Jake Owen's 'I Was Jack (You Were Diane) Hits No. 1

Jake Owen's latest single, "I was Jack (You Were Diane) has become his seventh chart-topping single. The success of the song, which is the debut release from his upcoming, still-untitled new album, had unplanned but perfect timing.

"12 years ago, this week,...I was 24 years old and my first album came out," Owen writes on Instagram. "It was called 'Startin' With Me.' I had no idea what was in store for me, but I was excited to just hop on this train of 'life' and see where it led me. Of course I had dreams, goals, aspirations... but a man can only do so much on his own. In those 12 years, I've been fortunate enough to work with some unbelievably talented people that worked tirelessly to help mold and guide my career.

"From the fans, to radio, to my record label friends and family," he continues, "to my band and crew and management... the super talented songwriters that have graciously given me great songs through the years, and oh yeah.. and my bus driver Mike, who drives me all over this country... THANK YOU!!"

The Florida native also gave a shout-out to the rock icon whose 1982 hit, "Jack & Diane," inspired Owen's current hit.

"Thank you @johnmellencamp for trusting us and allowing us to pay our respects to you and everything you've done to pave the way for so many of us in the music industry," continues Owen. "I feel like I'm just getting started. I have a lot more left in my tank. Thanks to every one of you who've reached out to me and said congratulations. What a ride it's been."

Owen is working on a new set of tunes, but he previously hinted that he might soon be done with the traditional way of making music.

"I'm all for albums; I love albums," Owen tells All Access. "I think people that truly understand a great album and make a great album are very admirable, but I also feel like right now it's a world where people are picking what they want, and if you can give them individual, quality tunes, why not? It's no different than giving them individually on an album. People don't have the time and focus these days to hone in on something for an hour, so I'm hitting people three minutes at a time."

Owen is currently headlining his Life's Whatcha Make It Tour, with Chris Janson and Jordan Davis serving as his opening acts. Find a list of all of his upcoming shows at JakeOwen.net.

Download "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)" at iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Christopher Polk