 6, 2007 some of the well-known lyrics were changed. "My wife was 13 when I wrote this song" being among the more humorous of lines not in the original.

The song was also used as the theme song for the Discovery Times documentary series "Off to War", which covered Arkansas Army National Guard soldiers, most of them from rural Clarksville, Arkansas, during their tour of duty in .

The song is played after Green Bay Packer games.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • small-town — adj [only before noun] 1.) from, or relating to, a small town ▪ a small town newspaper 2.) AmE also small|ville [ˈsmo:lvıl US ˈsmo:l ] relating to ideas, qualities etc that people in small towns are supposed to have, which sometimes includes a… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • small-town — small towner, n. /smawl town /, adj. 1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a town or village: a typical, small town general store. 2. provincial or unsophisticated: small town manners. [1880 85] * * * …   Universalium

  • small-town — small′ town′ adj. 1) characteristic of a town or village 2) provincial; unsophisticated • Etymology: 1880–85 small′ town′er, n …   From formal English to slang

  • small-town|er — «SML TOW nuhr», noun. Especially U.S. a small town person: »... the small towners wearing their set, starched faces, all fever and suspicion, and proud to be there (Atlantic) …   Useful english dictionary

  • small-town — small ,town adjective 1. ) connected with a small town, not a big city 2. ) showing little interest in things that are not familiar or traditional …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • small-town — small town; small town·er; …   English syllables

  • small-town — ☆ small town [smôltoun΄ ] adj. of or characteristic of a small town; provincial, unsophisticated, etc …   English World dictionary

  • small-town — *insular, provincial, parochial, local Analogous words: narrow, narrow minded, *illiberal, intolerant, hidebound, bigoted: circumscribed, limited, confined, restricted (see LIMIT vb) Antonyms: cosmopolitan …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • small town — ADJ: usu ADJ n Small town is used when referring to small places, usually in the United States, where people are friendly, honest, and polite, or to the people there. Small town is also sometimes used to suggest that someone has old fashioned… …   English dictionary

  • small-town — ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷ adjective Etymology: from small town, n : of, belonging to, or characteristic of a small city or a large village, its life, or its inhabitants usually distinguished from urban and metropolitan small town girls small town customs …   Useful english dictionary

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