"Jack and Diane", a song by Mellencamp John Cougar, was written to explain true love between two sixteen-year-old teenagers. This song tells a short story about two normal kids and what goes on during their everyday life. A ballad is a song that tells a story. "Jack and Diane" clearly fits the definition of a ballad. Since ballads ere the poetry of the people, just as popular music is today, their subjects were predictably popular: domestic tragedy, false love, true love, the absurdity of husband-wife relationships, and the supernatural. Unlike today's music, the ballads were not copyrighted by a singer, but were passed down orally from singer to singer. Using a strong beat and repetition, the ballads were a gift of story passed from performer to performer, from generation to generation.
"Oh yeah life goes on, Long after the thrill of living is gone- This quote comes from Jack wanting something from Diane, but Diane is giving life lessons. Do what you want to do now because long after the thrill of living is gone. The content of this song deals with true love and absurd relationships. "Two American kids grown up in the heartland- These two kids show each other's affection when around each other. Jacky wants to find out what certain things are like no matter it being in the city or ideas done with Diane. Diane has the idea that Jacky isn't missing a thing. This modern song is similar to traditional English ballads in content because, ballads were the poetry of the people, just as popular music is today, just as their subjects were. .
Specific structural devices used in traditional ballads that are also present in the modern ballad, would be question/answer. To show how this is present in "Jack and Diane", Jack would suggest something, and Diane in return would say how you"re not missing anything. "Well you know diane, we oughtta run off to the city, Diane says Baby, you aint missin" a thing- After this verse the refrain repeats itself and the song catches its rhythm and tells its story.
