Jack & Diane - wikipedia Jack & Diane This article is about the 1982 single. For the 2012 film, see Jack & Diane ( film ). `` Jack & Diane '' Single by John Cougar from the album American Fool B - side `` Can You Take It '' Released July 1982 Format 7 '' 45 RPM Recorded 1982 at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida Genre Heartland rock Length 4 : 16 Label WEA Songwriter ( s ) John Mellencamp Producer ( s ) John Mellencamp, Don Gehman John Cougar singles chronology `` Hurts So Good '' ( 1982 ) `` Jack & Diane '' ( 1982 ) `` Hand to Hold On To '' ( 1982 ) `` Hurts So Good '' ( 1982 ) `` Jack & Diane '' ( 1982 ) `` Hand to Hold On To '' ( 1982 ) Music video `` Jack & Diane '' on YouTube `` Jack & Diane '' is a 1982 hit rock song written and performed by American singer - songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing as `` John Cougar. '' It appears on Mellencamp 's album American Fool. It was chosen by the Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) as one of the Songs of the Century. The single spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982, and is Mellencamp 's most successful hit single. Contents 1 Background and production 2 Charts 3 Derivatives 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Background and production According to Mellencamp, `` Jack & Diane '' was based on the 1962 Tennessee Williams film Sweet Bird of Youth. He said of recording the song : `` ' 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. '' Mellencamp has also stated that the clapping was n't supposed to be included in the finished song. It was recorded with the clapping in order to help keep tempo and then it was to be removed. However, he realized the song did not work without it. The song was recorded at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, was produced by Mellencamp and Don Gehman ( with Gehman also engineering ), and backing Mellencamp were guitarists / backing vocalists Mick Ronson, Mike Wanchic, Larry Crane, drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist / backing vocalist Robert Frank, and keyboardist Eric Rosser. In 1982, producer and guitarist Mick Ronson worked with Mellencamp on his American Fool album, and in particular on `` Jack & Diane. '' In a 2008 interview with Classic Rock magazine, Mellencamp recalled : `` 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. '' Charts Chart ( 1982 ) Peak position Canada ( RPM ) Netherlands ( Gfk ) 32 South Africa 12 United Kingdom ( UK Singles Chart ) 25 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks US ( Cash Box ) Derivatives The opening guitar riff and drum beat of `` Jack & Diane '' were sampled as a hook on Jessica Simpson 's single `` I Think I 'm In Love With You '', released in the summer of 2000, as well as `` Rock Me '' by AZ and Jermaine Dupri, released in 1998. The song is parodied in The Simpsons episode `` Three Gays of the Condo '', when `` Weird Al '' Yankovic serenades Homer with a new version about Homer and Marge to convince him to move back home. A new version about TV credits plays during the credits. At The Simpsons Take the Hollywood Bowl, he would perform a full version of the parody. Mutant X # 18 opens with a variation on the opening lyrics of `` Jack & Diane '' : `` This is a story about Jack Lang and Diane Davidson. Two American kids from very diverse backgrounds. '' The 2003 romantic comedy Something 's Gotta Give billed its stars as simply `` Jack & Diane '' ( i.e., Nicholson and Keaton ), although the song itself was not used in the film. Jack and Diane are the two Great Khans responsible for the Red Rocks Drug Lab in Fallout : New Vegas. All illegal `` chems '' in the game are said to originate with these two characters, either directly or indirectly, as Khans are the primary drug runners. Kenny Chesney 's song `` I Go Back '' mentions Jack and Diane in its opening line. MKTO 's 2014 song `` American Dream '' claims Jack left Diane thirty years ago. In the American ABC sitcom Black - ish, the protagonist 's six - year - old twins are named Jack and Diane. The fourth episode of the Netflix sitcom Lady Dynamite is called `` Jack and Diane '', as Maria