"Check It Out" is a 1987 song by John Mellencamp released as the third single from his album The Lonesome Jubilee in 1988. The single was a top 20 hit, reaching number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1]^[2]

Lyrics and music

According to Mellencamp biographer David Masciotra, the song "describes the rewards and punishments of a typical American middle-class family" and professes that "our attempts to solve the mysteries of the heart and grasp the truth of humanity are fraught with disaster and disappointment."^[3] Mellencamp biographer Paul Rees called its sound "uplifting".^[4]

Reception

Cash Box said that Mellencamp's rough county-ish feel takes you into the heartland [of America]" and that the song "features a nice instrumental hook line that sounds like an otherworldly bagpipe and leads into the verses."^[5]

Masciotra calls it "a uniquely powerful testament to the mystery of inner life".^[3]

Music video

The video was shot as a live performance at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on December 11, 1987, during Mellencamp's massive Lonesome Jubilee tour.

Charts

Weekly charts[edit]

Chart (1987–1988)	Peak position
US Cashbox^[6]	14
US Billboard Hot 100^[7]	14

References[edit]

^ Whitburn, Joel (2009). Top Pop Singles (12th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. p. 649. ISBN 978-0898201802.
^ Bessman, Jim (2007). John Mellencamp: The Concert at Walter Reed. Bloomington, Indiana: Author House. p. 5. ISBN 9781434346469.
^ ^a ^b Masciotra, David (2022). Mellencamp: American Troubadour. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 4, 100–103, 106, 122, 135. ISBN 9780813195582.
^ Rees, Paul (2021). Mellencamp. Atria Books. p. 94. ISBN 9781982112165.
^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. February 6, 1988. p. 10. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
^ "John Mellencamp Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 13, 2021.

v t e John Mellencamp
Studio albums	Chestnut Street Incident (1976) A Biography (1978) John Cougar (1979) Nothin' Matters and What If It Did (1980) American Fool (1982) The Kid Inside (1983) Uh-huh (1983) Scarecrow (1985) The Lonesome Jubilee (1987) Big Daddy (1989) Whenever We Wanted (1991) Human Wheels (1993) Dance Naked (1994) Mr. Happy Go Lucky (1996) John Mellencamp (1998) Rough Harvest (1999) Cuttin' Heads (2001) Trouble No More (2003) Freedom's Road (2007) Life, Death, Love and Freedom (2008) No Better Than This (2010) Plain Spoken (2014) Sad Clowns & Hillbillies (2017) Strictly a One-Eyed Jack (2022) Orpheus Descending (2023)
Live albums	Life, Death, Live and Freedom (2009) Performs Trouble No More Live at Town Hall (2014) Plain Spoken: From the Chicago Theatre (2018)
Compilations	The Best That I Could Do 1978–1988 (1997) Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits (2004) On the Rural Route 7609 (2010) Other People's Stuff (2018)
Notable singles	"I Need a Lover" "This Time" "Ain't Even Done with the Night" "Hurts So Good" "Jack & Diane" "Crumblin' Down" "Pink Houses" "Lonely Ol' Night" "Small Town" "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." "Paper in Fire" "Cherry Bomb" "Check It Out" "Pop Singer" "Wild Night" "Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First)" "Just Another Day" "Peaceful World" "Walk Tall" "Our Country" "My Sweet Love"
Other singles	"What Say You" (with Travis Tritt)
Related	Discography Farm Aid Falling from Grace (1992) Ghost Brothers of Darkland County (2012) Elaine Irwin Meg Ryan