"Right and Wrong" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1986 as the lead single from his live album '' Big World''. It was written by Jackson, and produced by

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 ...

and Jackson. "Right and Wrong" peaked at No. 90 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and No. 11 on the US ''

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chart.

Background

"Right and Wrong" was inspired by a speech made by

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in March 1985 where he defended the United States' involvement in the

Nicaraguan Revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution ( es, Revolución Nicaragüense or Revolución Popular Sandinista, link=no) encompassed the rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the campaign led by the Sandinista National Liberation Fr ...

. Jackson told ''

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'' in 1986: "I heard a Reagan speech about supporting the

Contras The Contras were the various U.S.-backed and funded right-wing rebel groups that were active from 1979 to 1990 in opposition to the Marxist Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction Government in Nicaragua, which came to power in 1979 fol ...

in Nicaragua. That's where he said it was not a question of right and left, but of right and wrong. But anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see it's absolutely, definitely a question of right versus left." After the song was written, Reagan asked

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

for $100 million to support the Contras in February 1986, which Jackson felt added further meaning to the song: "Reagan has been ranting and raving about terrorism, but now he's given the Contras $100 million so they can commit their own terrorism. This is the kind of thing I get angry about - and when I get angry about something, it's going to come out in my work."

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Paul Benbow of the ''

Reading Evening Post The ''Reading Post'' (until 2009, the ''Reading Evening Post'') was an English local newspaper covering Reading, Berkshire and surrounding areas. The title page of the paper featured the Maiwand Lion, a famous local landmark at Forbury Gardens. Th ...

'' considered the song to be "another blast from the not too distant past with a hard-hitting rock sound". Jerry Smith of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' wrote, "Deciding to record his latest album live has paid off as this single shows, adding a crisp, vibrant feel that ought to revive his chart ambitions." John Lee of the ''

Huddersfield Daily Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851, as the ''H ...

'' described it as a "moody exercise in hard-edged sophistication" and "typical Jackson" with its "sneering vocals coupled with a gritty and economical music track". He felt the song was not Jackson's "best by any means", but added that it was "certainly a worthy notch in istally of essential listening". ''

'' considered the "in-concert recording" to give the song's "scathing political observation an eyeball-to-eyeball immediacy." ''

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'' described it as an "enchanting and sultry single" which "proves social conscience and good rock still go together well". In a retrospective review of ''Big World'', Jason Damas of

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 ...

commented: "The best moments, like "Right and Wrong," establish ''Big World'' as one of the best and most overlooked records of Joe Jackson's career."

Track listing

;7" single #"Right and Wrong" - 4:11 #"Breaking Us in Two" (Live Version) - 4:20 ;12" single #"Right and Wrong" - 4:35 #"Breaking Us in Two" (Live Version) - 4:20 #"I'm the Man" (Live Version) - 3:47 ;12" single (US promo) #"Right and Wrong" (Single Version) - 4:11 #"Right and Wrong" - 4:35

Personnel

Right and Wrong * Joe Jackson - vocals, piano *

Vinnie Zummo Vinnie Zummo is a New York City session guitarist. He has also worked as a producer, writer, arranger, and sound designer. Zummo worked with Joe Jackson for seven years. He played on six Jackson albums and three world tours. He has also worked wi ...

- guitars, backing vocals * Rick Ford - bass, backing vocals * Gary Burke - drums * Joy Askew, Nikki Gregoroff, Peter Hewlett, Curtis King Jr. - backing vocals Production *

, Joe Jackson - producers * Michael Frondelli - recording engineer

Charts

References

{{Joe Jackson 1986 songs 1986 singles Joe Jackson (musician) songs Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician) Song recordings produced by David Kershenbaum A&M Records singles