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
I Got It Bad
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm in love and I know what time it is!
The Good Book says "Go seek and ye shall find";
Well, I have sought and my, what a climb it is!
My life is just like the weather,
It changes with the hours,
When he's near I'm "fair and warmer",
In emotion, like the ocean, it's either sink or swim
When a woman loves a man like him!
Never treats me sweet and gentle,
The way he should,
I got it bad and that ain't good.
My poor heart is sentimental,
Not made of wood,
I got it bad and that ain't good.
But when the weekend's over,
And Monday rolls around,
I end up like I start out,
Crying my heart out!
He don't love me like I love him,
No, nobody could,
I got it bad and that ain't good.
So bad, so bad!
I got it so bad, so bad.
Though folks with good intentions
Tell me to save my tears,
I'm glad I'm mad about him,
I can't live without him!
Lord above me
Make him love me,
The way he should!
Like a lonely weeping willow,
Lost in the wood,
The things I tell mt pillow
No woman should!
I got it bad, bad,
So bad and that ain't good!
The song "I Got It Bad" by Joe Jackson is a rendition of Duke Ellington and Paul Francis Webster's 1941 hit. The song talks about how the singer is deeply in love with a man who does not treat her well, but despite the pain she endures, she cannot help but love him. The lyrics in the song explore the emotional toll the relationship has on her, as she strives to be with the man she loves, even though she knows he does not love her in return.
The song's verses switch between the singer's hope for the man she loves to love her back and her despair when she realizes he does not feel the same. The line "But I'm in love and I know what time it is" indicates the woman is aware of the reality of the situation, but she cannot help how she feels. She compares her emotional state to the weather, saying that when he's near, she feels warm and happy, but when he's not around, she feels cold and dark, like a rainy day. She even goes on to describe her love as being like the ocean, where she either has to sink or swim, speaking to the intensity of her emotions.
The chorus talks about the unrequited nature of the woman's love. She knows her lover doesn't treat her the way he should and that her heart is too sentimental. But despite what she knows, she still loves him and cannot imagine a life without him, crying as she starts each week. The song builds to a plea to the heavens, asking for the man she loves to love her back, but sadly, this may never happen. The song is a beautiful but melancholic story of a woman's unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
The poets say that all who love are blind,
People often claim that those in love lose their logic and reason
But I'm in love and I know what time it is!
Despite being in love, the singer is still aware of the reality of the situation
The Good Book says "Go seek and ye shall find";
The Bible teaches that if you seek something, you will eventually find it
Well, I have sought and my, what a climb it is!
The artist has pursued love and discovered that it is an uphill battle
My life is just like the weather,
The artist compares their life to the ever-changing weather
It changes with the hours,
Just like how weather can change quickly, so too can the singer's emotions
When he's near I'm "fair and warmer",
When the person the singer loves is around, their mood and disposition improve
When he's gone I'm "cloudy with showers".
When their loved one is absent, the artist becomes sad and gloomy
In emotion, like the ocean, it's either sink or swim
Love can be like an ocean, where one must either navigate its currents or risk drowning
When a woman loves a man like him!
The artist is specifically in love with a man and describes the intensity of her feelings
Never treats me sweet and gentle,
The person the singer loves does not always treat them kindly and tenderly
The way he should,
The artist believes that their loved one is not living up to their expectations
I got it bad and that ain't good.
The singer is suffering from the intense feelings of love, which are causing them distress
My poor heart is sentimental,
The singer's heart is filled with emotions and deep feelings
Not made of wood,
The singer's heart is not unfeeling or cold
But when the weekend's over,
The artist's emotions are particularly strong during the weekend
And Monday rolls around,
On Monday, the artist's mood changes and they become sad once more
I end up like I start out,
The singer's feelings return to where they began
Crying my heart out!
The singer is overcome with emotion and cannot contain their tears
He don't love me like I love him,
The artist believes that their loved one does not return their affections equally
No, nobody could,
The intensity of the artist's love cannot be matched by anyone else
So bad, so bad!
The artist's feelings are particularly intense and overwhelming
I got it so bad, so bad.
The singer's love is causing them to suffer greatly
Though folks with good intentions
Despite well-meaning advice from others
Tell me to save my tears,
People suggest that the singer should try to hold back their emotions
I'm glad I'm mad about him,
The singer is happy that they are so deeply in love with their partner
I can't live without him!
The singer believes that they cannot go on without their loved one
Lord above me
The artist calls out to a higher power for assistance
Make him love me,
The artist prays for their loved one to return their feelings
The way he should!
The singer believes that their loved one is not living up to their expectations
Like a lonely weeping willow,
The singer compares themselves to a tree, weeping from their sorrow
Lost in the wood,
Feeling lost and alone in their emotions
The things I tell my pillow
The artist confides in their pillow, expressing their deepest feelings
No woman should!
The artist feels that their pain and distress are not something anyone should have to go through
I got it bad, bad,
The singer emphasizes the intensity of their feelings
So bad and that ain't good!
The artist is suffering greatly from their love and it is causing them pain
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, GUY WEBSTER/WEBSTER MUSIC
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, PAUL WEBSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind