| "Mad at You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Joe Jackson Band | ||||
| from the album Beat Crazy | ||||
| B-side | "Enough Is Not Enough" | |||
| Released | 3 October 1980 [1] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joe Jackson | |||
| Producer(s) | Joe Jackson | |||
| Joe Jackson Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Mad at You" is a song by the Joe Jackson Band, which was released in 1980 as the lead single from Jackson's third studio album Beat Crazy . The song was written and produced by Jackson.
The song's title was inspired by a critic who erroneously said in their review of one of Jackson's New York concerts that the band performed a song with that title. [2] Jackson said at the time, "We've got a review from a New York show which said that we did some great new songs including 'Mad at You' and at the time there was no such song. I'm not knocking that writer though – I thought it was a great title, so I used it." [3]
For its release as a single, the six-minute album version of "Mad at You" was remixed and edited. The B-side, "Enough Is Not Enough", did not appear on Beat Crazy and was exclusive to the single. [4] The single was released on 3 October 1980, preceding the release of Beat Crazy. [1] It was not a commercial success and failed to enter the UK Singles Chart, but did reached number 85 on the Record Business Singles Chart. [5]
The song's music video was directed by Derek Burbidge. [6] It features Jackson portraying both the husband and wife characters, the latter being achieved by Jackson dressing in drag. The video shows the husband sat at the kitchen table having his breakfast, his plate overflowing with beans, while his wife is in the bedroom taking a long time to fix her makeup. The husband is later seen in the hallway holding a table knife as he impatiently waits for his wife to finish preparing herself to go out. These scenes are interspersed with footage of the band performing the song on a stage. [7]
Jackson told Paul Gambaccini for Channel 4's The Other Side of the Tracks in 1983, "It didn't quite have the macabre effect that it was supposed to have. [The husband] threat[ens] [his wife] with the knife that he's just been eating the baked beans with that she's poured onto his plate. It was supposed to be tomato sauce dripping off the dinner knife and you were supposed to think it was blood, stuff like that... it never quite worked out." [8]
On its release as a single, Paul Rambali of New Musical Express wrote, "Jackson toys with dissonance and other modish devices on a song that finds him once again exasperated at the so-called weaker sex." [9] Ronnie Gurr of Record Mirror felt the song was "decidedly undistinguished", commenting, "Furious great bass and guitar sound for sure, but a rolling rant that goes nowhere though the falsetto bit cheers up proceedings no end." [10] Tony Jasper of Music Week noted the song's "jerky, fast-paced rhythm", "girls employed on verse lines" and "solid handclap beat". However, he added, "For all its merits, [the] basic commercial idea [is] not clearly defined, with too many intermingling competing elements." [11] Peter Trollope of the Liverpool Echo noted the "strong, chumpy guitar sound" and "strung out beat", but added the song "should come over a lot better live than it does in the studio". [12]
In a review of Beat Crazy, Clint Roswell of the Daily News felt Jackson "is at his angry and perceptive best with songs like 'Mad at You'". [13] Greg Beebe of the Santa Cruz Sentinel praised Beat Crazy as "easily one of the best records of the year" and picked the "angry, urgent" "Mad at You" as one of his "top choice[s]". [14] Len Righi of The Morning Call stated, "Jackson doesn't supply melodies for most of the material. He and his crackerjack band still play an attractive rock/reggae blend, but often they fall back on Devo/B-52s rhythms that make songs such as 'Mad at You' boring and aimless." [15]
The Chicago Sun-Times commented, "On 'One to One', Jackson sarcastically accuses his beloved of showing more affection for causes than for him. But on 'Mad at You', he willingly glosses over all kinds of interpersonal irritation, letting love come through." The newspaper added that "both songs have melodies that correspond to their thematic complexity". [16] Rick Shefchik of Knight-Ridder Newspapers commented, "...'Mad at You' furthers the man-vs-woman theme brilliantly, as Jackson pouts because his woman has failed to prepare his breakfast properly or get dressed fast enough to suit him. It's all heavily ironic, but Jackson is addressing the dark impulses we all know we shouldn't express." [17]
Ben Horowitz of The Boston Globe stated, "On relatively simple pop, Jackson's band seemed more than adequate, but its weaknesses are often glaring in what it attempts here, particularly on 'Mad at You,' whose 6 minutes are interminable." [18] Jerry DeMarco of The Record felt that Jackson's "mechanically boosted shriek" on the track is "enough to cause a listener to want to smash the record". [19] Vincent Paterno of The News felt the song was "an aimless composition with a Sandy Nelson-like drum backbone" which recalled "Teen Beat". [2]
Joe Jackson Band
Production
Other
David Ian "Joe" Jackson is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Having spent years studying music and playing clubs, he scored a hit with his first release, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", in 1979. It was followed by a number of new wave singles, before he moved to more jazz-inflected pop music and had a top 10 hit in 1982 with "Steppin' Out". Jackson is associated with the 1980s Second British Invasion of the US. He has also composed classical music. He has recorded 20 studio albums and received five Grammy Award nominations.
"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track is included on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album Greatest Hits in 1981. The song peaked at number two in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, becoming the group's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US in 1980, remaining there for four consecutive weeks. It topped the Australian ARIA Charts for seven weeks. It was the band's final single release of the 1970s.
"Crazy" is a song written by Willie Nelson and popularized by country singer Patsy Cline in 1961. Nelson wrote the song while living in Houston, working for Pappy Daily's label D Records. He was also a radio DJ and performed in clubs. Nelson then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, working as a writer for Pamper Music. Through Hank Cochran, the song reached Patsy Cline. After her original recording and release, Cline's version reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles, also crossing to the pop chart as a top 10 single.
