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
Glamour and Pain
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where I'm flying thirty feet
Above the street again
Looking though windows, there you are
Sit down to eat again
It's the usual egg foo yung
You watch TV again
Put the kids to bed
Then I hate you even more
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
Do you remember me
Or just the shiny shiny shoes I had you kiss for me?
And my legs as smooth as chrome
Were you in ecstasy
As you were pumping out a flood of dollar bills for me
I'd cry mascara tears
If only I could give a fuck about it
And though you can't recall
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
I'm hanging in the air
I look in your window at my own lipstick reflection there
And behind it such a precious son et lumière
Of all the normal stuff about which I'm supposed to care
I'd like to smash right through
And help myself to your silverware
To cut your throat and run
Or maybe I'd just laugh at your expression
Hooray for Superwhore
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
See me fly, feel my pain
Hear me cry, know my name
Glamor and pain
The lyrics to Joe Jackson's song "Glamour and Pain" describe a dream the singer has had, where he is flying above a street and looking through windows, observing someone with whom he has had a complicated and perhaps tumultuous relationship. The lyrics suggest that the person in question is a former lover or partner, someone who the singer both loves and hates. The dream follows this person through their mundane evening routine, including eating dinner and putting their kids to bed, before they reach for the singer's phone number. This action causes the singer to feel an increased sense of anger towards this person.
The central theme of the song seems to be the dichotomy between glamour and pain. The person the singer is observing in the dream seems to embody both of these qualities. They are glamorous, with "shiny shiny shoes" and "legs as smooth as chrome". However, they also cause the singer pain and anguish, as evidenced by the singer's desire to "cut your throat and run". The singer also feels that no one hears or knows his pain, perhaps suggesting a sense of isolation or disenfranchisement from the world around him.
Overall, the lyrics to "Glamour and Pain" offer a complex and nuanced exploration of the complicated emotions that can accompany relationships, particularly when one partner is glamorous and the other is in pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I've had that dream again
I keep having the same recurring dream
Where I'm flying thirty feet
In my dream, I am flying thirty feet above the ground
Above the street again
The street below me is visible in my dream
Looking though windows, there you are
As I fly, I see you through the windows of your house
Sit down to eat again
In my dream, I see you sitting down to eat
It's the usual egg foo yung
You are eating your usual egg foo yung
You watch TV again
After eating, you watch television
Put the kids to bed
After TV, you put the kids to bed
And then I see you reaching for my number
In my dream, I see you searching for my phone number
Then I hate you even more
Seeing you try to contact me makes me hate you more
I see it all
I am aware of everything happening in my dream
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
Even though I am flying, no one is aware of my existence or struggles
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
I cry out in my dream, but no one hears me or knows who I am
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
My dream is a mix of beauty and suffering
Do you remember me
I wonder if you remember me
Or just the shiny shiny shoes I had you kiss for me?
Perhaps all you remember about me is my shiny shoes that I made you kiss
And my legs as smooth as chrome
My legs are metaphorically described as smooth and shiny as chrome
Were you in ecstasy
I wonder if you were in a state of extreme pleasure
As you were pumping out a flood of dollar bills for me
You were giving me money, as if it were flowing out like a flood
I'd cry mascara tears
I would cry tears that would make my mascara run
If only I could give a fuck about it
I wish I could care about something, but I am numb inside
And though you can't recall
Even though you don't remember
I see it all
I still remember everything
I'm hanging in the air
In my dream, I am suspended in mid-air
I look in your window at my own lipstick reflection there
As I fly, I see my reflection on your window, where I had applied my lipstick
And behind it such a precious son et lumière
There is a beautiful and elaborate display of lights and sounds behind my reflection
Of all the normal stuff about which I'm supposed to care
Even though there are normal things in life I am supposed to care about, I don't feel anything
I'd like to smash right through
I want to break through the window
And help myself to your silverware
I want to take your silverware for myself
To cut your throat and run
I imagine hurting you and running away
Or maybe I'd just laugh at your expression
Perhaps I would just laugh at your reaction if I did those things
Hooray for Superwhore
This is an ironic expression of celebration for being a promiscuous woman
See me fly, feel my pain
I want people to see my struggles, even though they can't feel my pain
Hear me cry, know my name
I want people to care about me, even if they don't truly understand who I am
Glamour and pain, glamour and pain
My life is a mix of beauty and suffering
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robbie
I've had that dream again
Where I'm flying thirty feet
Above the street again
Looking though windows, there you are
Sit down to eat again
It's the usual egg foo yung
You watch TV again
Put the kids to bed
And then I see you reaching for my number
Then I hate you even more
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
Do you remember me
Or just the shiny shiny shoes I had you kiss for me?
And my legs as smooth as chrome
Were you in ecstasy
As you were pumping out a flood of dollar bills for me
I'd cry mascara tears
If only I could give a fuck about it
And though you can't recall
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
I'm hanging in the air
I look in your window at my own lipstick reflection there
And behind it such a precious son et lumière
Of all the normal stuff about which I'm supposed to care
I'd like to smash right through
And help myself to your silverware
To cut your throat and run
Or maybe I'd just laugh at your expression
Hooray for Superwhore
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
See me fly, feel my pain
Hear me cry, know my name
Glamor and pain
timmmahhhh
This is one of the most underrated albums ever. To me it shows a tremendous maturity in Jackson's music over the eight years from Night and Day II. I stumbled into it looking for a CD copy of the Night and Day on line and it has become one of my favorite albums, just incredible and to me much deeper and honest about the emotion of NYC than the first.
timmmahhhh
@Flux Condenser Vintage Audio Electronics yep you're right 18 years, my bad math and getting older where 18 years now feels more like eight LOL.
adipsous
My favorite album of the 2000's.
Flux Condenser Vintage Audio Electronics
It was about an 18 year span between Night & Day and Night & Day II.
Betsy Red
Very touching, very accurate about the NYC vibes, grey and dark sides .... a musical masterpiece
greg hollins
Simply brilliant.
Robbie
I've had that dream again
Where I'm flying thirty feet
Above the street again
Looking though windows, there you are
Sit down to eat again
It's the usual egg foo yung
You watch TV again
Put the kids to bed
And then I see you reaching for my number
Then I hate you even more
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
Do you remember me
Or just the shiny shiny shoes I had you kiss for me?
And my legs as smooth as chrome
Were you in ecstasy
As you were pumping out a flood of dollar bills for me
I'd cry mascara tears
If only I could give a fuck about it
And though you can't recall
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
I'm hanging in the air
I look in your window at my own lipstick reflection there
And behind it such a precious son et lumière
Of all the normal stuff about which I'm supposed to care
I'd like to smash right through
And help myself to your silverware
To cut your throat and run
Or maybe I'd just laugh at your expression
Hooray for Superwhore
I see it all
But no one sees me fly, no-one feels my pain
No-one hears me cry, no-one knows my name
Is glamor and pain, glamor and pain
See me fly, feel my pain
Hear me cry, know my name
Glamor and pain
artbyvince
I'll post since I see no one has posted yet. Even though I have this album and I thought it was spectacular, I thank you for posting this song so others can apreaciate Joe's genius. This song blew me away the first time I heard it. Any Jackson fan who hasn't heard this album, I highly recommend it. It's Night and Day part 2! Sample this one song and you'll see.
pio primo
Un capolavoro assoluto, una delle piú fulgide perle di Joe. Attenzione, dal vivo perde, va ascoltata così, pulita e patinata, con questa voce. Pio
Ned Meyer
To see the World Trade Center is haunting...however, this is pure brilliance..both of the Night and Day albums