One year after John Cougar's "I Need a Lover" gave him his first hit single, Cougar released Nothin' Matters and What if It Did, an album which began to unravel his fondness for small-town simplicity and the pride that is inherited from being brought up in America's heartland.
Each song from the album characterizes Cougar's non-threatening, rebellious farm-boy attitude, from the Springsteen-like overtones of "Wild Angel" to the pleading gentleness of "Don't Misunderstand Me." "This Time," carried through with its jubilant, bouncy pace and countrified vocal style, hit number 27 in 1980, with the sultry yet rustic innocence of "Ain't Even Done With the Night" climbing ten spots higher as the album's second single.
A good feel for Cougar's passive yet warm approach to rock & roll can be found on Nothin' Matters, even within the lyrics of minor efforts like "Hot Night in a Cold Town" or "To M.G." Following this album was his monumental American Fool release, a solid package for Cougar and one that Nothin' Matters played the prototype for.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hot Night in a Cold TownGeoff Cushing, Richard Littlefield | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 03:51 | 0 MB | 22 MB |
| 2 | Ain't Even Done with the NightJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 04:40 | 0 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | Don't Misunderstand MeJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 03:36 | 0 MB | 22 MB |
| 4 | This TimeJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 04:20 | 0 MB | 25 MB |
| 5 | Make Me FeelJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 04:06 | 0 MB | 22 MB |
| 6 | To M.G. (Wherever She May Be)John Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 04:56 | 0 MB | 26 MB |
| 7 | TonightJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 03:16 | 0 MB | 20 MB |
| 8 | Wild AngelJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 03:14 | 0 MB | 19 MB |
| 9 | Cheap ShotJohn Mellencamp | John Cougar, John Mellencamp | Play | 02:59 | 0 MB | 19 MB |
| 10 | She'll Go Down | John Mellencamp | Play | 00:25 | 0 MB | 2 MB |
| 11 | Cheap Shot (Intro) | John Mellencamp | Play | 00:29 | 0 MB | 2 MB |
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| 35 mins | 208 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenny Aronoff | Drums, Percussion, Vibraphone |
| 2 | Jeff Baxter | Guitar (Steel), Pedal Steel |
| 3 | John Cougar | Primary Artist |
| 4 | Larry Crane | Guitar, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Steve Cropper | Producer |
| 6 | Geoff Cushing | Composer |
| 7 | Ed Greene | Drums |
| 8 | Susan Helmer | Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | John Jarvis | Piano |
| 10 | Richard Littlefield | Composer |
| 11 | Edith Masey | Cover Model |
| 12 | John Mellencamp | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 13 | Bruce Robb | Mixing, Producer |
| 14 | Dee Robb | Mixing |
| 15 | Doc Rosser | Piano |
| 16 | Rick Shlosser | Drums |
| 17 | Jimmy Wachtel | Design, Photography |
| 18 | Mike Wanchic | Guitar, Vocals |
| 19 | David Woodford | Saxophone |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |