Jake Owen has conjured up the “Cougar” with the release of his new single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).”

Both melodically and lyrically, Jake’s new single is rooted in John Mellencamp’s iconic 1982 hit, “Jack & Diane.” In fact, Mellencamp recieved a songwriting credit on Jake’s “I Was Jack (You Were Diane).”

“I never release a song without the intention of stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park,” says Jake. “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.”

Listen to “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=lYXy0Mmv_IE