John Mellencamp spoke candidly about his relationship with Bruce Springsteen and their recent collaboration, which includes the pair’s new duet, “Wasted Days.”
While chatting with SiriusXM’s E Street Radio, Mellancamp recalled the first time the two shared a stage back in the day: “In the ’80s, I was playing down in Laguna Beach, (California). Bruce came up on stage with me and played ‘Way Back Then.’ I’ve played with a lot of people, but I always thought the one thing that I had going for me was on stage, that I had a certain charisma on stage and that, that’s how we got over, because I wasn’t afraid to make a fool of myself.”
He went on to recall: “Bruce came on stage. . . And I remember this, he was the only guy that I ever sang with — and I’ve sang with a lot of people — that I could feel his presence next to mine. I always felt like, y’know, whoever I was singing with that I was overshadowing them because of my presence. But when Springsteen came on stage, it was like, ‘Jesus Christ, this guy’s got some energy.'”
SIDE NOTES
- Back in December 2018, John Mellencamp‘s latest collection, Other People’s Stuff, debuted at Number One on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart.
- The set, which was Mellencamp’s 24th album, features covers of older material recorded over the course of his career, includes such highlights as the well-worn civil rights anthem “Keep You Eyes On The Prize,” Merle Travis‘ “Dark As A Dungeon,” the great American ballad, “Wreck Of The Old ’97,” and Stevie Wonder‘s “I Don’t Know Why I Love You.”
- Mellencamp’s next album, featuring Bruce Springsteen on several tracks, will be released in 2022.
CHECK IT OUT: John Mellencamp & Bruce Springsteen’s 2021 video for “Wasted Days”: