"Memphis" is a song by English singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1983 as a single from the

soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...

of the American film ''

Mike's Murder ''Mike's Murder'' is a 1984 American neo-noir mystery film written and directed by James Bridges and starring Debra Winger, Mark Keyloun and Paul Winfield. Plot In Los Angeles, bank teller Betty Parrish (Debra Winger) has a one-night stand with ...

''. The song was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and

David Kershenbaum 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 Br ...

. "Memphis" reached No. 85 on the US ''

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Critical reception

On its release, ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' wrote, "Jackson gives a rockabilly-voiced recounting of a disastrously funny journey to the city of his cultural roots." They considered the organ intro to be similar to that of the 1966

Spencer Davis Group The Spencer Davis Group were a British band formed in Birmingham in 1963 by Spencer Davis (guitar), brothers Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass guitar), and Pete York (drums). Their best known songs include the UK numbe ...

song "

Gimme Some Lovin' "Gimme Some Lovin" is a song first recorded by the Spencer Davis Group. Released as a single in 1966, it reached the Top 10 of the record charts in several countries. Later, ''Rolling Stone'' included the song on its list of the 500 Greatest So ...

" and the bass line to be the same as Jackson's 1982 hit " Steppin' Out". In a review of ''Mike's Murder'', Brett Milano of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' felt the song "recalls the punkish sound of Jackson's early albums" and also drew similarities between the song's organ riff and "Gimme Some Lovin'". John Laycock of the ''

Windsor Star The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays. History The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bo ...

'' stated that the song "consciously steals several musical references, especially the famous organ riff straight out of 'Gimme Some Lovin'.'" Gary Graff of the ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

'' identified further musical similarities and stated that Jackson uses "Memphis" as a "tossing ground for licks" from the Spencer Davis Group's " I'm a Man",

the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

' " Wipe Out" and the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

's "Living in the U.S.A." Jim Zebora of the ''

Record-Journal The ''Record-Journal'' is an American daily newspaper based in Meriden, Connecticut, that dates back to the years immediately following the American Civil War. It is owned by the Record-Journal Publishing Company, a family-owned business enti ...

'' noted the similarity to "Steppin' Out", writing, "If you can tell this song from 'Steppin' Out' with your eyes closed, you can probably do the same with identical twins."

Track listing

;7-inch single #"Memphis" - 4:44 #"Laundromat Monday" - 3:31 ;7-inch single (US/Canada release) #"Memphis" - 4:44 #"Breakdown" - 3:59 ;7-inch single (US promo) #"Memphis" - 4:44 #"Memphis" - 4:44 ;12-inch single (Spanish release) #"Memphis" - 4:44 #"Laundromat Monday" - 3:31 #"Moonlight Theme" - 3:25

Personnel

Production * Joe Jackson – producer and arranger (all tracks) *

– producer of "Memphis" * Brad Leigh – engineer * Larry Franke – assistant engineer * Phil Jamtaas – remix engineer * David Bianco – assistant remix engineer

Charts

References

{{authority control 1983 songs 1983 singles Joe Jackson (musician) songs Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician) A&M Records singles