The Iconic Drumming Behind “Jack & Diane” | John Cougar Mellencamp
Watch Kenny Aronoff break down “Jack & Diane” by John Cougar Mellencamp! Kenny shares the story behind recording this classic hit, how the drum part came together, and the unexpected process that led to the famous drum break.
Learn To Write Pro Drum Charts w/ Kenny Aronoff. Click the link to join the first-ever class LIVE with Kenny. 👉🏼https://www.drumeo.com/off-the-charts
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Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:28 – The ‘American Fool’ Album
00:51 – Programming The Drum Machine Part
01:37 – Why Mellencamp Wanted A Drum Fill
02:12 – The Drum Fill
03:15 – The Drum Beat
04:18 – Full Performance
04:48 – Kenny’s Advice For Playing This Song
05:33 – Final Thoughts
06:03 – Learn To Write Pro Drum Charts w/ Kenny Aronoff
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#Drumeo #KennyAronoff #JohnMellencamp #Tama #Evans #Zildjian #VicFirth
@ESBmusician
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Great drummer.
@Ticonderous1
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Right up there with one of the most famous drum parts ever, Just like In The Air Tonight ..
@Gondor_Sanitation_Dept
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Me thinking I can just easily play Mellencamp songs……..**A FEW MOMENTS LATERRRRR"…..me realizing Kenny was badass and I can't.
@jacobduperon472
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
I love it, no matter how many times I hear this song – I still get excited to hear that iconic drum fill.
@ambroulard
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Right,,, I’ll restate—- Kenny became a great Drummer—- but Mellencamp’s music is Bland, Forgettable, Hackneyed, ‘American Music’. Soulless SloP.
@AlienChemtrails
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Damn what a pro 👏🏽 thanks for sharing
@frankmartins8009
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Dang, Kenny deserves partial song writing credits
@carig121
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Discovered him when i was a kid in Iggy Pop's "Brick by Brick" album, one of my favorite drummers since.
@tylermathis-kx7pu
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
No sucking on a chili dog here!
@keeper7keys2003
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
This drum break is so good that you can see John Mellencamp air drumming the intro in the music video. 😊
@AndyAcura
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
I loved those 80’s John Mellencamp albums… Kenny’s drumming is a huge reason why!
@OriginalBumkerBross
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
The drummer behind Michelle branche Hotel Paper ❤
@nowayagain8141
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
I wonder how he liked touring with the Smashing Pumpkins for a little while in the late 90's
@Robertc869-y2t
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, the song is easier to learn.
@RogerRomhill
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
It's not complicated let's see if you can play the drum beat right
@drummingmatt4444
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
“I decided to go UP the toms instead of down because everyone goes down” … then you notice his rack toms are set up backwards so he actually IS going down (by size ) 😂
@XMachineElvesx
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
The drum fills that he’s talking about on that song are sloppy as hell. That break is awful. The bass drum all the way through is great though.
@danielwatson5106
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Love This Guy
@Rich-c8g
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Unless you're a drummer you don't appreciate what a massive part drums and drummers play in a band or in a song… There are numerous songs where the drums are integral and make the song and without it the song is nothing….. I'm not a drummer but I appreciate….
@dmoney668
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Hell yeah this is one of the things that got me to start playing drummers I was trying to sound like him
@net.zwerg2290
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
"human beings are feeling creatures…" Kenny Aronoff (2025) 🫶
incredible drummer, awesome human being
@ericm4426
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
In the air tonight
@damstr1105
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Hearing that fill as a child was the first step for me becoming a drummer
@ton_xoiron_vasileuc
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
The Maynard James Keenan experience, only on DRUMEO.
@JJAnselmi
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Wow, didn't expect a man v. machine story in this. Very cool. Thanks Kenny!
@bigdave5946
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Iconic song and iconic drums . I heard John hated the song at first
@busgus7969
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
HAHAHA after mentioning all the Johns. I'm thinking "Does he only play for Johns?lol". Kenny then says "That's a lot of Johns" lol
@CraigBuffington
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
I felt the bass drum rattle my shirt when I went to see you guys opening up for Heart in Tulsa Oklahoma. Changed my life forever! Thank you Kenny
@EricMySelf990
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Someone was defending a musician that is very popular on YouTube and does stuff that "breaks the rules" and the defense was that "it works" and then he went on to say that you can use certain techniques to convey feelings.
Whether or not it breaks the rules I could care less but the greatest music is not about what "works," it's about feeling. Not once, though, did the person defending this music say he felt anything. When music is turned into an intellectual puzzle, and even worse a vehicle to create a pretense to feeling, it becomes flat and lifeless, no matter how complex it is. I'm glad Kenny Aronoff said that about feeling and true emotional content. The best songs pull at your gut in ways you don't understand and don't need to.
@sniffableandirresistble
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
"Human beings are feeling creatures" ❤
@FabrícioCésarFranco
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
His drum fill is a masterpiece!
@aaronelya
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Kenny is JACKED.
@gonzalohernandez1910
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
I'll write this petition in all of your videos, a petition from an ordinary subscriber who just wants to see Chad Smith / Portnoy drumear Ghost Love of Score from Nigthwish
@gzig61
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Would really really like to know your hi hat pattern on "melting pot" please, please, please!
@analog.moondoggy
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Sometimes the most simple things are the most brilliant!
@peterhess6039
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Genius
@amievil3697
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
YOU are on Your own
@ArtMuzak
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
This drum part is a masterpiece in itself
@PixelMH
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
WHY did it take so long to get Kenny on Drumeo???? Legend.
@brucearron8798
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
God i hate this song
@vincentrizzi1229
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Question for 7:16 Kenny , why did you switch from playing the HI- Hat with your left hand to the right hand.?
@2stixx
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Iconic less is best.
@jgbirds
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
Kenny rules! Total professional!
@rickhorvath
March 3, 2026 at 4:55 am
He spoke at our convention several years back (also played a lot of his signature beats). Had a great story for this tune!