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
Stay
Joe Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only the toughest stars
Hang with neon friends
Over neon candy stores
Till the bitter end
Oh madness
Waits for me someday
Down some dark alleyway
Down some mean magnetic street
Stopping me to say
You could live anywhere you want to
Give me one reason to stay
Here monsters walk the earth again
Mermaids in black and gold
Perfume and cocaine
Rising from a teeming sea
Asking me again
You could have anyone you want to
Give me one reason to stay
I think I'll stay
Joe Jackson’s “Stay” is an eclectic song that takes the listener on a journey through a surreal cityscape. The song is open to different interpretations, but one possible analysis is that it’s about the dilemma of feeling trapped in a turbulent world, yet finding solace in one’s own choices. The recurring theme of ‘staying’ implies an urge to belong, to connect, or to find meaning in one’s environment, while the lyrics’ vivid imagery portrays a world that is both alluring and dangerous.
The opening verse sets the mood for the song with its vivid imagery, describing a neon-lit metropolis where only the toughest stars can shine. The streets are populated with neon candy stores, and the lyrics hint at a sense of foreboding with the phrase “till the bitter end.” The chorus then introduces the concept of madness, suggesting that it’s a force that lurks in the background, waiting to take hold of the singer someday, possibly through temptation or addiction. The second verse continues the theme, with references to mythical creatures like mermaids mingling with the decadence of perfume and cocaine. Once again, the chorus shifts focus to the singer’s sense of disorientation and loneliness, as they’re being asked by an unknown voice to give a reason to stay.
Overall, “Stay” is a fascinating song that mixes different elements of jazz, rock, and pop to create a distinctive sound that matches the lyrics’ surrealism. It’s a song that rewards repeated listenings, as there are layers of meaning and subtle shifts in tone that can be discovered. Whether seen as a portrait of a dystopian city, an allegory for mental health struggles, or a meditation on the human condition, “Stay” is a song that stays with you.
Line by Line Meaning
Here darkness never quite descends
Nightfall never fully occurs in this place
Only the toughest stars
Only the most enduring celestial bodies
Hang with neon friends
Are accompanied by artificial lighting
Over neon candy stores
Above shops selling sugar-based treats illuminated by neon lighting
Till the bitter end
Until the very end of their existence
Oh madness
Insanity
Waits for me someday
Will inevitably be encountered by me in the future
Raising a champagne glass
Toasting with a glass of a high-end alcoholic beverage
Down some dark alleyway
In a narrow and obscure passage
Down some mean magnetic street
In a harsh and alluringly attractive road
Stopping me to say
Pausing my progress in order to communicate
You could live anywhere you want to
You possess the freedom to reside in any location you desire
Give me one reason to stay
Provide me with one cause to remain here
Here monsters walk the earth again
In this place, terrifying creatures traverse the ground once more
Mermaids in black and gold
Fully formed female figures possessing a fishtail costume in dark tones with golden accents
Perfume and cocaine
Fragrant liquids and a highly addictive drug
Rising from a teeming sea
Emerging from an abundant and lively aquatic habitat
Asking me again
Inquiring of me once more
You could have anyone you want to
You have the ability to attain any individual you desire
Give me one reason to stay
Provide me with one cause to remain here
I think I'll stay
I have decided to remain here
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ROBERT BROOKINS, ROBERT F. BROOKINS, JACKIE JACKSON, DIANNE QUANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@giovannisclafani2665
I am Italian and I discovered Jackson Browne in 1975. Since then his music has never left me. The discovery of him then made me fall in love with Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. Since then, my dream was to ride Pacific Highway 1 in a convertible accompanied by the sound of his music. The dream came true in 1998. Incredible experience. Thank you Mr. Browne, for giving me the pleasure of my twenty years.
@giovannisclafani2665
@@barbarafischer4676 Absolutely. Luckily I managed to keep my daughter away from the music of the last 30 years ...
@giovannisclafani2665
@@barbarafischer4676 My daughter is 40, and I am 65. From a young age to college I was DJ for a private radio. At that time in Italy there was a flowering of numerous radio stations run by young people. When my daughter started listening to music, I immediately tried to convey my passion for 70s music to her and I was successful. Today she prefers to listen to everything I loved and she is doing the same thing with my six year old granddaughters ... it seems impossible, but that's the way it is ...
@animaladvocate8938
Yes I got myself a convertible to enjoy the exact same thing..fabulous
@carlosreal8859
There you go brother!!
@Crowniecrown
I remember my dad playing this song all the time when I was little. Its been ingrained in my head but its only until now that I actually looked to listen to it again. Great song. Thanks, dad. Miss you, man.
@kouganjr
it's the same feeling on my side
he had put it on both sides of his stereo
@lesakwelberg5508
Love your dad.
@vespapx2008
your dad is the best
@ChrisHandsome420
I bet pops is proud of his boy. Take care man