A Biography
Studio album by
Johnny Cougar
ReleasedMarch 6, 1978
Recorded1977–78
Studio
GenreRock, heartland rock
Length42:58
LabelRiva
ProducerJohn Punter
Johnny Cougar chronology
Chestnut Street Incident
(1976)		 A Biography
(1978)		 John Cougar
(1979)
Singles from A Biography
  1. "I Need a Lover"
    Released: April 12, 1978
  2. "Factory"
    Released: May 31, 1978
  3. "Night Slumming/Goodnight"
    Released: September 22, 1978 (Australia)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[2]

A Biography is John Mellencamp's second released album (third recorded), and last credited to his then-stage name "Johnny Cougar." Recorded in London, it was released in the UK and Australia by Riva Records on March 6, 1978.

Due to poor sales of Mellencamp's debut album, Chestnut Street Incident, A Biography did not receive a U.S. release upon its 1978 debut. Two of its tracks, "Taxi Dancer" and the single "I Need a Lover," were also included on his 1979 album John Cougar, which was released in the U.S.

In Australia, however, "I Need a Lover" became a Top 10 hit, giving Mellencamp his first taste of success. The song would eventually crack the Top 40 in the U.S. in late 1979 when released as a single from his John Cougar album. AllMusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine described "I Need a Lover" as Mellencamp's "first good song."[1]

A Biography, along with all Mellencamp's other Riva Records/Mercury Records albums, were remastered and re-released in 2005, marking the first time A Biography was released in the United States.

Mellencamp has often spoken negatively about his early albums, and A Biography is no exception. He stated in Tim Holmes’ 1986 biography: “A Biography is so bitter. I mean I don’t even like to listen to it. I can’t believe it’s me. The songs were written in ’76 or ’77. The lyrics were real awful. They were real ‘I hate you. I hate this.’ And that’s the way I felt at that time."

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Mellencamp

Side One
No.TitleLength
1."Born Reckless"4:35
2."Factory"3:02
3."Night Slumming"4:40
4."Taxi Dancer"4:05
5."I Need a Lover"5:37
Side Two
No.TitleLength
1."Alley of the Angels"3:58
2."High C Cherrie"4:58
3."Where the Sidewalk Ends"3:56
4."Let Them Run Your Lives"5:55
5."Goodnight"2:05

Personnel

References

  1. 1 2 "A Biography – John Mellencamp". Allmusic. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  2. ↑ "John Mellencamp". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2014-03-20.
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