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
King of the World
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was it you I used to know?
Can't you hear me call
On this old ham radio?
All I got to say is I'm alive and feeling fine
If you come my way
You can share my poison wine
No marigolds in the promised land
There's a hole in the ground
Where they used to grow
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Is the king of the world
As far as I know
I don't want your bread
I don't need your helping hand
I can't be no savage
I can't be no highwayman
Show me where you are
You and I will spend this day
Driving in my car
Through the ruins of Santa Fe
[Chorus]
I'm reading last year's papers
Although I don't know why
Assassins, cons, and rapers
Might as well die
If you come around
No more pain and no regrets
Watch the sun go brown
Smoking cobalt cigarettes
There's no need to hide
Taking things the easy way
If I stay inside
I might live till Saturday
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Joe Jackson's "King of the World" depict the isolation and loneliness felt by the singer. The opening lines of the song suggest a longing for connection with someone they used to know, and this sets up the theme of the song. The use of the ham radio indicates a desire to reach out and connect with others, but the singer knows that they are alone and can only speak to the void. The line "all I got to say is I'm alive and feeling fine" feels almost like a lie to the listener, as there is an underlying sadness and desperation throughout the song.
The chorus reinforces the idea of isolation by painting a picture of a desolate land with no signs of life. The image of the marigolds in the promised land is a biblical reference to the Garden of Eden, which contrasts sharply with the "hole in the ground" where they used to grow. The image of the Rio Grande and the "king of the world" suggests that the singer is searching for a place where they fit in and belong, but they have yet to find it.
The rest of the song emphasizes the theme of loneliness and isolation, with references to violence and a longing for escape. The singer rejects the idea of being a savage or highwayman and instead suggests that they just want to spend time with someone else driving through the ruins of Santa Fe. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer is resigned to their loneliness and will simply pass the time until they die.
Overall, "King of the World" is a haunting song that captures the feeling of being alone in a difficult and confusing world.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello one and all
Joe is addressing everyone who is listening to him
Was it you I used to know?
Joe is questioning whether he knows the person he's talking to
Can't you hear me call
Joe is asking the person he's talking to whether they can hear him
On this old ham radio?
Joe is communicating with the person he's talking to through an old ham radio
All I got to say is I'm alive and feeling fine
Joe is telling the person he's talking to that he's alive and feeling good
If you come my way
Joe is inviting the person he's talking to to come visit him
You can share my poison wine
Joe is offering the person he's talking to to share his alcoholic drink
[Chorus:]
Joe is about to start the chorus of the song
No marigolds in the promised land
Joe is saying that the promised land is not as beautiful as people make it out to be
There's a hole in the ground
Joe is painting a picture of the promised land with a hole instead of marigold fields
Where they used to grow
Joe is implying that the marigold fields used to exist, but now they don't
Any man left on the Rio Grande
Joe is saying that any man left on the Rio Grande river is important and has power
Is the king of the world
Joe is saying that these men are the kings of the world, as far as he knows
As far as I know
Joe is acknowledging that his view might be limited
I don't want your bread
Joe is saying that he doesn't want help or charity from the person he's talking to
I don't need your helping hand
Joe is repeating that he doesn't need help or assistance from anyone
I can't be no savage
Joe is saying that he can't be a wild, uncivilized person
I can't be no highwayman
Joe is saying that he can't be someone who robs people on the highway
Show me where you are
Joe is asking the person he's talking to to let him know where they are
You and I will spend this day
Joe is suggesting that he and the person he's talking to should spend the day together
Driving in my car
Joe is implying that they would explore Santa Fe together in his car
Through the ruins of Santa Fe
Joe is suggesting that they would explore the abandoned parts of Santa Fe
[Chorus]
Joe repeats the chorus of the song
I'm reading last year's papers
Joe is informing the person he's talking to that he's reading old newspapers
Although I don't know why
Joe is acknowledging that he doesn't really know why he's reading old newspapers
Assassins, cons, and rapers
Joe is mentioning the types of criminals that are featured in the old newspapers
Might as well die
Joe is suggesting that these criminals might as well be dead
If you come around
Joe is saying that he's waiting for the person he's talking to to come visit him
No more pain and no regrets
Joe is suggesting that when the person he's talking to comes to visit him, they won't have any pain or regrets
Watch the sun go brown
Joe is describing what he and the person he's talking to would do when they're spending time together
Smoking cobalt cigarettes
Joe is suggesting that they would smoke special cigarettes together
There's no need to hide
Joe is saying that they don't need to hide from anyone or anything
Taking things the easy way
Joe is suggesting that they should take a relaxed, easy approach to life
If I stay inside
Joe is suggesting that if he stays home, he might live longer
I might live till Saturday
Joe is being slightly pessimistic about his life expectancy
[Chorus]
Joe repeats the chorus of the song one final time
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Walter Carl Becker, Donald Jay Fagen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
racketman2u
Not surprised that Joe likes Steely Dan, talent knows talent.
Carl Gent
indeed!!!
Keith Dubois
Beginning sounds like something that Sting would write.
andyinoregon
In terms of musical quality, I've always thought Steely Dan was to the '70s what The Beatles were to the '60s. Good to know that Joe was as obsessed as I was with their 1973 album "Countdown To Ecstasy." Hope he got to see their 1974 Pretzel Logic Tour when it reached England in June. He would still have been a teenager at 19.
andyinoregon
Joe Jackson and Steely Dan ... kindred musical spirits for sure.
Ronald Charles Epstein
Very good cover version. Joe Jackson is more than some forgotten face of the 1980s.
Bruce Goodwin
Joe nailed it. And few can. Respect.
Zack Steinbaum
Fantastic cover of a possibly the best band of all time.
Dave Mack
Joe's got just the right sardonic voice to do Donald Fagen right. A worthy successor!
drewper73
What a great cover! I love his version. Thanks for posting!