214 Quotes by John Mellencamp

I don’t have to worry about any pop sensibility. I can write adult songs, and I don’t have to worry about choruses and hook lines.

A lot of Woody Guthrie’s songs were taken from other songs. He would rework the melody and lyrics, and all of a sudden it was a Woody Guthrie song.

Take ‘Jack and Diane.’ I was so disgusted with people thinking the line ‘Hold on to sixteen as long as you can’ meant to stay a teenager forever. What I meant was keep doing whatever makes you feel alive.

I couldn’t have recorded this record 15 years ago. My voice didn’t have the depth to pull these songs off.

In so many musicals today, the story is moved forward by a song. I don’t think we’re gonna try to do that.

Don’t ever lose that innocent laughter, don’t let time take that away.

I think it’s ridiculous to try to sell records to teenagers, because teenagers don’t buy my records. And there ain’t that many teenagers out there in the marketplace.

Some people say I’m obnoxious and lazy, that I’m uneducated, that my opinion means nothing, but I know I’m a real good dancer.

I’m your average Joe guy. I don’t really care for politicians.