Song of the Day #5,887: ‘Wild Night’ – John Mellencamp with Me’Shell Ndegeocello

Throwing back to the week of August 13, 1994, we have repeats in the top three positions of the Billboard Hot 100.

At #1 is Lisa Loeb with ‘Stay (I Missed You),‘ a song I featured 16 years ago mostly because of the crush I’ve had on Loeb since the song’s video debuted.

Next up is the All-4-One juggernaut ‘I Swear,’ which finally released its stranglehold on the top spot. And then came Coolio’s ‘Fantastic Voyage.’

At #4 that week was ‘Wild Night’ by John Mellencamp and Me’Shell Ndegeocello, a cover of the Van Morrison song. The single, from Mellencamp’s album Dance Naked, was his first top ten hit since ‘Cherry Bomb’ seven years earlier.

Ndegeocello was a singer-songwriter and bassist relatively new on the scene when Mellencamp invited her to collaborate on this song. He chose the track on a whim, as it was always a favorite of his, and it ended up being one of his highest-charting hits, and the only Top 40 appearance for her.

[Verse 1]
As you brush your shoes and stand before your mirror
And you comb your hair and grab your coat and hat
And you walk the streets trying to remember, yeah
All those wild nights breeze through your mind

[Chorus]
And everything looks so complete
When you’re walking out on the streets
And the wind catches your feet
And sends you flying, crying
Ooh, ooh-ooh wee
The wild night is calling

[Verse 2]
All the girls walk by dressed up for each other
And the boys do the boogie-woogie on the corner of the street
And the people passing by just stare with the wild wonder, yeah
And the inside jukebox roars just like thunder

[Chorus]
And everything looks so complete
When you’re walking out on the street
And the wind catches your feet
And sends you flying, crying
Ooh, ooh-ooh wee
The wild night is calling

[Instrumental Break]

[Bridge]
Wild night is calling
The wild night is calling
Come on out and dance
Come on out and dance
Come on out and make romance
Come on out and dance
Come on out and dance
Come on out and make romance

[Chorus]
And everything looks so complete
When you’re walking out on the street
And the wind catches your feet
And sends you flying, crying
Ooh, ooh-ooh wee
The wild night is calling
Ooh, ooh-ooh wee
The wild night is calling

One thought on “Song of the Day #5,887: ‘Wild Night’ – John Mellencamp with Me’Shell Ndegeocello

  1. Dana Gallup says:

    I was unfamiliar with the original song when Mellencamp’s cover came out. He did a nice job with this, and Dance Naked is a good album, though not as strong as Lonesome Jubilee or Human Wheels.

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