“Take 'Jack and Diane.' I was so disgusted with people thinking the line 'Hold on to sixteen as long as you can' meant to stay a teenager forever. What I meant was keep doing whatever makes you feel alive.”

American singer-songwriter

John Mellencamp is an American singer-songwriter, born in 1951. Earlier in his career, he performed under the names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp. He is known for heartland rock, a style built around traditional instrumentation and straightforward songwriting. His career was later recognized with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018.