John Mellencamp revealed that he’d “always detested” his hit song “Jack & Diane” despite its huge success.

“I always detested that song until the last couple, three years,” the singer admitted during a recent conversation with Forbes. Mellencamp further explained that he's still shocked to see the song connecting with people 40 years after it was released. “I watched a football game this past weekend, and 80,000 people were singing that song at half time. Can you imagine? I thought, ‘Shit.’ I said, ‘How do all these fucking people know this song?’"

Mellencamp’s relationship with “Jack & Diane” has always been muddled. The song, which spent four weeks at No. 1 in 1982, was notoriously difficult to record. In the past, the rocker has sidestepped questions about the track, generally stating he “can’t hate it too much.”

In the Forbes interview, Mellencamp was also asked about his music’s place in popular culture. In that regard, the singer admitted he remains purposefully unaware.

“I'm not really part of the club. I live a very solitude life,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer explained. “I'm alone a lot, whenever I can be. I'm alone on top of this mountain. So I don't really pay attention to popular culture. Like I was talking to [Bruce] Springsteen, and he asked me if I watched the Grammys. I said, ‘No, I didn't even know they were happening.’ He goes, ‘Well, we got nothing to do with it.’ [chuckle] I said, ‘Well, I figured that out.’ We got nothing to do with that. It means nothing to me at this point in my life.”

Mellencamp’s new album, Strictly A One-Eyed Jack, arrives Jan. 21. Springsteen guests on three of the LP's tracks.

John Mellencamp Albums Ranked

A pre-fab pop singer turned heartland rocker turned rootsy moralist, John Mellencamp has had almost as many career turns as names. 

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