"Home Town" is a song by the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
new wave music
New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
ian
Joe Jackson released on Jackson's 1986 album, ''
Big World
''Big World'' is a 1986 live album of original songs by Joe Jackson. The album was recorded in front of an invited audience at the Roundabout Theatre, East 17th Street in New York City on 23, 24 and 25 January 1986 (except "Man in the Stree ...
''. Written as an ode to his home of Portsmouth, "Home Town" was later released as the follow-up to his politically-charged single, "
Right and Wrong". Despite its lack of chart success, the song has since attracted positive critical reception.
Background
"Home Town," a song about the singer longing to return to his "home town," was written by Jackson as a nostalgic look-back on his childhood home of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
.
Jackson said of the song, Home Town' was a deliberate exercise in writing a nostalgic song. It's not something I tend to indulge in that much. I think it turned out quite well".
After performing the song in concert, Jackson joked, "That was a nostalgic song. I try to not write too many of those. But after a while, they're all nostalgic".
In the song's lyrics, Jackson sings from the perspective of a busy city worker who longs to leave his current standing and return to his childhood home, which he doesn't even know is still there. Musically, the song is a soft rock song featuring a clean guitar track.
In addition to its appearance on ''Big World'', "Home Town" was released as a single in 1986, following "Right and Wrong." It was backed with the ''Big World'' track "Tango Atlantico" in Britain and a live version of "
I'm the Man" in America. "Home Town" did not chart in either country. Jackson later described the song "Dave" off of his 2019 album ''
Fool
Fool, The Fool, or Fools may refer to:
*A jester, also called a ''fool'', a type of historical entertainer known for their witty jokes
*An insult referring to someone of low intelligence or easy gullibility Arts, entertainment and media Fictio ...
'' as being "in a similar vein to 'Home Town.
Reception
"Home Town" has since received positive reviews from critics. Upon its release as a single, Michael Pilgrim of ''
Record Mirror
''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...
'' praised it as a "thoughtful guitar-based twiddler that's low key throughout". Paul Taylor of the ''
Manchester Evening News'' praised it as "another winner from ''Big World'' – one of the year's most exciting albums" and noted the "simple, twangy, sparse backing for a typically thought-provoking lyric". In the ''
AllMusic'' review of ''Big World'', Jason Damas said that it was one of "the best moments" of the album, citing it as a highlight of the album.
The song was ranked number eight on ''
Ultimate Classic Rocks list of the "Top 10 Joe Jackson Songs" by Dave Lifton, who said, "the nostalgic pull of a childhood, especially when the complexities of adulthood set in, is universal."
Track listing
7-inch single (UK)
#"Home Town" – 3:11
#"Tango Atlantico" – 2:58
7-inch single (France and Spain)
#"Home Town" – 3:11
#"What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)" (Live) – 3:05
7-inch single (US, South Africa and Japan)
#"Home Town" – 3:11
#"I'm the Man" (Live) – 3:54
12-inch single (UK)
#"Home Town" – 3:11
#"Tango Atlantico" – 2:58
#"What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)" (Live) – 2:58
#"Steppin' Out" – 4:17
12-inch single (Spain)
#"Home Town" – 3:11
#"What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You're Gonna Get Drunk Again)" (Live) – 2:58
#"Steppin' Out" – 4:17
Charts
References
{{authority control
Joe Jackson (musician) songs
Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician)
1986 songs
1986 singles
A&M Records singles
Song recordings produced by David Kershenbaum