AndrewBlakeSinger John Mellencamp sang a song and took a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on Feb. 1 on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. (Video below)
Mellencamp sang the 2017 song “Easy Target,” which mentions Black Lives Matter in its lyrics. And the end of the performance, Mellencamp took a knee and raised his fist in the air.
The “Black Power” fist is generally associated with black nationalism, and the kneeling is mimicking the anti-police protests performed by the National Football league players during the national anthem the past two seasons.
The lyrics to “Easy Target” include:
“So, Black lives matter
Who we trying to kid
Here’s an easy target
Don’t matter, never did
Crosses burning
Such a long time ago
400 years and we still don’t, let it go”
Many on social media criticized Mellencamp’s performance.
“Well, John….this is where we part company,” said David J. Shultz on Facebook. “I sure enjoyed your songs from the 80s, and did my best to support a fellow Hoosier by buying your music and seeing you in concert. But I’ve known your liberal tendencies for some time, and this tears it for me. I will never listen to your music ever again. … You will not disrespect my country and my values and think for a second that I will just brush it off. Hope many other Hoosiers feel the same way as I do and that we all just stop supporting you.”
“I use to love this guy, loved his music and he is a Hoosier also like myself,” said a Judy Couch Ro on Facebook. “I have disowned ever liking him and got rid of all his CD’S and will never listen to him or watch him. … I never watched him on this show, but I heard about this on the net… He can burn in hell with all the rest of the celebrities that think they are something they aren’t … the fact is they are all demon-crats.”
You can see the video of the performance below: