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
Dear Mom
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Downtown, less than a week ago
I called in, and some guy said I just missed her
She moved on, where do you think she'd go?
Dear Mom, I know she's only sixteen
She's tough, but these days you never know
Someone, saw her at the El Mocambo
What if she won't come home
You know she don't want your money
What if she won't come home
Dear Mom, I saw her on the subway
She looks good, she got a new tattoo
She swears, she's gonna call me later
I'd say, there's nothing we can do
What if she won't come home
You know she don't want your money
What if she won't come home
Dear Mom, I heard from my little sister
Guess what, she's really doing well
She told me, to give you a message for her
"Dear Mom, why don't you go to hell"
Now that she won't come home
Maybe I'll stick around here
Now that she won't come home
Now that she won't come home
Maybe I'll stay forever
Now that she won't come home
The song "Dear Mom" by Joe Jackson tells the story of a family searching for their missing sister/daughter. The song is written in the form of letters to the main character's mother detailing his search. The singer starts by saying he thought he found his sister downtown, but she has since moved on, and he doesn't know where she could be. He then goes on to relay a message he heard from someone who saw her perform at the El Mocambo in Toronto, implying that she may be working as a dancer or performer.
The singer then reveals that he saw his sister on the subway, and she seems to be doing well. However, he doesn't have any information on where she is living or what she's doing. The final letter reveals that the singer's little sister is doing well, but she relays a message to the mother from the missing sister, "Dear Mom, why don't you go to hell." The song concludes with the singer realizing that his sister may never come back and deciding to stick around until she returns.
Jackson's lyrics in this song are powerful and emotional. The song addresses themes of family, love, loss, and abandonment. The singer's emotions and struggles are palpable through the imagery of the letters he writes to his mom. The uncertainty of the situation is further emphasized by the singer's repeated refrain of "What if she won't come home?" The song ultimately leaves the listener with the sense that the family will never fully recover from this loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear Mom, I thought I found my sister
I had a strong belief that I found my sister
Downtown, less than a week ago
It happened in the downtown area not more than a week ago
I called in, and some guy said I just missed her
I called up the place and someone informed me that she had just left
She moved on, where do you think she'd go?
She left that place and I don't know where she might have gone
Dear Mom, I know she's only sixteen
I'm aware that she's only sixteen years old
She's tough, but these days you never know
She's a strong person, but these days anything can happen
Someone, saw her at the El Mocambo
Someone else saw her at the El Mocambo
He said, she put on quite a show
According to him, she put on quite a performance
What if she won't come home
What if she doesn't want to come back
You know she don't want your money
You know that offering her money won't work
Dear Mom, I saw her on the subway
I saw her travelling on the subway
She looks good, she got a new tattoo
She looks good and has got herself a new tattoo
She swears, she's gonna call me later
She promises to call me later
I'd say, there's nothing we can do
In my opinion, we can't do anything
Dear Mom, I heard from my little sister
I received a message from my younger sister
Guess what, she's really doing well
Surprisingly, she's doing really well
She told me, to give you a message for her
She asked me to tell you something on her behalf
"Dear Mom, why don't you go to hell"
"Dear Mom, I'm really angry with you and want you to go to hell"
Now that she won't come home
Since she's not returning home
Maybe I'll stick around here
Perhaps I'll continue to stay here
Now that she won't come home
Since she's not coming home anymore
Maybe I'll stay forever
Perhaps I'll stay here forever now
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@devingademan
This album is sooo damn beautiful! Love the cover too! <3
@LordGreystoke
Really like this tune. It was a worthy successor to Night and Day I. Sorry it never got more promotion by radio. A very high quality commercial sounding album by Joe.
@littlewing6231
Heartbreaking and liberating all at the same time. Joe is an excellent arranger and not just a great lyricist.
@lucabalbi3928
Questo disco è straordinario, uno dei più belli del Maestro
@josbaris7143
Mooi👍
@lucabalbi3928
Criptico, destabilizzante, minimale, ondivago, spiazzante. Fantastico