He started off learning to play the violin but soon switched to piano. From the age of 16 he played in bars, and won a scholarship to study musical composition at London's Royal Academy of Music. Jackson did not like the prospect of being a serious composer, and moved towards pop and rock.
His first band was Arms and Legs which collapsed after two unsuccessful singles. He then spent some time in the cabaret circuit to make money to record his own demos.
In 1978 a producer heard his tape, and got him signed to A&M Records. The album Look Sharp! was recorded straight away, and was released in 1979, quickly followed by I'm the Man and Beat Crazy in 1980. He also collaborated with Lincoln Thompson in reggae crossover.
The Joe Jackson Band was very successful and toured extensively. After the breakup of the band, Joe took a break and recorded an album of old-style swing and blues tunes, Jumpin' Jive, featuring songs of Cab Calloway, Lester Young, Glenn Miller, and most prominently, Louis Jordan. He went on to record Night and Day, an album that paid tribute to the wit and style of Cole Porter (and less directly, to New York City) and was his last album to hit the Top 10, peaking at #4.
He recorded another record that was heavily influenced by jazz, pop and jazz standards, and salsa, Body and Soul, which hit #20, containing the hit You Can't Get What You Want ('Til You Know What You Want).
Jackson followed with Big World, a three-sided double record (the fourth side consisted of a single centring groove and a label stating "there is no music on this side"). The instrumental Will Power set the stage for things to come later, but before he left pop behind he put out two more cerebral and celebratory albums, Blaze of Glory and Laughter and Lust. For some years he drifted away from the pop style, going on to be signed by Sony Classical in 1997, which released his Symphony No. 1 in 1999 for which he received a Grammy award.
Night and Day II in 2000 lacked strong pop hooks though, as usual with Jackson, displayed fine lyrics and some elegant songwriting. Volume 4 in 2003 reunited the original band and was well received. A promotional CD, bundled with the initial release, of the 'live' band playing some of Jackson's strongest material was widely admired.
Jackson is also an author, having written A Cure for Gravity, published in 1999, which Jackson has described as a "book about music, thinly disguised as a memoir". It traces his early musical life from childhood until his 24th birthday. Life as a pop star, he suggested, was hardly worth writing about.
In 2004 Jackson performed a cover of Common People with William Shatner for Shatner's album Has Been.
He has actively campaigned against smoking bans in both the USA and the UK, writing a 2005 pamphlet The Smoking Issue and issuing a satirical song (In 20-0-3) on the subject.
In 2008 the album Rain was released by Joe Jackson. Like its predecessor Volume 4, it featured members of the 'Joe Jackson Band', this time minus guitarist Gary Sanford.
Currently he lives in Kreuzberg, Germany.
Discography:
1979 - Look Sharp!
1979 - I'm The Man
1980 - Beat Crazy
1981 - Jumpin' Jive
1982 - Night and Day
1983 - Mike’s Murder, (Soundtrack)
1984 - Body and Soul
1986 - Big World
1987 - Will Power
1988 - Live 1980/86
1988 - Tucker, (Soundtrack)
1989 - Blaze of Glory
1991 - Laughter & Lust
1994 - Night Music
1997 - Heaven and Hell
1999 - Symphony No. 1
2000 - Summer in the City: Live in New York
2000 - Night and Day II
2002 - Two Rainy Nights, (Live)
2004 - Volume 4
2004 - Afterlife, (Live)
2008 - Rain
2011 - Live Music, (Live)
2012 - The Duke
Chinatown
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trying to find chinatown
A hungry man
Can hold out a long time
For some soul food
Good food, whole food
I know I was that man
I took a right
Then I took a wrong turn
Someone asked me for a quarter
It didn't seem to fit
He didn't look too much like a chinaman
Trying to find chinatown
Trying to find chinatown
An old black man
Pushing a shopping trolley
Filled with tin cans
Avoided his glance
I'm nervous and I'm lost
And I don't see too many restaurants
A guy laid out
With a knife in his back
A cop came along
Told him, move on
Go home and sleep it off
I didn't know if I should get involved
Trying to find chinatown
Trying to find chinatown
In the song "Chinatown" by Joe Jackson, the singer is searching for Chinatown, likely in a large city like New York or San Francisco. He is hungry and looking for some "soul food," but despite his best efforts, he can't seem to locate any restaurants. As he wanders through the city streets, he takes a wrong turn and encounters a variety of characters that increase his sense of unease and disorientation. He is approached by a man who asks him for a quarter and another man who appears to have been stabbed. A police officer tells him to move on, but he is unsure whether or not he should get involved. Throughout the song, the singer is questioning his own motivations and his place in this unfamiliar environment.
At its core, "Chinatown" is a song about displacement and dislocation. The singer is searching for something that he can't seem to find, and as he wanders through the city, he is confronted by the reality of urban life. He sees poverty, violence, and corruption, and he is unsure of how to respond. The song captures the sense of alienation and confusion that many people feel when they are in a new and unfamiliar place.
Line by Line Meaning
Trying to find chinatown
The artist is on a quest to locate Chinatown which he seems to be unable to find easily.
Trying to find chinatown
The artist is still searching for Chinatown despite failing to locate it earlier.
A hungry man
The artist is in search of something to satisfy his hunger.
Can hold out a long time
The artist can endure hunger for an extended period.
For some soul food
The artist is in search of traditional, nourishing food that is good for the soul.
Good food, whole food
The artist seeks nutritious and satisfying food that can nourish the mind, soul, and body.
I know I was that man
The artist can identify with the hungry man who can't resist the urge to indulge in soul food.
Maybe sometimes hold out a little too long
The artist has made mistakes in the past by holding off for too long before satisfying his hunger.
I took a right
The artist picked a particular direction to follow.
Then I took a wrong turn
The artist has taken a divergent route, which was not the best choice.
Someone asked me for a quarter
An individual requested something financial from the artist.
It didn't seem to fit
The artist was unsure about giving out money and it didn't seem appropriate in the current circumstance.
He didn't look too much like a chinaman
The individual asking for money did not look like they were from Chinatown.
An old black man
The individual asking for money was old, black, and decrepit.
Pushing a shopping trolley
The individual looks homeless and is carrying all of their belongings in a cart.
Filled with tin cans
The individual is collecting empty cans, presumably to sell and scrape by.
Avoided his glance
The artist chose to avert his gaze rather than connect with the homeless man.
I'm nervous and I'm lost
The artist is unsettled and disorientated in his surroundings.
And I don't see too many restaurants
The artist is unable to locate many places to eat in the current environment.
A guy laid out
The artist witnesses an individual on the ground.
With a knife in his back
The individual is injured, and it appears someone stabbed him from behind.
A cop came along
The police arrived on the scene.
Told him, move on
The police officer instructed the artist to keep walking and not to interfere.
Go home and sleep it off
The police officer tells the artist to return home and get some rest rather than staying and watching the scene.
I didn't know if I should get involved
The artist struggles with deciding whether or not to intervene in the situation.
Trying to find chinatown
At the conclusion of the song, the artist is still searching for Chinatown.
Trying to find chinatown
The artist will continue attempting to locate Chinatown.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOE JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind