’" "I Need a Lover" is a rock song written by John Mellencamp and first released by him under the stage name "Johnny Cougar". Mellencamp has also stated that "I Need a Lover" was inspired by The song was covered and released as the debut single in 1980 by American On his inspiration for writing "I Need a Lover", Mellencamp said: "The song's about a friend of mine who goes to Concordia College. . I told him, ‘You got to get the hell out of the house!’ He’d say, ‘Man, if I only had a girl, she’d make me forget my problems.’ I just said, ‘Well . I need a lover that won't drive me crazy Some girl to thrill me and then go away I need a lover that won't drive me crazy Some girl that knows the meaning of a Hey hit the highway Well I'm not wiped out by this poolroom life I'm living I'm gonna quit this job, go to school, or head back home And I'm not askin' to be loved or be forgiven I Need a Lover Lyrics: I need a lover that won't drive me crazy / (I need a lover that won't drive me crazy) / I need a lover that won't drive me crazy / Some girl that knows the meaning of, uh / "Hey After becoming a Top 10 hit in Australia, the song was later included on his 1979 follow-up album John Cougar to introduce it to U.S. audiences, and was released there as a single, becoming his first U.S. Top 40 hit when it reached No. It appeared on his 1978 album A Biography, which was not released in the United States. .
When that song was written, he was pretty sad. livin’ in his bedroom. . 28 on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1979. . He was .