Jack & Diane Jack & Diane "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. 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'
Anyone Who Had a Heart (song) sung the standard lyric in live performance. Also, arranger Johnny Pearson utilized a bassoon solo for the instrumental break in Black's version as opposed to the saxophone utilized in the Warwick original. Cilla Black, interviewed for that "Great Performances" telecast, expressed her awareness of Warwick's disenchantment: "It was a No.1; Dionne was dead choked and she's never forgiven me to this day." It was in fact Burt Bacharach himself who backed Cilla to record this song for a British release, after Dionne Warwick had a hit in America with it. "At one point it looked as if Shirley Bassey would