1.) Randy Jackson is the… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist by this name.
1.) Randy Jackson is the youngest brother of The Jacksons.
2.) Randy Jackson is a record producer and a former member of the rock group Journey. He is well known as a judge on American Idol.
1.) The Jacksons youngest brother, Randy Jackson officially joined the group after Jermaine Jackson stayed at Motown and the rest of the brothers moved on to CBS.
Randy also played the bongos and peformed with The Jackson 5 before Jermaine left, but officially wasn't a part of The Jackson 5 on paper.
His sister Janet Jackson covered a song Randy performed solo on The Jackson's Victory Album, called One More Chance.
Randy also had a solo project with Randy and the gypsies.
2.) Born June 23, 1956, in Baton Rouge, LA, Randall Darius Jackson is a singer, bassist, record producer and television personality.
Jackson played in bands with Carlos Santana and Jerry Garcia. In the early 1980s he played on three albums for Jean-Luc Ponty and with the rock band Taxxi. From 1986 to 1987 he was a session musician for the rock group Journey. Jackson played on Journey's 1986 album Raised on Radio. He moved to Italy in the late 1980s and played on a record by Italian pop star Zucchero. The record, Zucchero and the Randy Jackson Band, was produced by Corrado Rustici who played guitar with Jackson on many albums in the early 1980s. He also played with Billy Cobham.
In 1985, Keith Richards was asked to provide music for the Whoopi Goldberg comedy vehicle Jumpin' Jack Flash. Richards assembled an all-star band which included Aretha Franklin on piano and lead vocals and Jackson on bass guitar. This song was the fourth track on Aretha's 1986 album titled Aretha. Jackson can be seen in the song's video.
In the late 1980s, Jackson was still doing sessions. He was notably on the first solo album by famed session guitarist Steve Lukather. Jackson was a featured bass guitarist on five songs on Maze's 1989 "Silky Soul" album.
Jackson was the bass guitarist on the 1991 self-titled Divinyls album (which features the song "I Touch Myself") as well as featured bassist on several tracks of Tracy Chapman's 1992 release, Matters of the Heart. He performed on the singles "Bang Bang Bang", "Open Arms", and "Dreaming on a World". That same year, Jackson also played bass on Bruce Springsteen's hit "Human Touch."
Jackson has recorded, produced, or toured with many well-known artists and bands, ranging from Mariah Carey to Whitney Houston.
He is best known as a judge on American Idol and Executive Producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew
Subdivisions
Randy Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown
Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone
Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone
Subdivisions -
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions -
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help disprove
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth
Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night
Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight
Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights...
The song "Subdivisions" by Randy Jackson and Dominic Cifarelli explores the theme of conformity and the impact it has on young people growing up in the suburbs. The song opens by describing the physical landscape of the suburbs, emphasizing the precise order and detachment that characterizes these areas. The image of an "insulated border" suggests that the suburbs are not just a physical space but a social construct that isolates young people from the cultural and creative ferment of the city.
The second verse delves deeper into the psychological consequences of suburban life, portraying it as a place where conformity is enforced and individuality suppressed. The contrast between "the bright lights" of the city and the "far unlit unknown" of the suburbs underscores the sense of limitation and suffocation that young people experience in this environment. The refrain of "Subdivisions" highlights the segmented nature of suburban life, where people are divided into cliques and must conform to certain norms in order to fit in. The repetition of "conform or be cast out" suggests that there is little room for difference or nonconformity in this environment.
The song's final verse offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that young people can escape the suburbs and find fulfillment elsewhere. The image of the city as a "timeless old attraction" suggests that it contains a vitality and dynamism that the suburbs lack. The lines "some will sell their dreams for small desires" and "get caught in ticking traps" suggest that conformity can be tempting but ultimately unfulfilling. The song's final lines evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a place where "lighted streets on quiet nights" offer a sense of peace and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
Sprawling on the fringes of the city
The suburbs lay far beyond city limits
In geometric order
Suburban neighborhoods are well-planned, ordered by numbers and shapes
An insulated border
The suburbs are separated from the city by an imaginary border
In between the bright lights
The suburbs exist in between the city and the darkness beyond
And the far unlit unknown
The suburbs meet the unexplored areas beyond, with unknown possibilities
Growing up it all seems so one-sided
As children, life seems predetermined and lacking in diversity
Opinions all provided
Set opinions and beliefs are imposed on us
The future pre-decided
Very few are able to control their own future
Detached and subdivided
Society is compartmentalized, like subdivisions of neighborhoods
In the mass production zone
People are seen as products of mass production rather than individuals
Nowhere is the dreamer
Creativity and ambition are stifled in this society
Or the misfit so alone
Those who don't fit into the mold are ostracized and left alone
Subdivisions -
The divisions and categories of society
In the high school halls
Even in high school, the pressure to conform is intense
In the shopping malls
Consumer culture is pervasive and inescapable
Conform or be cast out
Either fit in or face rejection and isolation
Subdivisions -
Further divisions in society
In the basement bars
The few places where those who don't conform can gather
In the backs of cars
Even these small acts of rebellion are dangerous and taboo
Be cool or be cast out
Coolness and popularity are often the only ways to avoid being ostracized
Any escape might help disprove
Trying to escape suburbia may show that it is not the only way of life
The unattractive truth
The truth is that suburban life is not for everyone
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The suburbs offer nothing to fulfill the desires of those who don't fit in
The restless dreams of youth
The hopes and dreams of young people are often unfulfilled in the suburbs
Drawn like moths we drift into the city
People are drawn towards the city for its excitement and opportunities
The timeless old attraction
The city has always been a place of great interest to people
Cruising for the action
People are looking for excitement and adventure in the city
Lit up like a firefly
The city is bright and lively
Just to feel the living night
People go to the city for the vibrant nightlife
Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Some will sacrifice their ambitions for immediate pleasures
Or lose the race to rats
Others will be caught up in the never-ending pursuit of success
Get caught in ticking traps
People get trapped in the repetitive routine of city life
And start to dream of somewhere
People yearn for an escape and a better life
To relax their restless flight
To escape the pressures of city life
Somewhere out of a memory
A place that seems elusive and hard to find
Of lighted streets on quiet nights...
...reminiscent of a peaceful and serene place, free of the hustle and bustle of city life.
Contributed by Gavin W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.