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
Me and You
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd be with you
I've lost my heart I'm losing half my mind
But I don't care
Don't tell me don't ask me don't talk at all
Don't help me I don't know if I can stand
The bitter-sweetness of it all
I don't know I don't care don't even hear
There's no past there's no future and no fear
What can they do
I'm helpless I can't talk or even stand
My heart won't start until I get from you
The look that says you love me too
Me and you against the world
I've read the Bible and those books at school
But they don't make much sense of this
The finest minds are calling me a fool
But you destroy them with your kiss
Just one kiss
These lyrics from Joe Jackson’s song Me and You reflect the depth of emotions that come with love. The singer expresses his desire to be with his lover all the time, even when it seems impossible to do so. He admits to losing half his mind and his heart to her but he doesn't care. He doesn't want to hear what others have to say because he knows that he loves her and they are in this together. He is helpless and can't even stand without her. He yearns for the look that says she loves him too. The lyrics, "Me and you against the world," highlight the sense of solidarity and unity between the two lovers, demonstrating that they are in this together even if others oppose their relationship.
Throughout the song, the singer conveys the passion and intensity of his love. He alludes to the Bible and other books, indicating the depth of his knowledge and understanding, but compares them to his lover's kiss, signifying that his love for her transcends all other knowledge. The ultimate power of his love is exemplified by the line, "But you destroy them with your kiss, just one kiss." The song speaks to the depth of emotions that two people can feel for each other, which can surpass any knowledge or understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could be two places at one time
If only I could be with you no matter where I am
I'd be with you
I will always be with you whenever I can
I've lost my heart I'm losing half my mind
You have a powerful hold on me that is hard to resist
But I don't care
I don't mind being lost as long as I am with you
Don't tell me don't ask me don't talk at all
I need to be with you in silent bliss sometimes
Don't help me I don't know if I can stand
I am dependent on you, and I may not be able to stand on my own
The bitter-sweetness of it all
The mix of pleasure and pain that comes with loving you
I don't know I don't care don't even hear
I am indifferent to the world as long as I am with you
What they all say
I don't care what other people think or believe
There's no past there's no future and no fear
In your embrace, there is no worry or apprehension about the past or the future
What can they do
No one can separate us or come between us because we are one
I'm helpless I can't talk or even stand
You leave me speechless and weak with your beauty and love
My heart won't start until I get from you
The only thing that can make my heart skip a beat is your love for me
The look that says you love me too
The only thing I need from you is the assurance that you love me as much as I do
Me and you against the world
As long as we are together, nothing else in the world matters
I've read the Bible and those books at school
I have searched for answers in religious texts but found no sense of what I feel for you
But they don't make much sense of this
I cannot find any justification for this feeling that I have for you
The finest minds are calling me a fool
Even the smartest people think what I feel is foolish or irrational
But you destroy them with your kiss
One kiss from you makes all the doubts or opinions of others disappear
Just one kiss
Your kiss is all I need to feel complete and content
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, O/B/O DistroKid, Missing Link Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind