jack and diane

While he was still known as John Cougar, John Mellencamp clapped his way to the top and had the biggest hit of his career with this little ditty 'bout two American kids growin' up in the heart land. Don Gehman produced the sessions for his breakthrough album 'American Fool' and guitarist Mick Ronson assisted with the development of 'Jack and Diane'. Mellencamp recalls: "Mick was very instrumental in helping me arrange that song, as I'd thrown it on the junk heap. Ronson came down and played on three or four tracks and worked on the American Fool record for four or five weeks. All of a sudden, for 'Jack & Diane,' Mick said 'Johnny, you should put baby rattles on there.' I thought, 'What the fuck does put baby rattles on the record mean?' So he put the percussion on there and then he sang the part 'let it rock, let it roll' as a choir-ish-type thing, which had never occurred to me. And that is the part everybody remembers on the song. It was Ronson's idea."

The distinctive hand claps were used to maintain the tempo and were intended to be taken out; but Mellencamp decided that they song didn't work without them: "'Jack & Diane' was a terrible record to make. When I play it on guitar by myself, it sounds great; but I could never get the band to play along with me. That's why the arrangement's so weird. Stopping and starting, it's not very musical." The nostalgic romance was inspired by Mellencamp's home town of Seymour, Indiana and the waning sense of hope as their dreams seem to be on the verge of fading. He says: "Most people don't ever reach their goals, but that's cool, too. Failure's a part of what you're all about anyway. Coming to terms with failed expectations is what counts. I try to write about the most insignificant things, really. I mean, someone who picks up a copy of 'Newsweek', then sits down and writes a song about the troubles in South America – who cares? What's that song telling us that we don't already know? Write about something that matters to people, man."

'Jack & Diane' went to number thirty-two in the Netherlands; twenty-five in the UK; number one in Canada, and spent four weeks at the top of the US pop chart. Mellencamp considers: "That song is thirty or so years old and it gets played more today in the United States than it did when it came out. As much as I am a little weary of those two, I don't know any other two people in rock and roll who are more popular than Jack and Diane. Some people probably think there's a place in hell for me because of those two people! But it gave me the keys to do what I want. I'm fifty-seven today. I've lived the way I wanted to live, sometimes recklessly and stupidly, but still been able to do that. I've been able to live on my whims, that's what Jack and Diane gave me, so I can't hate them too much."







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h04CH9YZcpI






A little ditty, 'bout Jack & Diane -
Two American kids growin' up in the heart land.
Jackie gonna be a football star
Diane's debutante in back seat of Jacky's car.
Suckin' on chili dog, outside the tasty freeze
Diane sitting on Jacky's lap
Got his hands between her knees
Jackie say "Hey, Diane,
Let's run off behind the shady trees
Dribble off those bobby brooks
Let me do what I please"
Sayin': Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone, sayin'
Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone
They walk on
Jackie sits back
Collects his thoughts for the moment
Scratches his head and does his
Best James Dean
"Well man there and Diane,
We ought to run off to the city"
Diane says, "Baby
You ain't missing a thing"
But Jackie says:
Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone
Oh yeah - they says - life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone
So let it rock, let it roll
Let the bible belt, come and save my soul
Holdin' on to sixteen as long as you can
Change is coming round real soon
Make us woman and men
Oh yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone
Oh yeah - they says - life goes on
Long after the thrill of living is gone
A little ditty, 'bout Jack and Diane -
Two american kids doin'
Best they can