Yes! That and the first line that grabs you...'Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street!'.....🤣 The VERY first time I heard this song, I knew I was going to love the song BECAUSE of that opening line. Hysterical!
This guy is a serious musician, but he never ever took himself too seriously. Great songwriter as well. I think he’s had his hand in just about every type of music you can think of, because he’s THAT good.
Joe has so many great songs! If you have time, please try "real men", "be my number two", "you can't get what you want, 'til you know what you want" or "happy endings". Or any of the songs mentioned by others, you won't be disappointed.
all his records are great he kept changing up from rock/new wave to reggae (Beat Crazy) to jazz/awing (Jumpin Jive) to a tribute to Cole Porter (Night and Day) - great songs include Its Different For Girls, Steppin Out, Look Sharp etc
LoL! You enjoyed that song so much you didn't even pause it once!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😂👍 Joe Jackson is a genius and has gone on to write classical music!
Wow...you really do learn something new every damn day. This song actually popped up in my head the other day but it was Sugar Ray's cover version--which I had NO idea was actually a cover until right now.
Other than giving Joe more well deserved attention and royalties Sugar Ray with his looks has never had problems getting laid or losing his girlfriend to those guerrillas walking down his street.
1978! I bought the 45 single of this song back then. The song was quite different from pretty much everything else on the radio back then. The lyrics were quite the mystery to an eleven year old kid too! Pretty women with gorillas? What??? It's good to find out the music holds up well 40 something years later. Check out Joe Jackson's "Got the Time" when you can and then check out the Anthrax version of the song.
"It's Different For Girls" is a classic - and it suckers you into thinking it's meaning is the opposite of what it actually is. I'd also recommend "Got the Time", "I'm the Man", "Geraldine and John", and "Nineteen Forever".
I remember when I was at boarding school in Sydney in the 80's when he was touring Australia. He was jogging around the oval where we were playing hockey, I recognised him screamed out "that's Joe Jackson" next thing there a bunch of school chasing him around the oval with hockey sticks screaming. Poor guy, but it funny though.
God, his catalog of music is so deep and varied it’s hard to tell where to start. I’ve seen him 11 time since 1986 and his talent is so off the charts, I just adore him musically. The risks and chances he’s taken at the expense of a wider base of consistent popularity puts him in a category nearly all of his own. Who else would leave Manhattan for Germany because he could no longer smoke in restaurants??? Here’s five songs you should review: 1) The Other Me 2) Be My Number Two 3) Another World 4) Fairy Dust 5) In Every Dream Home (A Nightmare). Enjoy!!
Love Joe~ such a wonderful singer/songwriter! A couple of his tracks that probably haven’t been mentioned are _Right And Wrong & Got The Time_ (which was covered by Anthrax) ~ both fantastic & very different!
To be honest with you, I always thought this song was by Elvis Costello until about a week ago. I’m going to listen to I’m the Man. I’m a huge punk fan.
At that time, there were three singers known as the 'angry young men'. Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. All complained about not getting any girls, for the most part. I was a teenager at that time and not getting any girls, and I devoured their music. You should check out the other two angry young men.
They're not bad boys, they're unattractive men. He's literally judging these male strangers on their physical appearance and seeing the disconnect between them and the physical attractive women they were with.
You should check out "Look Sharp" and "You got the Fever" (which is the 'B' side of "Is She really going out with him") Also "It's Different For Girls" loads of great songs to choose from :-)
Hi India, love your reaction channel, I have just remembered an artist from my youth called Elkie Brooks, not sure if you've heard of her but she has a blues vibe and a great voice. 'Sunshine after the rain' and 'we don't cry out loud' were my favourites. She had many other hits in the uk not sure about the usa or rest of the world. But to me she is up there with Karen Carpenter
This came out when I was 20 - 21 and living/partying in NYC. I always felt this was about a guy who was too shy and insecure to approach the girls he liked. Instead, he watched them pair up with other guys and consoled himself by seeing the guys as gorillas and losers and wondering what these girls saw in them.
I saw a new PENTATONIX video.... A cover of Billy Elisa's WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER,,,,, it's really good!!!!! Plus , it introduced me to Billy who I find amazing!!!!
The song is calledIs She really Going Out With Him, not like you said Is She Really Going Down With Him, which might have a completely different connotation!
He's not calling them gorillas to mean they're ugly. He's saying they are big strong guys with ugly personalities. He thinks they're better looking than him, but that he's a better guy.
Joe definitely shows a bit of cynicism about romance...Songs like "Happy Loving Couples" , and "Friday" show a certain...Frustration...with courtship, etc. Infectious, addictive songs, though!