Bamford assumes the fictional identity of one Diane to date a man named Jack Tripper. The episode concludes with a song named `` People Pleaser '' that parodies `` Jack & Diane '', edited in the style of the original video. The single `` No Such Thing as A Broken Heart '' by Old Dominion mentions `` Jack and Diane '' in the opening verse as a love interest. The Jake Owen song `` I Was Jack ( You Were Diane ) '' heavily samples the original song and references the original in its lyrics. See also List of Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles of 1982 References ^ Jump up to : The Best That I Could Do 1978 -- 1988 ( CD liner ). John Mellencamp. U.S.A. : Mercury Records. 1997. p. 10. 314 536 738 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Mellencamp discusses Jack and Diane ''. Soundcloud. Jump up ^ John Mellencamp, Classic Rock, January 2008, p. 61 Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ Steffen Hung. `` John Cougar - Jack & Diane ''. dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ Brian Currin. `` South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Acts ( M ) ''. Rock.co.za. Retrieved 2016 - 11 - 03. Jump up ^ `` John Cougar - Jack and Diane ''. Chartstats.com. Archived from the original on 2012 - 10 - 21. Retrieved 2013 - 08 - 13. ^ Jump up to : Jack & Diane at AllMusic Jump up ^ `` Cash Box Top Singles -- 1982 ''. Cash Box. Retrieved 2012 - 06 - 10. Jump up ^ `` Mkto - American Dream Lyrics ''. Songlyrics.com. 1995 - 11 - 03. Retrieved 2016 - 11 - 03. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Jim Beviglia ( 8 July 2012 ), `` John Mellencamp, `` Jack And Diane '' ``, American Songwriter. Preceded by `` Abracadabra '' by Steve Miller Band Billboard Hot 100 number one single October 2, 1982 -- October 23, 1982 Succeeded by `` Who Can It Be Now ? '' by Men at Work John Mellencamp Studio albums Chestnut Street Incident ( 1976 ) A Biography ( 1978 ) John Cougar ( 1979 ) Nothin ' Matters and What If It Did ( 1980 ) American Fool ( 1982 ) The Kid Inside ( 1983 ) Uh - Huh ( 1983 ) Scarecrow ( 1985 ) The Lonesome Jubilee ( 1987 ) Big Daddy ( 1989 ) Whenever We Wanted ( 1991 ) Human Wheels ( 1993 ) Dance Naked ( 1994 ) Mr. Happy Go Lucky ( 1996 ) John Mellencamp ( 1998 ) Rough Harvest ( 1999 ) Cuttin ' Heads ( 2001 ) Trouble No More ( 2003 ) Freedom 's Road ( 2007 ) Life, Death, Love and Freedom ( 2008 ) No Better Than This ( 2010 ) Plain Spoken ( 2014 ) Sad Clowns & Hillbillies ( 2017 ) Live albums Life, Death, Live and Freedom ( 2009 ) Trouble No More Live at Town Hall ( 2014 ) Compilations The Best That I Could Do 1978 -- 1988 ( 1997 ) Words & Music : John Mellencamp 's Greatest Hits ( 2004 ) 20th Century Masters : The Millennium Collection : The Best of John Mellencamp ( 2007 ) On the Rural Route 7609 ( 2010 ) Notable singles `` I Need a Lover '' `` Hurts So Good '' `` Jack & Diane '' `` Crumblin ' Down '' `` Pink Houses '' `` Lonely Ol ' Night '' `` Small Town '' `` R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. '' `` Paper in Fire '' `` Cherry Bomb '' `` Check It Out '' `` Pop Singer '' `` Wild Night '' `` Dance Naked '' `` Key West Intermezzo ( I Saw You First ) '' `` Just Another Day '' `` Peaceful World '' `` Walk Tall '' `` Our Country '' `` My Sweet Love '' Other singles `` What Say You '' ( with Travis Tritt ) Related Discography Farm Aid Falling from Grace ( 1992 ) Ghost Brothers of Darkland County ( 2012 ) Elaine Irwin ( former wife ) Book : John Mellencamp Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_%26_Diane&oldid=838582042 '' Categories : 1982 singles John Mellencamp songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles RPM Top Singles number - one singles Songs about the United States Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Songs written by John Mellencamp Song recordings produced by Don Gehman Warner Music Group singles 1982 songs Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Italiano ไทย Edit links This page was last edited on 27 April 2018, at 23 : 29. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the song jack and diane about
Answer: based on the 1962 Tennessee Williams film Sweet Bird of Youth