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by American songwriter Tom Bahler and performed by American singer Michael Jackson. The song was released as the fourth single from Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall released on April 19, 1980. In 2004, the song appeared in The Ultimate Collection. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time any solo artist had ever achieved four Top 10 hits from one album. In America, it earned a million-selling Platinum certification.
"You Rock My World" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his tenth and final studio album, Invincible (2001). It was released as the lead single from the album on August 22, 2001, by Epic Records.
James Douglas Vallance is a Canadian songwriter, arranger and producer. He is best known as the songwriting partner of Canadian musician Bryan Adams. Vallance began his professional career as the original drummer and main songwriter for Canadian rock band Prism under the pseudonym "Rodney Higgs." In addition to Adams, Vallance has written songs for many famous international artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Aerosmith, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Roger Daltrey, Tina Turner, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Europe, Kiss, Scorpions, Anne Murray, and Joe Cocker. His most recognizable songs are "What About Love" (Heart), "Spaceship Superstar" (Prism), Run to You, "Cuts Like a Knife", "Heaven", "Summer of '69", "Now and Forever ", and "Edge of a Dream". He also co-wrote "Tears Are Not Enough" for Northern Lights for Africa, an ensemble of Canadian recording artists in support of the 1985 African famine relief. He has won the Canadian music industry Juno award for Composer of the Year four times. Vallance is a Member of the Order of Canada.
Beat Crazy is the third album by Joe Jackson, released in October 1980 and credited to the Joe Jackson Band. It was a relative disappointment commercially, peaking outside the Top 40 in both the UK and the United States, with its singles failing to chart. One reason for the reduced sales in the U.S. may have been that the group did not tour to support it there. Nevertheless, the Joe Jackson Band was successful and toured extensively. This would be the last studio album released by the Joe Jackson Band's original line-up until 2003's Volume 4.
"Crazy" is a song written by the English singer Seal and British songwriter Guy Sigsworth. It was produced by Trevor Horn and released in November 1990 on Seal's debut album, Seal (1991). The song became his first commercial hit, reaching the top five in the United Kingdom, while becoming his first top ten single in the United States. It has since been covered by several artists, including Alanis Morissette, whose version was released as a single from her 2005 compilation album, The Collection.
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is a song, with music by English musician Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin, from John's 1975 album Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy. It was released as a single on 23 June 1975, the only single released from the album. Like the rest of the album, the song is autobiographical; it tells the story of an attempted suicide by John.
"Jet" is a song by Paul McCartney and Wings from their third studio album Band on the Run (1973). It was the first British and American single to be released from the album. The song's title was inspired by the name of a pony Paul came across while writing the song on a farm in Scotland.
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song written and performed by British musician Joe Jackson. It was released in October 1978 as his debut single and was later included on Jackson's debut album, Look Sharp! The track was one of the first Jackson recorded with his new backing band, a band he would perform with for his first three albums. Written as a humorous commentary on women dating unattractive men, the song contains a prominent bass line and a chorus praised by critics as memorable. Jackson has since stated that the song's reputation for being angry was untrue.
Volume 4 is the 16th studio album by British musician Joe Jackson, released in 2003. It was the first album to feature the Joe Jackson Band since the 1980 release, Beat Crazy, and it was Jackson's first rock 'n' roll album since Laughter and Lust, which was released in 1991. As before, the Joe Jackson Band consisted of Jackson, Graham Maby, David Houghton and Gary Sanford. Jackson said at the time that he expected the songs on the album to be "in the spirit of the first couple of albums, but with a bit of the greater maturity I'd like to think I've acquired. And I've still got a 32-inch waist — so I don't think it's going to be embarrassing".
"Let Me Talk" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire, released in August 1980 by ARC/Columbia Records as the first single from their tenth album, Faces (1980). It reached No. 8 on the US Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart and No. 29 on the UK Pop Singles chart.
"Got the Time" is a song written and performed by the British new wave musician Joe Jackson, appearing as the closing track on his 1979 debut album, Look Sharp!. The song has since been performed frequently in live concerts by Jackson.
"One More Time" is a song by the British new wave musician Joe Jackson. It was released as the third single from his debut album, Look Sharp!, in 1979. Inspired by a breakup Jackson had, the song features a guitar riff and lyrics detailing a collapsing relationship.
"Kinda Kute" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1980 as the third and final single from his second studio album I'm the Man (1979). Described as a "pop song" by Jackson, the song was written by Jackson and produced by David Kershenbaum. "Kinda Kute" failed to chart in the UK, but reached number 91 on Canada's RPM Top Singles chart.
This page lists albums, singles, and compilations by the musician Joe Jackson. Jackson's recording career as a solo artist began in 1979, with the release of his debut album Look Sharp!. The album was recorded with the Joe Jackson Band, with whom he would release two more albums, I'm the Man and Beat Crazy, the latter of which was credited to the full band rather than simply Jackson.
"Beat Crazy" is the title track to the Joe Jackson Band's 1981 album, Beat Crazy. Written by Joe Jackson, and sung by Graham Maby, it was released as a single in 1981.
"One to One" is a song by the Joe Jackson Band, released as the third single from Jackson's third studio album Beat Crazy (1980). The song was written and produced by Jackson. It was released as a single in the US and Canada in 1980 and the UK and Australia in 1981. It failed to enter the UK Singles Chart, but did reach number 123 on the Record Business Singles Chart.