Jake Owen Revives Classic John Mellencamp Track for ‘I Was Jack (You Were Diane)’

Instead of depending on finding some new inspiration, Jake Owen leaned on the sounds of John Mellencamp for his brand new single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).”

The up-tempo number features a similar beat and guitar strum like that of the Mellencamp hit, “Jack and Diane,” from many years ago. After a few subtle changes to the lyrical flow and the instrumentation of the track, Owen threw on his own personal words that found him falling back in time to a love of the past.

Reliving the glory days of a romance now gone wrong, Owen put the relationship up on a reminiscent pedestal all hailing the teenage passion within Mellencamp’s original story. Even though Owen freshened up what Mellencamp touched on in his mega-hit, the country singer still made the magic his own by wrapping his personal love life past into what could have been.

“It’s been revitalizing. Making music with Joey [Moi] is all about recording songs that reflect who I am. I’ve seen the negative side of life and the positive side – and I really like the positive side. I want my songs to put a smile on your face,” Owen explained of the song in a press release.

Of course, the Florida native couldn’t ignore the fear of comparison when fans heard his latest release. But he wanted to honor the songs that made him who he is as an artist and a person, regardless of how similar the concepts may be.

“Putting a song out like this…yeah, it might be a little bit of a risk or a chance, but to me, it’s kind of an ode to ‘Jack and Diane,’ the song originally,” Owen explained even further when he appeared on The Bobby Bones Show early Wednesday morning (2/28) to premiere the track.

“I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” marks the next single in Owen’s career, and can be purchased on iTunes now.