American Fool

American Fool is the fifth studio album by John Mellencamp, released under the stage name John Cougar in 1982. The album was his commercial breakthrough, holding the #1 position on the Billboard album chart for nine weeks. It was one of 1982’s best-selling albums.

According to a 1983 article in the Toledo Blade, the song “Danger List” originated when Mellencamp heard his guitarist Larry Crane playing some chords in a basement rehearsal room. “I turned on the tape recorder and sang 30 verses,” Mellencamp explained. “I just made them up. Then I went and weeded out the ones I didn’t like.”

The remastered version was released March 29, 2005 on Mercury/Island/UMe and includes one bonus track, the previously unreleased title track.