Greetings and salutations Hivers. Today let's go into another Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendation.

Today I find myself in the mood for some 80s rock from one of the most famous singers from Indiana, at least in recent times: John Melloncamp. According to Wikipedia, his brand of rock might be termed heartland rock, "a genre of rock music characterized by a straightforward, often roots musical style, often with a focus on blue-collar workers, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment."

Well, besides The Hoosier State another nickname of Indiana is The Heartland, so it all comes together nicely. He was born not too far from where I was, in Seymour, Indiana, and he went on to become one of the most popular singers in the State. He's always been fairly outspoken in his liberal political beliefs, but the usually very red Indiana has always looked beyond that and embraced him.

I'm not going to share any surprises here, just what may have been his three biggest hits. When I was in high school, I swear the local radio station played these three every single day, so they are kind of burned into my brain and take me back when I hear them.

Without further ado, let's jump in!

This might be Mellencamp’s most iconic song—an anthem of teenage love and small-town dreams. “Jack & Diane” captures that fleeting, restless energy of youth. The acoustic guitar strum, the hand claps, the spoken bridge—all of it builds this classic into something more than just a love song. It’s about the bittersweet passage of time, and how life “goes on long after the thrill of living is gone”—a line that hints at how many people in small towns never really move beyond the glory of their high school years.

A love letter to the simplicity of rural life. “Small Town” is deeply personal for Mellencamp, who really did grow up in Seymour, Indiana. The song doesn’t romanticize—it just tells it like it is: born there, lived there, probably gonna die there. There’s pride, but also realism. It’s a reminder that there’s dignity in living an ordinary life, and that home is often just where your roots happen to grow. Seymour, Indiana is pretty small. So was my hometown… so are most towns in Indiana, so we could all relate to this.

With its famous line—“Ain’t that America, for you and me”—this song walks a fine line between celebration and critique. It’s easy to misread it as purely patriotic, but Mellencamp’s lyrics highlight the contradictions of American life: the wealth gap, the disillusionment, the fading of the American Dream. Like I wrote above, Mellencamp is fairly liberal, and like “The Boss,” he isn’t shy about being critical of America. But he delivers it all with such a catchy groove that it sneaks up on you. It’s the kind of song that makes you nod your head before it makes you think.

So what's your favorite?