speaking of 'I Need a Lover (That Won't Drive Me Crazy)'

Speaking of the John Mellencamp song, "I Need a Lover," my brother and I had this email exchange on August 8, 2007:

Steve: Last night I heard the song, “I Need a Lover” by John Mellencamp. This particular song has a tremendously long introduction. The intro must be one of the longer intros ever played on commercial radio. It must be close to 4 minutes, if not longer. And it’s not a great song, if you ask me. Thoughts?

Dave: Matt K. and I always enjoyed that song back in college. Thinking about it now I would say it is average at best. The intro seems to me to be a rip off of Springsteen.

-end of email exchange-

First, the facts. The version of "I Need a Lover" that I purchased yesterday on iTunes is 5 minutes, 36 seconds in length. The introduction on this version is exactly 2 minutes and 30 seconds. While not 4 minutes as I suspected in August, 2 minutes and 30 seconds is still a heck of a long time for a song introduction. And particularly for a song that found success on commercial radio. I would also note that about 2 minutes into the introduction, it sounds like he's about to start singing. But no, John has other things in mind, namely 30 more seconds of guitar-driven intro. On second thought, I may have been too harsh about this song in August. True, the lengthy introduction is excessive and, as Dave points out, seems to borrow heavily from Bruce Springsteen. However, the reality of my life is that I do indeed need a lover that won't drive me crazy. Because not having a lover is kinda driving me crazy. Not that my OCD tendencies need further demonstration, but I've listened to "I Need a Lover" 11 times since purchasing it yesterday. It used to be a song that when it came on the radio, I would have to think for a while about what it was going to end up being as a result of the 2:30 introduction. But now I am familiar enough with the 2:30 intro that I'll know right away that it's "I Need a Lover." And I *do* need a lover that won't drive me crazy!