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
One to One
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your Geritol or your Medicare
Well, I still got neon in my veins
This grey hair don't mean a thing
I do my rockin' on the stage
You can't put this possum in a cage
My body's old but it ain't impaired
I don't need your rockin' chair
I ain't ready for the junkyard yet
'Cause I still feel like a new Corvette
It might take a little longer but I'll get there
Well, I don't need your rockin' chair
I don't need your rockin' chair
Your Geritol or your Medicare
I've still got neon in my veins
This grey hair don't mean a thing
I do my rockin' on the stage
You can't put this possum in a cage
My body's old but it ain't impaired
Well, I don't need this rockin' chair
I don't need your rockin' chair (he don't need your rockin' chair)
Your Geritol or your Medicare (Geritol or your Medicare)
I've still got neon in my veins (still got neon in my veins)
This grey hair don't mean a thing (his grey hair don't mean a thing)
I do my rockin' on the stage (does his rockin' on the stage)
You can't put this possum in a cage (can't put this possum in a cage)
Yeah, my body's old but it ain't impaired (well, you know he ain't impaired)
Well, I don't need your rockin' chair (and he don't need no rockin' chair)
My body's old but it ain't impaired (yeah, we all know you ain't impaired)
I don't need your rockin' chair
Uh huh
The song "One to One" by Joe Jackson is about the singer's defiance against societal expectations of aging. Jackson sings about not needing a "rockin' chair," which symbolizes the stereotype of older people being confined to a sedentary lifestyle, and not needing "Geritol or Medicare," which symbolizes the stereotype of older people requiring medication and healthcare. Jackson asserts that despite his grey hair, his body is not impaired and he still has "neon in [his] veins," meaning he still feels young at heart. He is determined to continue rocking on stage and living life on his own terms, not conforming to the expectations of society.
The song can be interpreted as a larger commentary on ageism and the pressure to conform to societal expectations. Jackson challenges the idea that aging is a negative thing and instead celebrates the vitality and energy that comes with aging. He refuses to be limited by his age and asserts his right to live life to the fullest.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't need your rockin' chair
I don't require assistance or pity from you
Your Geritol or your Medicare
I am not old enough to need medication and healthcare
I've still got neon in my veins
I am still full of energy and passion for what I do
This grey hair don't mean a thing
My age does not define me or limit me in any way
I do my rockin' on the stage
I express myself through my music and performances, not by sitting still
You can't put this possum in a cage
You cannot contain or control me, I am free to be myself
My body's old but it ain't impaired
Although my body has aged, it does not hinder my abilities or passions
I ain't ready for the junkyard yet
I still have a lot left to live and accomplish
'Cause I still feel like a new Corvette
I still feel young and full of vitality
It might take a little longer but I'll get there
Although my body may take longer to recover, I will still achieve my goals
Yeah, we all know you ain't impaired
It is a fact that despite his age, his abilities remain undiminished
And he don't need no rockin' chair
He does not require or desire assistance or limitations due to age
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Foreign Imported Productions & Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Frank Dycus, Billy Wayne Yates, Kerry Kurt Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind