Jack and Diane

I do not think you guys really get what this song is about. It is about two young teens that are sexually active. She gets pregnant and has to "run to the city" to get an abortion. That is why she tells Jacky that he is not missing anything. When he says the thrill of living is gone, he means that they were wild and carefree, but then she got pregnant and everything changed. The thrill of living is gone, because this changed their life and the way they think. They realize they are not invincible, like most teens think they are. When he says hold on to 16 as long as you can, he is saying keep your innocence, and do not grow up too quickly, because life is hard. He is not saying life is over after 20; he is just saying that being young and innocent is fleeting, so enjoy it while you can and do not screw it up. Some of the words are wrong too. It is suppiose to say Diane and her old man have to run off to the city and it is supposed to say Jacky sits back and collects (not reflects) his thoughts for a moment.

Well... that is my view on the song at least. I have always loved this song.

he summarizes the song in the last verse:

"Hold on to 16 as long as you can Changes come around real soon Make us women and men"

he's talking about kids growing up and realizing that the boring stuff they do daily is what they miss when they grow up. they realized that even if they find no joy or whatnot in it, life goes on, whether you're ready or not.

Little ditty about Jack and Diane = Story about Jack and Diane Two American kids growin up in the heartland = Self explanatory Jackies gonna be a football star = Dreams of being a football player Diane debutante backseat of Jackies car = She becomes a woman in the backseat of his car Suckin on chilli dogs outside the tastee freeze = Kids just chillin' Diane sittin on Jackies lap = Self explanatory Hes got his hands between her knees = Messin' around Jackie say, "Hey Diane lets run off Behind a shady tree = Lets goe somewhere more private and finish fooling around Dribble off those Bobby Brooks = Take those cloths off (Bobby Brooks popular in 70's and 80's) Let me do what I please" = Let me go all the way And Jackie say a

CHORUS: Oh yeah life goes on = Self explanatory Long after the thrill of livin is gone = She gets pregnant and they have a quick shock to adulthood Oh yeah life goes on = Self explanatory Long after the thrill of livin is gone They walk on = Even though they screwed up "they walk on"

Jackie sits back reflects his thoughts for a moment = Thinking about his life Scratches his head and does his best James Dean = (Actor: Rebel Without a Cause) Trying to look tough and grown up Well you know Diane we oughtta run of the city = Grow up and get jobs take on responsibility Diane says, "Baby you aint miss no-thing" = She calms him in stating that life goes on no hurry Jackie say a

CHORUS: Oh yeah life goes on Long after the thrill of livin is gone Oh yeah life goes on Long after the thrill of livin is gone

Gonna let it rock Let it roll = Lets see where life takes us Let the bible belt come down And save my soul = They know what they did was wrong Hold on to 16 as lang as you can Changes comin round real soon Make us women and men = Stay kids without kids; life already comes at you fast enough

Little ditty about Jack and Diane = Finishing up the story Two American kids doin the best they can = Had a kid and mow have to deal with it

this is a brilliant "Carpe Diem" song. On the same level of brilliance as Andrew Marvell's poem "To his Coy Mistress"

This song was inspired by the film 'Splendor in the Grass' (1961) starring Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Brilliant story... heartbreaking.

This song reminds me of that Andrew Marvell poem "to his coy mistress" only it's kind of in reverse. Instead of talking jack and diane into having sex and growing up, he is saying. "hold out on having sex, be a kid. you don't have to grow up and start a family in the city right now at 16 cause you have the whole rest of your life to do that boring adult stuff. instead, justs it back and do kid stuff while you can, cause when you're older, these younger times are the ones you're going to be wishing you still had" it's kind of a carpe diem song about living in the day rather than trying to live your entire life all at once.

I was reading around, and the idea of pregnancy came up, and I never thought it that way, but I can see it. I don't however agree with that.

The way I interpret this song, is like most people but a little twist.

I think that it goes in stages, with the beginning being about them at their youngest, perhaps they are dating at this time. Hands between her knees, they are prolly sexually active. Then going behind the shady tree, further shows that they are.

Then it moves into a stage where it's time for them to move on, and perhaps they are still together and it's time to move into the city to be able to live. Work, make money, etc...but Diana says your not missing anything. Or perhaps it's meant exactly like it's said "Aint missing nothing" which is a double negative, means your missing everything. I don't think it was intended that way, but it's there.

Then he says to hold on to 16, as long as you can, and for most people they would agree with that. But why would you want to be 16 again, you have been that age before, why go back, you had your turn =P

Then at the end. Perhaps the best part of the song. Two American kids doing the best they can.

Living

I think this song is definitely about a young girl (16) getting pregnant. A lot of the above people are saying that it's about them having to deal with the kid. I've listened to this song and always used it as a lesson. I think it's saying, you're only young once, so be reckless and careless. That's my understanding of the words "Oh yeah, life goes on" like, everything flows on. "Even after the thrill of living is gone," I think this means that you will have to live with some of your decisions. So, basically that you should live your life, but you should live it with the understanding that the mistakes could stay with you. Like, even after the thrill of whatever act you've done. I think it teaches two really good lessons and incorporates them into one.

Mellencamp was interviewed by Charlie Rose and said that this song is about an interracial relationship between a black high school boy and a white girl, as Mellencamp himself has at least one black ancestor (great-grandfather?) He said his record company persuaded him to omit all racial references in the lyrics and the video to avoid controversy and white backlash, which there definitely would have been, especially back in '82. You can see that interview on youtube, from 2014 I think.

might include movie spoilers Awhile back, I heard this song was 'really about an interracial couple, but that it had been never admitted by Mellencamp' because when it was written the subject of 'interracial relations' was still pretty taboo.

Then I found out recently, to my surprise, that originally he was going to write a song about an interracial couple, but after watching the movie "Splendor in the grass" (one of my all-time favorites) one night, he decided to base it off the couple from the movie. The boy and girl in the movie are named Bud and Deanie. It's basically a story about young love and growing up.

The lyrics "growin up in the heartland" are in reference to the movie being set in Kansas. "Jacky's gonna be a football star" refers to how Bud was the school's football star/ all-around jock and for awhile that seemed to be his main identity.... that and being deanie's high school sweetheart. " Jacky say 'Hey Diane lets run off, Behind a shady tree' Dribble off those Bobby Brooks, Let me do what I please" refers to how Bud in the beginning was always trying to get in Deanie's pants. 'Bobby Brooks' was a line of women's clothing in the 50s, 60s, 70s, that first popularized the generic 'teen' clothing brand. Characterized by a hint of sexiness and separating the young girl's style completely from her mother's (because anything associated with your parents in the 1950s started to be perceived as old and 'uncool' thanks to "rebel without a cause", unfortunately the same could not be said for cigarette smoking.) The movie "Splendor in the Grass" was filmed in 1960 and you can see in the movie that some of Deanie's clothes look like they might've been actually modern clothing from the 60s, like Bobbie Brooks, with some alterations used to pass off as late 20's early 30's. Or, it could've just been Mellencamp's way of paying homage to one of his old girlfriend's in the late 60s or 70s who possibly wore Bobbie Brooks. I'm pretty sure the Tastee Freeze reference was to Mellencamp's own teen years because there wasn't any tastee freezes in 1920s Kansas.

"Let the Bible Belt come down, And Save My soul" refers to the religious elements included in the film. In fact, the writer of the story/screenplay played a Protestant Reverend in the movie. Religion became part of an omen or foreshadowing in the story when the Reverend says in his sermon, "Lay not up treasures for yourself on earth. Where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves do break through and steal. But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal. Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

"Jacky sits back reflects his thoughts for the moment, Scratches his head and does his best james dean. Well you know diane, we oughtta run of the city, Diane says 'Baby, you aint missin' no-thing'" -definite reference to Natalie Wood who plays Deanie. She was in the movie "Rebel without a cause" starring James Dean. The part about the running off to the city I believe is in reference to how Bud ends up going to the city, where everything ends up turning dark and melancholy, which is why the lyrics express "you aint missin' no-thing."

the repeated verse "Oh yeah life goes on, Long after the thrill of livin is gone. Oh yeay say life goes on, Long after the thrill of livin is gone, they walk on" is a sort of modified version of the main theme of the movie "Splendor in the grass" expressed through a line from a Wordsworth's poem 'Ode, Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood,'

"Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendor in the grass, of glory in the flower We will grieve not, but rather find Strength in what remains behind."

the "hold on to 16 as long as you can" gives a sort warning to young couples who will likely succumb to the same fate as the couple in the story.