"Steppin' Out" | ||||
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Single by Joe Jackson | ||||
from the album Night and Day | ||||
B-side |
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Released | August 1982 (US) October 1982 (UK) | |||
Recorded | January 1982 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:23 (album version) 3:43 (single version) | |||
Label | A&M | |||
Songwriter(s) | Joe Jackson | |||
Producer(s) |
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Joe Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Steppin' Out" on YouTube |
"Steppin' Out" is a song by English musician Joe Jackson, originally included on his 1982 album Night and Day . [6] 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.
The song is about the anticipation and excitement of a drive out around the town. [7] Released as a single in early August 1982, it became Jackson's biggest hit in the United States, peaking at No. 5 in Cashbox magazine and No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks from December 11, 1982 to January 1, 1983. [6] [8] [9]
It also reached No. 4 on Billboard 's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and No. 7 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks. [10] The infectious tune was Jackson's second biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart, where it reached No. 6 in December 1982. [6] Only "It's Different for Girls", which reached No. 5 in the UK in 1980, did better. [11]
During his 2019 tour for the album Fool , Jackson stated he played all the instruments on "Steppin' Out" – with the exception of session drummer Larry Tolfree, who added a real snare drum and cymbal hits. [12] The rest of the song's drum beat was programmed into a 1979 Korg KR-55 drum machine, the original of which Jackson used on the 2019 tour to play the song. [12]
The music video for the song, directed by Steve Barron, featured a blonde, attractive hotel maid fantasising that she is a Cinderella figure. It was filmed over one night in the St. Regis Hotel in New York City during the summer of 1982. The video used the shorter single version instead of the full album version. [7] According to an interview with Time Out, Jackson made the music video against his wishes. "Rock 'n' roll is degenerating into a big circus, and videos and MTV are very much part of that," he said. [13]
"Steppin' Out" earned two Grammy nominations in 1983, for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. [14] The song lost to Toto's "Rosanna" and Lionel Richie's "Truly", respectively.
AllMusic journalist Chris True praised the song as a "mélange of simple piano hooks, rudimentary electronic treatment and classic vocal pop, with a rhythm track that is quaint in its simplicity and driving enough to invoke images of the big city at night." [15]
In 2015, Pitchfork Media placed "Steppin' Out" at 153 on its list of "The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1980s." [16] Glide Magazine ranked it as Jackson's 2nd best song. [17]
Weekly charts
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Night and Day is the fifth studio album by English musician Joe Jackson, released in 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.
"Ain't No Sunshine" is a song by Bill Withers from his 1971 album Just As I Am, produced by Booker T. Jones. The record featured musicians Donald "Duck" Dunn on bass guitar, Al Jackson Jr. on drums and Stephen Stills on guitar. String arrangements were done by Booker T. Jones. The song was recorded in Los Angeles, with overdubs in Memphis by engineer Terry Manning.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album Thriller (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records. It was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The lyrics pertain to strangers spreading rumors to start an argument for no good reason. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" evokes the disco sound of Jackson's previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979. The song is characterized by a complex rhythm arrangement and a distinctive horn arrangement.
"Last Kiss" is a song released by Wayne Cochran in 1961 on the Gala label. It failed to do well on the charts. Cochran subsequently re-recorded his song for the King label in 1963. It was revived by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, who took it to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Wednesday, Pearl Jam, and several international artists also covered the song, with varying degrees of success. The song was one of several teen tragedy songs from that period.
"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, 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).
"Since I Don't Have You" is a song written and composed by Jackie Taylor, James Beaumont, Janet Vogel, Joseph Rock, Joe Verscharen, Lennie Martin, and Wally Lester. It was first a 1958 hit single for the doo-wop group the Skyliners on the Billboard Hot 100. Country music singer Ronnie Milsap had a hit with the song in 1991. American hard rock band Guns N' Roses also had some success in 1994 with their version of the song which reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" is a song written by Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, and Stevie Wonder. The song was originally recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1967, but his version was not released as a single and did not appear on an album until 1977's anthology Looking Back. The best-known version of this song is the 1973 release by Aretha Franklin, who had a million-selling top 10 hit on Billboard charts. The song reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart in 1974. It became an RIAA Gold record.
"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" is a song by American duo Hall & Oates. Written by Daryl Hall, John Oates and Sara Allen, the song was released as the second single from their tenth studio album, Private Eyes (1981). The song became the fourth number one hit single of their career on the Billboard Hot 100. It features Charles DeChant on saxophone.
"Hurts So Good" is a song by American singer-songwriter John Mellencamp, then performing under the stage name "John Cougar". The song was a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for the singer/songwriter. It was the first of three major hit singles from his 1982 album American Fool. The others were "Jack & Diane" and "Hand to Hold On To," which were all released in 1982. The song was also a critical success with Mellencamp, winning the Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male at the 25th Grammy Awards on February 23, 1983.
"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song by songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted for Lou Johnson, whose version reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1964. Sandie Shaw took the song to No. 1 in the UK that same year, while the duo Naked Eyes had a No. 8 hit with the song in the US two decades later in 1983.
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?"
"Let's Hang On!" is a song composed by Bob Crewe, Sandy Linzer, and Denny Randell that was popularized by the Four Seasons in 1965.
"The Long Run" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded by the Eagles. The sound of the song is viewed as a tribute to the Stax / Memphis rhythm and blues sound. It was the title track of their album The Long Run and was released as a single in November 1979. It reached No. 8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980. It was the second of three singles released from The Long Run album, preceded by "Heartache Tonight," which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1979, and followed by "I Can't Tell You Why," which also reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, in the spring of 1980.
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 as the first single from his debut album Flowing Rivers. It reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the week ending 30 July 1977, and again for the week ending 17 September 1977. It was Gibb's first single released in the United Kingdom and United States. His previous single, "Words and Music" was only released in Australia. It is ranked number 26 on Billboard's 55th anniversary All Time Top 100.
"Rock On" is a song written by English singer David Essex. Recorded in 1973 and released as a single by Essex, it became an international hit. In 1989, American actor and singer Michael Damian recorded a cover version that went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has been recorded many times, including a 2006 version by the English hard rock group Def Leppard.
"Never Gonna Let You Go" is a popular song from 1982 written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann; Weil wrote the lyrics, while Mann wrote the music. It was first recorded by Dionne Warwick for her 1982 album Friends in Love, and then by singer Stevie Woods for his 1982 album The Woman in My Life. However, its best-known rendition was by Brazilian musician and bandleader Sérgio Mendes, on his 1983 self-titled album. That version was sung by Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller.
"The Rain, the Park & Other Things" is a pop song with music and lyrics co-written by Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. It was recorded by the pop band the Cowsills, and included on their 1967 self-titled debut album. Released as a single, the song reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts. It was kept from the No. 1 spot by "Daydream Believer" by the Monkees. The single cemented the group's international popularity and sold some three million copies over the years. It ties with 1969's "Hair" as the group's biggest hit, as both reached No. 2 in the US. In Canada, "The Rain, the Park & Other Things" reached No. 1 on the RPM singles chart.
"Breaking Us in Two" is a song by British musician Joe Jackson. It was the third of three charting singles from his 1982 LP, Night and Day.
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.
"The Other Guy" is a song by Australian soft rock band Little River Band. It was released in February 1983 as the third and final single from the band's 1982 Greatest Hits album. The song also introduced the band's new lead vocalist, John Farnham, who replaced Glenn Shorrock.
...on "Steppin' Out"—Jackson's biggest-ever hit—he makes synth-pop seem as sophisticated and sultry as Cole Porter.