YouTube Gold: Joe Jackson’s Coolest Hit

A classic of his era

When Joe Jackson first burst onto the scene in 1979 with his debut album Look Sharp! It was seen - as was he - as part of the New Wave movement, but like Elvis Costello, he was hard to pigeonhole with simple labels.

Within a few years he had branched out enormously, releasing Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive in 1981, which was essentially an homage to the 1940’s jump blues scene and artists like Louis Jordan and Cab Calloway, which was good musically but awful vocally.

His next album, Night and Day, contained a song much more suited to his vocal talents, Steppin’ Out. It became a staple on the radio and on late night TV as well.

But his best hit was his first - Is She Really Going Out With Him?

It’s a minimalist song, mostly driven by the funky base line. As one of the commenters says, it still sounds fresh.