Hurts So Good
John Cougar | Artist Essentials
First released: 1982 (year verified)
Original 1982 studio recording
MusicAtlas editorial note: The clipped guitar riff and tightly placed rhythm-section accents make a brisk opening into the catalog.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1982 (year verified)
The original studio recording was released in 1982 and belongs to the original American Fool program. Year precision does not assign an album day to a single or a later reissue.
Recording: Original 1982 studio recording
Credit: John Cougar
Role in this collection: Primary solo performer under the original reviewed stage-name credit
Original album: American Fool
Original album association; the supported year is not an exact worldwide release day.
American Fool - official original album year and program
The official artist archive identifies the original 1982 album and selected track program. Recording-session dates and later remaster dates are kept separate from the original release year. Bonus acoustic, club and previously unreleased performances are excluded from original-program selections. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
American Fool - original licensed artist credit and version labels
The original program retains the applicable Johnny Cougar, John Cougar or John Cougar Mellencamp credit, and separately labels bonus acoustic or shorter versions. The original album year is checked against the official archive; inherited dates on bonus tracks are not adopted. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
In the yearly lists
These are listening-list appearances, separate from the first-release date.
The retained 1982 hit and original John Cougar album program identify the same solo studio performance.
American Fool - official original album year and program
The official artist archive identifies the original 1982 album and selected track program. Recording-session dates and later remaster dates are kept separate from the original release year. Bonus acoustic, club and previously unreleased performances are excluded from original-program selections. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
John Mellencamp - reviewed stage-name chronology
The official artist biography identifies Johnny Cougar as the early imposed stage name, the John Cougar Mellencamp period and the later return to John Mellencamp. Used for the scoped solo-credit aliases, not to substitute its later hit years for original recording releases. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
About John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp is an Indiana singer and songwriter whose music connects garage rock with folk traditions and portraits of American life. His early records appeared under the John Cougar name. American Fool brought Jack and Diane and Hurts So Good to a broad audience; Uh-Huh restored Mellencamp to his recording name. He also helped establish Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young in 1985.
Artist background sources
John Mellencamp - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame biography
Garage/folk-rock character and songs about American everyday life; promotional judgments are omitted. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
John Mellencamp - Universal Music Japan career chronology
Indiana origin, John Cougar billing, American Fool, Uh-Huh billing and 1985 Farm Aid. Incorrect or ambiguous dates elsewhere, chart totals and the misnamed Whenever We Wanted entry are not used. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
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