# John Mellencamp Was Inspired by Shel Silverstein To Write His First No. 1 Hit, Which He Wrote as a Joke

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/john-mellencamp-was-inspired-by-shel-silverstein-to-write-his-first-no-1-hit-which-he-wrote-as-a-joke/
- Published: 2026-10-26T16:30:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-07T07:08:40+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/john-mellencamp-was-inspired-by-shel-silverstein-to-write-his-first-no-1-hit-which-he-wrote-as-a-joke/
- Topics: Art, Business, Culture, Entertainment, Markets, Music

## Key points

- Mellencamp wrote “Hurts So Good” as a joke.
- It became his first Cash Box No. 1.
- “Jack & Diane” later topped the Billboard Hot 100.

## Summary

John Mellencamp wrote “Hurts So Good” in 1982, initially as a joke inspired by the songwriting style of Shel Silverstein. The track became his first No. 1 single on the Cash Box chart, helping establish his career after years of releases without a major hit.

A friend suggested the title, and Mellencamp says he wrote the song in about three minutes, scrawling its opening line on a shower door in soap. He later connected its subject to the crude behaviour he had seen while playing in bars. The song appeared on his album *American Fool* and earned him his only Grammy; the follow-up, “Jack & Diane”, was his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.