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Singer-songwriter John Mellencamp (known earlier in his career as Johnny Cougar, then John Cougar, then John Cougar Mellencamp) is noted for his unique brand of populist  “heartland rock.” A native of rural Indiana, he has been writing music about the American experience and the lives of ordinary people since 1976. 

Although his songs often are taken to be patriotic anthems, most are not. They lament the decline of the working class, the challenges of living in modern America, and the failure of government to serve the interests of ordinary people. 

Mellencamp, a long-time liberal activist, was a critic of Ronald Reagan and both Bushes. He spoke out early against the Iraq War. He declined to endorse either Barrack Obama or Hillary Clinton because neither, he said, was liberal enough. 

His song “Pink Houses” was inspired by an incident in the early 80s when Mellencamp was driving through Bloomington, Indiana. Near the center of town, he saw an elderly black man sitting in front of his house holding a cat. The man was oblivious to the expressway traffic speeding by, practically at his doorstep. 

“He waved, and I waved back,” Mellencamp said later. “That’s how ‘Pink Houses’ started.”

He said the message of the song was that the American dream “had pretty much proven itself as not working anymore.”

Pink Houses

By John Cougar Mellencamp, 1983
Written by John Cougar Mellencamp

There’s a black man with a black cat,
Living in a black neighborhood.
He’s got an Interstate running’ through his front yard.
You know, he thinks he’s got it so good.

And there’s a woman in the kitchen,
Cleaning’ up the evenin’ slop.
And he looks at her and says, “Hey darlin’,
I can remember when you could stop a clock.”

Oh, but ain’t that America, for you and me.
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby.
Ain’t that America, home of the free… yeah.
Little pink houses for you and me.
Oh, yeah, for you and me.

Well, there’s a young man in a t-shirt,
Listenin’ to a rock ‘n’ roll station.
He’s got greasy hair, a greasy smile.
He says, “Lord, this must be my destination.

“Cause they told me, when I was younger,
Sayin’, ‘Boy, you’re gonna be President.’
But just like everything else, those old crazy dreams
Kinda came and went.”

Oh, but ain’t that America, for you and me.
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby.
Ain’t that America, home of the free… yeah.
Little pink houses for you and me.
Oh, built, baby, for you and me.

Well, there’s people, and more people.
What do they know, know, know.
Go to work in some high-rise
And vacation down at the Gulf of Mexico.
Ooh, yeah.

And there’s winners, and there’s losers,
But they ain’t no big deal.
‘Cause the simple man, baby, pays the thrills,
The bills, and the pills that kill.

Oh, but ain’t that America, for you and me.
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby.
Ain’t that America, home of the free… yeah.
Little pink houses for you and me. Ooh…

Ain’t that America, for you and me.
Ain’t that America, something to see, baby.
Ain’t that America, home of the free…

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Little pink houses, baby, for you and me.
Ooh, yeah. Ooh, yeah.