Cherry Bomb (John Mellencamp song)

"Cherry Bomb" is a song by American rock singer John Mellencamp. It was released as the second single from Mellencamp's ninth studio album, The Lonesome Jubilee (1987).^[3] "Cherry Bomb" is a nostalgic song that reflects on Mellencamp's teenage years hanging out at the Last Exit Teen Club.^[4][5] The single was released in the United States in October 1987, backed with the B-side "Shama Lama Ding Dong".^[6]

"Cherry Bomb"
Single by John Cougar Mellencamp
from the album The Lonesome Jubilee
B-side	"Shama Lama Ding Dong"
Released	October 24, 1987 (1987-10-24)[1]
Studio	Belmont Mall (Indiana, US)
Genre	Rock[2]
Length	4:47
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	John Mellencamp
Producer(s)	John Mellencamp, Don Gehman
John Cougar Mellencamp singles chronology
"Paper in Fire" (1987) "Cherry Bomb" (1987) "Check It Out" (1988)

Upon its release, "Cherry Bomb" reached number one on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, number 12 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and number eight on the Hot 100. Internationally, "Cherry Bomb" peaked at number four in New Zealand and number five in Canada, earning a gold certification in the latter country. The music video for the song features a couple dancing intimately with one another near a jukebox while Mellencamp dances by himself, switching to Mellencamp and his band playing the song on a beach, interspersed with vintage video clips.

Background

"Cherry Bomb" features a female voice (Mellencamp background singer Crystal Taliefero) and two other male voices (band members Toby Myers and Mike Wanchic) in addition to Mellencamp's on the second verse. Mellencamp told GQ magazine in 2022 what inspired him to have voices other than his own take turns singing lead: "Sly and the Family Stone. He had all those hit records when I was in junior high, and I love the fact that all the sudden there's a female voice, then a male voice."^[7]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1987–1988) Peak position Australia (Australian Music Report)[8] 20 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 64 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[1] 4 US Billboard Hot 100[11] 8 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[12] 12 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[13] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[14] 18

Year-end charts Chart (1988) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15] 66 US Billboard Hot 100[16][17] 92

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18]	Gold	50,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "John Cougar Mellencamp – Cherry Bomb". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
2. Considine, J.D. (2004). "John "Cougar" Mellencamp". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 536–537. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
3. Masciotra, David (February 12, 2015). Mellencamp: American Troubadour. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813147352 – via Google Books.
4. "John Mellencamp likely to bring diverse collection of hits to the FICA on Saturday". AP NEWS. April 18, 2019.
5. DeCurtis, Anthony (October 8, 1987). "The Lonesome Jubilee". Rolling Stone.
6. Cheery Bomb (US 7-inch single sleeve). John Cougar Mellencamp. Mercury Records. 1987. 888 934-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. "John Mellencamp Is Channeling John Huston and Louis Armstrong Now". GQ. January 28, 2022.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0926." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
10. "John Cougar Mellencamp – Cherry Bomb" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
11. "John Mellencamp Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
12. "John Mellencamp Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
13. "John Mellencamp Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
14. Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
15. "Top 100 Singles of '88". RPM. Vol. 49, no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9.
16. "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. December 24, 1988. p. Y-20.
17. "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
18. "Canadian single certifications – John Cougar Mellancamp – Cherry Bomb". Music Canada. Retrieved December 13, 2021.