Jake Owen scored the seventh No. 1 single of his career as âI Was Jack (You Were Diane)â reached the top of both the Billboard Country Airplay chart and Mediabase chart this week.
Jake acknowledged the accomplishment in a new Instagram post, saying, in part, âFrom the fans, to radio, to my record label friends and family . . . to my band and crew and management . . . the super talented songwriters that have graciously given me great songs through the years, and oh yeah . . . and my bus driver Mike, who drives me all over this country . . . THANK YOU!â
Both melodically and lyrically, Jakeâs new single is rooted in John Mellencampâs iconic 1982 hit, âJack & Diane.â In fact, Mellencamp received a songwriting credit on Jakeâs âI Was Jack (You Were Diane), along with songwriters Tommy Cecil, David Ray, Jody Stevens and Craig Wiseman.â
âWhen I heard the song, I thought to myself, âIâm glad I didnât write this,â because the legalities behind using a song that is that iconic,â says Jake to Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown. â[The songwriters] sent it to [Mellencamp] and his manager, and they actually got back to us saying that as many times as theyâve heard people try to take that song and do something with it, Johnâs never been for it. Ever. And, they said that. He gave us his blessing to use it. And, they actually licensed us some of his content to use for our video that weâre making, so it feels good to know that he kind of gave his stamp of approval. I mean, that was a big kind of chance for meâthinking about doing this songâbecause of the folks out there that are gonna be like, âHow are you gonna take a classic song like this and redo something thatâs already great?â You know? And, really for us, it was more about paying homage to that song while still making it relevant in todayâs world.â
The tune is Jakeâs first No. 1 single since 2016âs âAmerican Country Love Song.â
photo by JPA / AFF-USA.com