Whenever We Wanted

Whenever We Wanted is American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp's 11th album, and the first to be credited simply to Mellencamp's given name (i.e., without the "Cougar" name).

Whenever We Wanted
Studio album by
John Mellencamp
ReleasedOctober 8, 1991
RecordedApril–June 1991
GenreRock
Length38:45
LabelMercury
ProducerJohn Mellencamp
John Mellencamp chronology
Big Daddy
(1989)		 Whenever We Wanted
(1991)		 Human Wheels
(1993)
Singles from Whenever We Wanted
  1. "Get a Leg Up"
    Released: October 1991
  2. "Love And Happiness"
    Released: November 1991
  3. "Again Tonight"
    Released: January 1992
  4. "Now More Than Ever"
    Released: April 1992
  5. "Last Chance"
    Released: July 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic link
Entertainment WeeklyB[1]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[2]
Rolling Stone link

The album reached the top 20 and went platinum.[3] It includes the hits "Get A Leg Up" (#1 for three weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart), "Now More Than Ever" (#3 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), "Last Chance" (#12 on the Album Rock Tracks chart), and "Again Tonight" (#1 for two weeks on the Album Rock Tracks chart). "Get A Leg Up" (#14) and "Again Tonight" (#36) also cracked the Billboard Hot 100.

Entertainment Weekly gave the album a positive review, stating: "To Mellencamp's credit, even though 'Whenever We Wanted' delivers his signature rock & roll punch, he doesn't try to. That Mellencamp still has the courage to make depressing assessments in a pop context is a victory that outweighs the record's other shortcomings."

Mellencamp later said the album was an attempt to "write American Fool with better lyrics" after a fan mentioned the previous two albums "had nothing about sex on them." This inspired him to write less about problems in the heartland and "get back to the basics."[3]

Album notes

The woman featured on the cover with Mellencamp is Elaine Irwin. The cover photo was taken during the shoot for the video for the hit single "Get a Leg Up." The video was shot in July 1991; Mellencamp and Irwin did not see each other again until January 1992 when the Whenever We Wanted Tour pulled into New York City. They become a couple a short time later and were married in September 1992. They separated in September 2010 and were divorced in 2011.[4]

After his previous two albums, The Lonesome Jubilee and Big Daddy, featured such non-traditional rock instruments as the accordion and violin, Mellencamp said that on Whenever We Wanted he wanted to put those instruments "back in their cases" and return to a harder-edged sound. Mellencamp further elaborated on the album, saying: "It's very rock 'n' roll. I just wanted to get back to the basics."[3]

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp, except where noted.

  1. "Love and Happiness" – 3:53
  2. "Now More Than Ever" – 3:43
  3. "I Ain't Ever Satisfied" – 3:36
  4. "Get a Leg Up" – 3:47
  5. "Crazy Ones" (Mellencamp, Randy Handley) – 4:01
  6. "Last Chance" – 3:39
  7. "They're So Tough" – 4:17
  8. "Melting Pot" – 4:47
  9. "Whenever We Wanted" – 3:42
  10. "Again Tonight" – 3:17

2005 re-issue bonus track

  1. "Love and Happiness" (London Club Mix) – 6:33

Personnel
  • John Mellencamp – vocals, guitar, hand percussion
  • Kenny Aronoff – drums, percussion, vibes
  • Mike Wanchic – guitar, background vocals
  • Toby Myers – bass guitar, background vocals
  • David Grissom – guitars
  • John Cascella – Hammond B-3, accordion, penny whistle, Farfisa Organ
  • Pharez Whitted – trumpet on "Love And Happiness" and "Whenever We Wanted"
  • Jay Healy – engineer, mixing

Charts
Chart (1991) Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[5] 3
The Billboard 200 17

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[6] Platinum 70,000^
United States (RIAA)[7] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Arnold, Gina (October 2, 1991). "Whenever We Wanted Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "CG: John Mellencamp". Robert Christgau.
  3. "25 Years Ago: John Mellencamp Gets Frisky on 'Whenever We Wanted'".
  4. "John Mellencamp, Elaine Irwin-Mellencamp Split – CBS News".
  5. "Australiancharts.com – John Mellencamp – Whenever We Wanted". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  6. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1991 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  7. "American album certifications – John Mellencamp – Whenever We Wanted". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
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