Jake Owen Rejuvenates Mellencamp Classic On New Single

Jake Owen is paying homage to a heartland classic on his brand new single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” which reunites Owen with producer Joey Moi and marks his first release for Big Loud Records. The singer got the thumbs up from Mellencamp himself on the new track, which was important to him as he went about reinventing the rock and roll gem.

“I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” evokes a warm-weather romance set to one of rock’s essential classics, John Mellencamp’s “Jack & Diane.” Based around the 1982 hit’s iconic melody, Owen reinvents the feel-good rock staple a bit.

“I never release a song without the intention of stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park,” said Owen. “When I first heard ‘I Was Jack (You Were Diane),’ I thought, ‘How can I do this and re-create what is already a classic song?’ But the more I listened to it, the more I saw my own life growing up. The original ‘Jack & Diane’ was about ‘two American kids growing up in the heartland’ and that image is exactly what so many country songs are based on. Plus, the most important thing to me and my team is that we sent the song to Mellencamp and he digs the track. Getting his stamp of approval sealed the deal for me that this song should be our debut single.”

Along with the new single Owen has recorded a breezy new tune, “Something to Ride To,” that is also being released to all digital music partners today.

He’s set to launch his 2018 “Life’s Whatcha Make It Tour” with special guests Chris Janson and Jordan Davis this Summer with the majority of shows taking place at baseball stadiums across the country.

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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