Scarecrow (studio album) by John Cougar Mellencamp

Scarecrow by John Cougar Mellencamp
Year: 1985
Overall rank: 2,138th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 195 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1985 (26th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (323rd)
Award Best albums of all time (2,138th)
Product Details
Availability

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John Cougar Mellencamp - Scarecrow LP 1985 Polygram Orig Inner EX
Condition: Used


eBay
eBay
John Cougar Mellencamp Scarecrow 1985 LP Riva Records Pitman Press VG+/VG+
Condition: Used


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eBay
John Cougar Mellencamp Cassette Collection 5 Incl. Uh-Huh/Scarecrow etc. VG
Condition: Very Good


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John Cougar Mellencamp bestography

Scarecrow is ranked as the best album by John Cougar Mellencamp.

John Cougar Mellencamp album bestography « Higher ranked (-) This album (2,138th) Lower ranked (2,515th) »
No album foundScarecrowThe Lonesome Jubilee

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Wally's, Hampton, United States. United States
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06
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20:00
Hector Acosta "El Torito" Frank Reyes & Joe Veras
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01
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Finneas & Ashe Present: The Favors
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Scarecrow track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Scarecrow rankings

Scarecrow collection

Scarecrow ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 195 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 195 ratings for this album.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
75/100
 Report rating
07/20/2025 20:29 culwin  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,14176/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
04/18/2025 13:19 machiaj  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 66471/100
 
15/100
 Report rating
03/01/2025 13:33 RemainInLight  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 3,03035/100
 
75/100
 Report rating
01/16/2025 19:45 CharlesSimone  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 19482/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
10/20/2024 11:39 acoustic-horn  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 12275/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 6% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.8/100, a mean average of 74.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.0/100. The standard deviation for this album is 18.0.

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Scarecrow comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 12 comments |
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Rating:  
85/100
From 05/08/2025 16:14
I got interested in Cougar when I heard him on American Bandstand in 1980 singing I need A Lover. I saw him the first time he performed in my area and then again in 1985 for his Scarecrow tour. This is a special album with a different sound than his previous music without being overly POP. This is his best album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/11/2024 07:41
Mellencamp, often considered as the poor mans Bruce. it he can very well stand on his own. Good material and very good album throughout
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/21/2021 14:14
It appears to be thoughtfully well-written, and performed with energy and spirit, but it doesn't strike me as anything that would blow you away. I can always appreciate the connection to small town America though.

A Side: Small Town
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/24/2020 13:24
Amazing songwriting on this one!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/19/2019 07:10
A brilliant concept album from start to finish.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 09/07/2018 10:00
One of the best Mellencamp albums with a lot of good songs like "Small Town" and "Between A Laugh And A Tear". Nevertheless the album takes a little bit of time to grow and seems a little inconsistent (album rating: 74,17 %)
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 07/07/2017 08:54
Nice fellow. Great writer of songs. Maybe not the best of singers
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/23/2015 21:38
Best songs are Lonely Ol' Night, Minutes To Memories and Rumbleseat. Perhaps I'm biased because I'm a Hoosier, but he sings songs about the heartland and I can identify with them, even if he is a liberal and I'm not.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
From 06/18/2015 20:32
Small Town is the best track.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
10/100
From 04/24/2014 21:46
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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -7 votes (0 helpful | 7 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1985
1. Hounds Of Love by Kate Bush
2. Rain Dogs by Tom Waits
3. Brothers In Arms by Dire Straits
4. Meat Is Murder by The Smiths
5. Psychocandy by The Jesus And Mary Chain
6. Songs From The Big Chair by Tears For Fears
7. The Head On The Door by The Cure
8. Tim by The Replacements
9. Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout
10. Rum Sodomy & The Lash by The Pogues
11. Misplaced Childhood by Marillion
12. Low-Life by New Order
13. New Day Rising by Hüsker Dü
14. This Nation's Saving Grace by The Fall
15. This Is The Sea by The Waterboys
16. Fables Of The Reconstruction by R.E.M.
17. Little Creatures by Talking Heads
18. Around The World In A Day by Prince And The Revolution
19. Love by The Cult
20. Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963 by Sam Cooke
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