
I looked down and saw this old man, early in the morning, sitting on the porch of his pink shack with a cat in his arms. It was at a highway interchange in Indianapolis. A black guy was sitting in front of a pink house, and that’s all there was to it.

The song was an unlikely MTV staple during the cable cultural giant’s glitzy pubescence, but it was far less flamboyant than the standard video fare. In the 1980s, the singer-songwriter from small-town Seymour, Indiana, visited a stretch of I-65 on Indianapolis’ northwest side and came away with the inspiration for “Pink Houses,” a lunch-pail critique of the American dream. bzbplAnfqOĮven during the rah-rah Reagan era, Mellencamp didn’t. Sadly, neither was the Young American Foundation account, which didn’t seem to comprehend basic American history-or at least was happy to ignore it. Predictably, Buttigieg was mocked by conservative politicians and groups, including Young America’s Foundation, which shared a photo of the former South Bend mayor with the money quote from the Grio interview on social media. President Joe Biden has proposed $1.9 trillion in infrastructure spending, including $20 billion for an initiative that would “reconnect neighborhoods cut off by historic investments.” In an interview with The Grio, Buttigieg explained “there is racism physically built into some of our highways,” citing examples of roadway construction that was intentionally routed through existing Black and brown neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Retrieved October 4, 2010.It’s taken 38 years, but White America has finally returned to the interstate running through the Black man’s front yard in John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses.” You remember-the one where “he thinks he’s got it so good.” Turns out he doesn’t, at least according to another Hoosier-former presidential candidate and now U.S. "John Mellencamp: No "Pink Houses" for NOM". ^ Mellencamp Asks McCain to Stop Using Tunes Archived June 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine."Mellencamp Music for McCain? Like Paper & Fire". ^ a b Amy, Argetsinger Roxanne Roberts (February 6, 2008)."Pink Houses, Black Lives, and John Mellencamp's Misunderstood Legacy". "The Real Meaning Behind John Mellencamp's Song Pink Houses". ^ "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles".Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. ^ "John Mellencamp art exhibit set to open in DeLand".

^ Classic Tracks: John Cougar Mellencamp's “Pink Houses” Archived at the Wayback Machine.^ a b Pink Houses: John Mellencamp : Rolling Stone.Mellencamp's views on same sex-marriage and equal rights for people of all sexual orientations are at odds with NOM's stated agenda" and requesting that NOM "find music from a source more in harmony with your views than Mr. At Mellencamp's instruction, his publicist sent a cease and desist letter to NOM stating "that Mr. In 2010, "Pink Houses" was used by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) at events opposing same-sex marriage. In January 2009, Mellencamp played "Pink Houses" at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. Mellencamp contacted the McCain campaign pointing out Mellencamp's support for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and questioning McCain's use of his music in response, the McCain campaign ceased using Mellencamp's songs. "Pink Houses" along with "Our Country" was played by Senator John McCain at political events for his 2008 presidential campaign. The song was also used at events for Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign. In 2004, the song was played at events for Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign. Ironically, the song came to be used in political advertisements and campaign rallies, especially by conservatives.

The repeating line in the chorus of "Ain’t that America" was meant to be sarcastic and cynical. Mellencamp had intended Pink Houses to be a lesson on race, class and survival in America.

At an October 2014 press conference, he stated: "A long time ago, I wrote a song called 'Pink Houses.' Now when I hear that song, all I can think is: 'Why didn't I do a better job on the last verse?' If I had written it today, the last verse would've had more meaning." Charts Chart (1983–1984) Mellencamp has stated many times since the release of "Pink Houses" that he is unhappy with the song's final verse. "He waved, and I waved back," Mellencamp said in an interview with Rolling Stone. There was an old black man sitting outside his little pink shotgun house with his cat in his arms, completely unperturbed by the traffic speeding along the highway in his front yard. Recorded in a farmhouse in Brownstown, Indiana, the song was inspired when Mellencamp was driving along an overpass on the way home to Bloomington, Indiana, from the Indianapolis airport.
