"Real Men" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Joe Jackson | ||||
from the album Night and Day | ||||
B-side | "Chinatown" | |||
Released | 11 June 1982 (UK) [1] | |||
Genre | Power pop | |||
Length | 4:03 | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Joe Jackson | |||
Producer(s) | Joe Jackson David Kershenbaum | |||
Joe Jackson singles chronology | ||||
|
"Real Men" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1982 as the lead single from his fifth studio album Night and Day . It was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and David Kershenbaum. [2] The song became a hit only in the Dutch language area and Australia. In the Dutch Top 40 it reached the 15th position, and in the Flemish Radio 2 Top 30 it reached the 25th position. "Real Men" reached No. 89 in the UK and No. 6 in Australia. [3] [4] A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Steve Barron. [5] The song was covered by Tori Amos on her 2001 album of gender-swapped covers, Strange Little Girls .
Jackson has described "Real Men" as being about the "age old battle of the sexes". He told Billboard in 1982: "I think your average male has had his masculinity and supremacy threatened to the point where he's not sure what it is he's supposed to do. Intelligent, forward thinking, in the sexual arena, is being done by women. It's all about the way stereotypes have reversed, turned upside down and become meaningless." [6] The song has also been described as examining the themes of sexuality and male sexual attraction to other men. [7]
In a review of Night and Day, Susan Molloy of The Sydney Morning Herald described "Real Men" as "lyrically one of the most outrageous songs for a long time" which "seemingly ends with a plea for grass-roots heterosexuality". [8] Mike Day of The Age considered "Real Men" to be a "superbly grandiose creation" with "Phil Spector-style piano", a "wailing vocal chorus that is vintage Springsteen", "echoing drums" and lyrics that "cut a swathe through male chauvinism". [9]
Alan Kellogg of the Edmonton Journal noted the "sheer lyric depth" and "brittle intensity", adding it was "a song for the Eighties if there ever was one". [10] Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone commented: "The album's loveliest song, 'Real Men,' solemnly blends string chamber music with echoes of Phil Spector, as Jackson sorts out the contradiction between the traditional male role of warrior and today's macho gay culture." [11]
In 2015, Kevin Wuench of Tampa Bay Times said of the song's lyrical message: "'Real Men' is not so much pro-gay song but more an open-ended song that asks the listener to make their own definition of what makes a real man". [12] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described the song as "haunting" in a retrospective review of Night and Day. [2]
7-inch single
12-inch single (The Real Men E.P., Dutch release)
Production
Other
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
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.
Look Sharp! is the debut album by Joe Jackson, released in January 1979. The album features one of Jackson's most well-known songs, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", as well as the title track "Look Sharp", "Sunday Papers", "One More Time" and "Fools in Love".
Night and Day is the fifth studio album by English musician Joe Jackson, released on 25 June 1982 by A&M Records. It reached the top five in both the United Kingdom and United States, Jackson's only studio album to do so in either country. The album has been certified gold in the UK and US, and achieved platinum status in Canada. It has sold over one million copies.
Mike's Murder is the 1983 motion picture soundtrack album from the film of the same name starring Debra Winger and written and directed by James Bridges. The album features original music by Joe Jackson. It is his sixth album.
"One Day in Your Life" is a song recorded by American singer Michael Jackson for his 1975 album, Forever, Michael. Music written by Sam Brown III and lyrics by Renée Armand, it was later released on March 25, 1981 as a single from the compilation album One Day in Your Life due to the commercial interest that generated from the sales of Jackson's hit 1979 album Off the Wall, despite the fact that Jackson had released that album on Epic Records instead of Motown.
"My Own Way" is the fourth single by English new wave band Duran Duran, originally released on 16 November 1981.
"Hungry Like the Wolf" is a song by English new wave band Duran Duran. Written by the band members, the song was produced by Colin Thurston for the group's second studio album, Rio (1982). The song was released on 4 May 1982 as the band's fifth single in the United Kingdom, and 8 June 1982 in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart, and received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
"It's My Party" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lesley Gore from her debut studio album I'll Cry If I Want To (1963). It was released as the lead single from the album on April 5, 1963, by Mercury Records. The song was collectively written by Herb Wiener, John Gluck Jr., and Wally Gold, while production was helmed by Quincy Jones.
Body and Soul is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Joe Jackson, released on 14 March 1984 by A&M Records. Jackson's first fully digital project, it peaked at No. 14 in the UK, while in the US it reached No. 20. Described by one reviewer as a sophisti-pop album, the tracks are a mix of pop, jazz and Latin music, showcasing the hit single "You Can't Get What You Want ". Two other singles fared well, with "Happy Ending" charting in five countries, and "Be My Number Two" enjoying moderate success in the UK.
"Pass the Dutchie" is a 1982 song performed by British-Jamaican band Musical Youth, taken from their debut studio album, The Youth of Today. It was produced by Toney Owens from Kingston, Jamaica. The song was a major hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart, and at least five other countries. It peaked at 10 in the United States and sold over 5 million copies worldwide.
"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.
Live 1980/86 is a Joe Jackson double live album, released in May 1988. It was recorded during the 1980 Beat Crazy tour, the 1982-83 Night and Day tour, the 1984 Body & Soul tour, and the 1986 Big World tour. Notably, the album contains three different versions of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
"Feelings" is a song by the Brazilian singer Morris Albert, who also wrote the lyrics. Albert released "Feelings" in 1974 as a single and later included it as the title track of his 1975 debut album. The song's lyrics, recognizable by their "whoa whoa whoa" chorus, concern the singer's inability to "forget my feelings of love". Albert's original recording of the song was very successful, performing well internationally.
"Steppin' Out" is a song by English musician Joe Jackson, originally included on his 1982 album Night and Day. The song, inspired by Jackson's time in New York City, was his highest-charting single in America, where it peaked at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached the same position in Jackson's native UK.
David Kershenbaum is an American record producer and entrepreneur, born in Springfield, Missouri. He has worked with many artists including Duran Duran, Tracy Chapman, Joe Jackson, Laura Branigan, Bryan Adams, Supertramp, Cat Stevens, Elkie Brooks, and Tori Amos. As a producer he has earned 75 international gold and platinum albums. His work has yielded multiple Grammys and an Oscar nomination.
Stepping Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson is a compilation album from the English musician Joe Jackson. The songs, arranged in chronological order, are taken from nine of his first twelve albums, all of which were released on the A&M Records label. Stepping Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson reached No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart in October 1990. By this time Jackson had parted company with A&M, with his next few releases being on the Virgin Records label.
"Happy Ending" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was recorded as a duet with Elaine Caswell and released in April 1984 as the second single from Jackson's sixth studio album Body and Soul. The song was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and David Kershenbaum. "Happy Ending" reached No. 58 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"(He's a) Shape in a Drape" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1988 as a single from the soundtrack album of the American biographical comedy-drama film Tucker: The Man and His Dream. The song was written and produced by Jackson.
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.
"A Slow Song" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1982 as the closing track on his fifth studio album Night and Day. The song was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and David Kershenbaum.
{{cite magazine}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)