Happy Birthday

Musical genius and all-rounder Joe Jackson turns 70

An eventful life without musical boundaries: Joe Jackson always proves to be a tireless innovator of his own art.

(Bild: John Huba)

Joe Jackson is not necessarily nostalgic. The multi-faceted British songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist doesn't want to dwell too much on his past. "I mainly think about what I'm doing now and what I'm going to do next - always," Jackson told "Classic Pop" magazine. His 70th birthday on August 11 will therefore probably not be an occasion for an extensive retrospective.

To mark the 40th anniversary of his debut album "Look Sharp!", he treated himself and his fans to a tour in 2019 with songs from five decades to "celebrate the fact that I'm still around". In the "Classic Pop" interview, he took stock at the time. "I think I've just gotten better," he said. "I'm a much better singer and a much better piano player than I was at the beginning of my career."

No sleepless nights
He has also grown as a songwriter, Jackson said, knowing full well that this is at least a debatable statement in view of his early album classics. "It's subjective," he admitted, "and then there's always the nostalgia factor: no matter what you do, people say: 'Oh, that's not as good as the first album.' That doesn't give me sleepless nights."

He was born David Ian Jackson on August 11, 1954 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. He gave himself the name Joe as a child and officially changed it when he was 20. He began playing the piano at an early age and also learned to play other instruments. Even as a teenager, he said he was a "Beethoven fanatic". With his parents' blessing, he performed in rough bars. And he discovered jazz for himself.

A deep understanding of classical music
The musical talent of the boy, who was bullied by his classmates, was obvious early on. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied composition, piano and percussion. There he also developed a deep understanding of classical music, which significantly influenced his later works.

His breakthrough came in 1979 with "Look Sharp!". The debut contains his iconic song "Is She Really Going Out With Him?", which immediately establishes Jackson as a striking new artist of the new wave and post-punk era. However, he is not a typical representative of the genre and cannot be pigeonholed into any musical category.

Big breakthrough
He released several studio albums at short intervals. His fifth, "Night And Day" from 1982, is a tribute to the American composer legend Cole Porter and his adopted home of New York City. It becomes a huge commercial success. The catchy single "Steppin' Out" is nominated for two Grammys, but receives none.

When Joe Jackson is heard on the radio today, it is almost invariably with "Steppin' Out". The Brit also played the song at his retrospective concerts in 2019 and revealed that he played all the instruments on the recording himself apart from the drums.

Between the worlds of sound
Trends don't bother Joe Jackson. He tries out something new with almost every album. On "Body And Soul" (1984), he mixed pop with Latin American music and jazz. On "Will Power" (1987), he experimented with classical music for the first time. And on "Blaze Of Glory" (1989), his cynical swan song to the 80s, he effortlessly becomes a rock musician. However, the album, of which Jackson is particularly proud, does not sell as well as expected.

Jackson realizes that artistic success does not always mean commercial success. Nevertheless, he remains true to himself as an artist. Creativity is more important to him than popularity and possible chart success. The only constants in his music are his intelligent lyrics and lyrical depth. On top of this, he also composes film music, including for Francis Ford Coppola's "Tucker".

Serious writer's block
In the new decade, Jackson suddenly faces a challenge. "There was a point in the 90s where I felt like I didn't fit into the pop world at all," he said. "I didn't want to make pop music anymore. I had a serious case of writer's block in the early 90s." But that soon passed.

While many of his contemporaries more or less successfully stuck to tried-and-tested formulas for success, Jackson completely freed himself from them. After pop and rock, he devoted himself entirely to classical music. In 1994 he released "Night Music", followed in 1997 by "Heaven & Hell", a modern interpretation of the seven deadly sins.

Return to the top
For "Symphony Vol. 1" (1999), after several nominations, he is awarded a Grammy for the first time - in the "Best Pop Instrumental Album" category. On the album, which features hard rock guitarist Steve Vai, he combines jazz, classical music, pop and rock. A year later, in 2000, the tireless artist followed up his successful 1982 album. With "Night And Day II", he succeeded in creating a musically versatile follow-up.

Jackson largely kept his private life out of the public eye, which is why little is known about it. In his autobiography "A Cure For Gravity" (1999), published in 1999, he mainly describes his musical journey and reflects on his career. He reportedly lives alternately in Berlin and New York.

The search for the perfect song
Professionally, he remains restless. On his latest album to date, "What A Racket!", which was released in November 2023, the British musician sings the songs of a fictional music hall entertainer called Max Champion from the early 20th century, performed with a twelve-piece orchestra. In an interview, the jack-of-all-trades once revealed why he continues to tirelessly roam through musical genres. "I'm still looking for the perfect song," said Joe Jackson. "Maybe I'll find it one day, maybe I won't. But the search for it is what drives me."