"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 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 ...

. 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. A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by

Steve Barron Steven Barron (born 4 May 1956) is an Irish-British filmmaker. He is best known for directing the music videos for the songs "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Summer of '69" and " Run to You" by Bryan Adams, " Money for Nothing" by Dire Stra ...

. The song was covered by

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

on her 2001 album of gender-swapped covers, ''

Strange Little Girls ''Strange Little Girls'' is a concept album released by singer-songwriter Tori Amos in 2001. The album's 12 tracks are covers of songs written and originally performed by men, reinterpreted by Amos from a female point of view. Amos created f ...

''.

Background

Jackson has described "Real Men" as being about the "age old battle of the sexes". He told ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' 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." The song has also been described as examining the themes of sexuality and male sexual attraction to other men.

Critical reception

In a review of ''Night and Day'', Susan Molloy of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' 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". Mike Day of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' considered "Real Men" to be a "superbly grandiose creation" with "

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

-style piano", a "wailing vocal chorus that is vintage

Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originato ...

", "echoing drums" and lyrics that "cut a swathe through male chauvinism". Alan Kellogg of the ''

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as ...

'' noted the "sheer lyric depth" and "brittle intensity", adding it was "a song for the Eighties if there ever was one".

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' 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." In 2015, Kevin Wuench of ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...

'' 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".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described the song as "haunting" in a retrospective review of ''Night and Day''.

Track listing

;7" single #"Real Men" - 4:03 #"Chinatown" - 4:26 ;7" single (Spanish promo) #"Real Men" - 4:03 ;12" single (The Real Men E.P., Dutch release) #"Real Men" - 4:05 #"El Cancer" - 6:06 #"El Blanco" - 3:52 #"Un Otro Mundo" - 4:00

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

* Joe Jackson – vocals, keyboards *

Graham Maby Graham Maby (born 1 September 1952), is an English bass guitar player. He has recorded and toured with Joe Jackson since his first album, appearing on most of Jackson's albums and tours. He has continued to record and tour with Jackson even w ...

– bass * Larry Tolfree – drums * Sue Hadjopoulos – percussion * Ed Rynesdal –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

;Production * Joe Jackson – producer, mixing *

– producer, mixing * Michael Ewasko – engineer ;Other * Gary Green – photography

References

{{Joe Jackson 1982 songs 1982 singles Joe Jackson (musician) songs LGBT-related songs Songs about New York City Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician) Song recordings produced by David Kershenbaum A&M Records singles Music videos directed by Steve Barron