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Jake Owen starts this week on a high note as his latest single, “I Was Jack (You Were Diane),” ascends to #1 on the country chart.
The single father — whose daughter, Pearl, will turn six in November — says this makes all the sacrifices seem worthwhile.
“You know, there’s a lot of times in my life being a traveling musician and a guy that splits time with his child with my ex-wife, that it’s not as easy as those might think sometimes to see her…” Jake admits. “Kids grow up very fast when you only see them a couple times a month, you know. So, that gets to me sometimes.”
“Because I’ll see her and I just can’t believe that the shoes I bought her the last time she was here don’t fit her anymore,” he continues. “And she and I will push a cart down the aisle at Target, just looking for the newest sparkly shoes that she can wear.”
As the Florida native marks another career milestone, Jake’s also careful to pay attention to Pearl’s progress.
“It kinda as a father hits me sometimes,” Jake confesses. “Because I love her so much, and you don’t realize how much time you take for granted. Like, ‘Oh, I’ll see her in two weeks.’ But two weeks later, she’s a size bigger — her foot’s a size bigger — or she’s learned how to count to fifty instead of twenty.”
“You know, so she’s the one thing, outside of all of this that makes what I do day to day feel real,” says Jake. “And she is my real life. That’s what I do this for.”
Not only is Jake’s latest #1 a tribute to John Mellencamp and his 1982 classic, the update also has the rocker’s seal of approval.
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