Paper in Fire

"Paper in Fire"
Single by John Cougar Mellencamp
from the album The Lonesome Jubilee
B-side	"Never Too Old"
Released	August 15, 1987 (1987-08-15)
Studio	Belmont Mall Studio, Indiana
Genre	Heartland rock roots rock[1] country rock[2]
Length	3:51
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	John Mellencamp
Producer(s)	John Mellencamp, Don Gehman
John Cougar Mellencamp singles chronology
"Rumbleseat" (1986) "Paper in Fire" (1987) "Cherry Bomb" (1987)

"Paper in Fire" is a song by American rock singer John Mellencamp, released on August 15, 1987, as the first single from his ninth studio album The Lonesome Jubilee.

The song was a commercial success, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and the Canadian Singles Chart, and charted on various European singles charts.

Mellencamp biographer David Masciotra called it a "ferocious song" that is the "aural equivalent of a wild beast breaking out of its cage." ^[3] Masciotra describes it as having a libertarian theme.^[3] Mellencamp has said that the song is about his uncle Joe Mellencamp, who could be cruel to others and his own worst enemy, saying that "'Paper in Fire' is about Joe, and the family's ingrained anger...It is tragic when families don't grow up."^[3]

Cash Box said that "AOR will undoubtedly benefit from this one - as will Top 40 radio, music video saturation is guaranteed."^[4]

Track listing

7" single

1. "Paper in Fire" – 3:53
2. "Never Too Old" – 3:45

CDV single

1. "Paper in Fire" – 3:48
2. "Never Too Old" – 3:43
3. "Under the Boardwalk" – 3:51
4. "Cold Sweat" – 3:23
5. "Paper in Fire" (video) – 3:57

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart[5]	13
Canadian Singles Chart[6]	1
New Zealand Singles Chart[7]	16
South African Singles Chart[8]	8
UK Singles Chart[9]	86
US Cashbox[10]	10
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11]	9
U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1987)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12]	79

References

1. Pollock, Bruce (18 March 2014). Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era. Routledge. p. 276. ISBN 978-1-135-46296-3.
2. Himes, Geoffrey (July 22, 1992). "JOHN MELLENCAMP". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
3. Masciotra, David (2022). Mellencamp: American Troubadour. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 99–100, 140. ISBN 9780813195582.
4. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. August 22, 1987. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Every Number One Single 1983-1999". The Record. David Farrell and Associates. Retrieved 2016-07-29.
7. "charts.nz – John Cougar Mellencamp – Paper in Fire". Retrieved 2011-05-18.
8. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1969 - 1989 Acts (M)". www.rock.co.za. Retrieved 15 May 2015.
9. "The Official Charts Company – John Cougar Mellencamp". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
10. Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952-1996. Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN 978-0-89820-209-0.
11. "John Mellencamp History". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
12. "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report. Retrieved 11 December 2019 – via Imgur.