"Cherry Bomb" is a song by American rock singer

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

. It was released as the second single from Mellencamp's ninth studio album, ''

The Lonesome Jubilee ''The Lonesome Jubilee'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, credited as John Cougar Mellencamp. The album was released by Mercury Records on August 24, 1987 (see 1987 in music). Four singles were released fro ...

'' (1987). "Cherry Bomb" is a nostalgic song that reflects on Mellencamp's teenage years hanging out at the Last Exit Teen Club. The single was released in the United States in October 1987, backed with the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

Shama Lama Ding Dong "Shama Lama Ding Dong" is a song written by and performed by fictional band Otis Day and the Knights in the 1978 film '' National Lampoon's Animal House''. Although Otis Day was portrayed by DeWayne Jessie in the film, the lead vocals were actual ...

". "Cherry Bomb" features a female voice (Mellencamp background singer

Crystal Taliefero Crystal Taliefero-Pratt (née Taliefero) is an American multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Taliefero grew up with a musical family, performing rhythm and blues with her brother in the Chicago metropolitan area. During her college years she was ...

) and two other male voices (band members Toby Myers and Mike Wanchic) in addition to Mellencamp's on the second verse. Mellencamp told '' GQ'' magazine in 2022 what inspired him to have voices other than his own take turns singing lead: "

Sly and the Family Stone Sly and the Family Stone was an American band from San Francisco. Active from 1966 to 1983, it was pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music. Its core line-up was led by singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-i ...

. He had all those hit records when I was in junior high, and I love the fact that all the sudden there's a female voice, then a male voice." Upon its release, "Cherry Bomb" reached number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Album Rock Tracks chart, number 12 on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart, and number eight on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. Internationally, "Cherry Bomb" peaked at number four in New Zealand and number five in Canada, earning a gold

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

in the latter country. The music video for the song features a couple dancing intimately with one another near a jukebox while Mellencamp dances by himself, interspersed with vintage video clips.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

John Mellencamp songs 1987 singles 1987 songs Mercury Records singles Song recordings produced by Don Gehman Songs written by John Mellencamp {{1980s-rock-song-stub