'Johnny, you should put baby rattles on there.' I thought, 'What the f*ck does put baby rattles on the record mean?' So he put the percussion on there and then he sang the part 'let it rock, let it roll' as a choir-ish-type thing, which had never occurred to me. And that is the part everybody remembers on the song. It was Ronson's idea. Cash Box said that "this shuffling pop 'ditty'...has a certain power that hits to the heartland with a warm, descriptive storyline that’s both personal and universal." Billboard said that "The hooks here are in the storyline, which traces a blue collar romance 'in the heartland' where Cougar hails from, capped by taut guitar and percussion." Charts Weekly charts Year end charts All-time charts Certifications See also List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1982 References External links Jim Beviglia (July 8, 2012), "John Mellencamp, “Jack And Diane”", American Songwriter. 1982 singles John Mellencamp songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs about the United States Music videos directed by Bruce Gowers Rock ballads Songs written by John Mellencamp Song recordings produced by Don Gehman Warner Music Group singles Riva Records singles 1982 songs 1980s ballads American hard rock songs