The Kid Inside is an album recorded by John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

 in 1977 for MCA Records

MCA Records

MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

. It was intended to be the follow-up to his debut album Chestnut Street Incident

Chestnut Street Incident

Chestnut Street Incident is the debut album by Johnny Cougar, later known as John Mellencamp, released in 1976.-Track listing:All tracks composed by John Mellencamp; except where indicated# "American Dream" – 2:21...

, but MCA declined to release the album and dropped Mellencamp from the label. The recordings remained on the shelf until 1983 when Tony DeFries

Tony DeFries

Tony Defries is a British former record producer and pop manager, and more recently inventor.DeFries worked in the 1960s music scene with such figures as Mickie Most, Allen Klein, before turning his attention to David Bowie...

, Mellencamp's former manager, released the album on his own MainMan label. DeFries was attempting to capitalize on the recent success of Mellencamp's breakout album American Fool

American Fool

American Fool is the sixth album by John Mellencamp, released under the stage name John Cougar in 1982. This was Mellencamp's last album to be released under the name John Cougar. His next album, Uh-Huh, would be released under the name John Cougar Mellencamp. The album was Mellencamp's commercial...

, which had sold over two million copies and spawned two #1 singles.

Track listing

All songs written by John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp

John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...

, except where noted.

1. "Kid Inside" – 5:32
2. "Take What You Want" – 3:14
3. "Cheap Shot" – 3:53
4. "Sidewalk and Streetlights" – 4:08
5. "R. Gang" – 2:30
6. "American Son" – 4:52
7. "Gearhead" – 2:38
8. "Young Genocides" – 2:26
9. "Too Young to Live" – 7:45
10. "Survive" – 4:09
11. "The Whore" – 1:21
12. "The Man Who Sold the World
    The Man Who Sold the World (song)
    "The Man Who Sold the World" is a song by David Bowie. It is the title track of his third album, released in the U.S. in November 1970 and in the UK in April 1971. The song has been covered by a number of other artists, notably by Lulu in 1974, and Nirvana in 1993.-Inspiration and explanation:The...
    
    " (David Bowie
    David Bowie
    David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
    
    ) – 2:27