The Five Best Songs from Joe Jackson’s “I’m The Man”

Joe Jackson is a singer and songwriter, who is often recognized for the songs that he released in the late 1970s to 1990s. He was born in Staffordshire, England on August 11, 1954, and became a musician in the 1970s. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he developed a love for different genres of music. Most of his songs range between rock, jazz, pop, and classical genres. He has produced numerous albums over the years. Below is a list of the best songs from Joe Jackson’s “I’m the Man.”

5. Don’t Wanna Be Like That

 

“Don’t’Wanna Be Like That” is a classic example of the new wave rock music of the 1970s. The song is characterized by upbeat energy, a wide range of vocals, combined with cacophonous sounds from the guitars. The lyrics in the song address Jackson’s seem to address the perception that the media and the general public had about him when he was releasing the song. In the first part of the song, he starts by taking the opportunity to tell people what he is going through. He also questions the media and the public about why they think what they know is true. When Joe Jackson released “I’m The Man,” his music was perceived as being all over the place and he was judged because of the lyrics he included in his songs. Despite the harsh criticism, he still seemed to enjoy himself every time he performed “Don’t Wanna Be Like That” among his other songs.

4. On You Radio

 

The song seems to refer to Jackson’s newfound fame that was based on his first album. His emphasis on how people cannot get near him but can only hear him on the radio illustrates his perception of the changes that he experienced in his life after becoming famous. Like “I’m The Man” and some of the other songs in the album, Jackson incorporates witty phrases and a humorous feel to the song. The track adheres to the beats commonly associated with his new wave rock music. In an interview with PBS NewsHour, which was uploaded on YouTube on May 5 2019, Joe Jackson explained that when he was starting his music career, he did not expect to be successful but always figured that being in the music industry was better, even if it meant living in poverty, than the other odd jobs he had tried out. His response could explain his excitement with his success when he released “On Your Radio.”

3. Friday

 

Friday is a song about the excitement that comes with Friday. In the song, he talks about how on Monday, Friday always feels like it is far away. He also seems to dismiss the other days of the week by stating that he is not talking about Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Joe Jackson’s Friday has the same comical upbeat vibe that is characteristic of his style and pop music. Although the song does not necessarily have any deep meaning, it’s a catchy and entertaining song. The popularity of the song after its release was based on its ability to entertain people and its catchiness.

2. I’m The Man

 

The song was released as the album’s first single in 1979. It is characterized by a compilation of humorous lyrics that sarcastically describe the life of a conman who has a thin mustache and always wears a polka-dot time. In the song, the conman always tries to sell cheap items like watches to people. Jackson displays a wide vocal range in the humorous song. According to AllMusic’s critic Tom Maginnis, Jackson exhibits the behaviors of a confident trickster who is willing to promote any latest fad for money. He refers to Jackson’s lyrics from the song where Jackson talks about planning a new trend because the line of the graph (possibly referring to his financial status) is getting low. Although the song was not a great hit in the US or UK when it was first released, it was quite popular in Canada, where it landed on number 23 in their top 100 charts. The popularity of “I’m The Man” has increased in the US and UK in recent years and the song has also been listed as one of Jackson’s greatest works in various reviews.

1. It’s Different For Girls

 

Joe Jackson wrote this song based on conflicts in relationships that are associated with gender stereotypes that associate women with looking for love in a relationship. It is a common assumption that men are always looking for a fling and generally get into a relationship with a focus on sex. Jackson based the song on a conversation he overheard of someone using the cliché phrase “It’s different for girls” and decided to write a song that switched the female and male roles in relationships. The beginning of the song alludes to emotions that are characteristic of a lover’s quarrel. In the song, girls want anything but love while men want something more out of the relationships. The song became one of his biggest hits in the UK, where it was listed as his highest single. It also appeared in the list of top Joe Jackson’s songs picked by fans of the jam community. Aside from Jackson’s alteration of the stereotypical phrase, the success of the song was also based on the sound quality of the song, which was enhanced with his bellowing vocals and the accompanying guitars.

Conclusion

The success of Joe Jackson’s I’m The Man album was based on his uniqueness and creativeness in writing and recording songs that people could relate to and enjoy. Joe Jackson’s song in “I’m The Man” album is characterized by catchy phrases and an upbeat pop and rock rhythms that was common in the late 1970s. Although most of his songs from the “I’m The Man” album were not hits in the US, they were still enjoyed by his fans from the UK, Canada, and other parts of the world. The record also contributed to the development of the new wave rock that characterized late 1970s rock music.