"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song written and performed by British musician
Joe Jackson. It was released in October 1978 as his debut single and was later included on Jackson's debut album, ''
Look Sharp!'' The track was one of the first Jackson recorded with his new backing band, a band he would perform with for his first three albums. Written as a humorous commentary on women dating unattractive men, the song contains a prominent bass line and a chorus praised by critics as memorable. Jackson has since stated that the song's reputation for being angry was untrue.
On its initial release, the single was commercially unsuccessful and failed to chart. Two follow-up singles, "
Sunday Papers" and "
One More Time One More Time may refer to:
Film and television
* ''One More Time'' (1931 film), a Merrie Melodies cartoon
* ''One More Time'' (1970 film), a film by Jerry Lewis
* ''One More Time'', a 1974 TV special with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and other ...
", were also chart failures. However, when "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was rereleased in mid-1979 after Jackson's reputation and
new wave music
New wave is a music genre that encompasses pop music, pop-oriented styles from the 1970s through the 1980s. It is considered a lighter and more melodic "broadening of Punk subculture, punk culture". It was originally used as a catch-all fo ...
grew in popularity, the single saw more attention and became a chart success. This second release reached the top 20 in the UK and top 30 in the US, becoming one of Jackson's highest-charting singles worldwide. It spent fifteen weeks on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was Jackson's fourth-highest and first song on that chart when it peaked at number 21 the weeks of August 18 and 25, 1979.
Since then, the song has been praised as one of Jackson's greatest and most famous and has been covered by multiple artists. The song has appeared on several of Jackson's compilation albums and remains a staple of Jackson's live setlist. A live ''
a cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
'' version released in 1988 was a top five single in the Netherlands. It has been described as one of the classics of the new wave genre, though Jackson does not consider it his best song.
Background
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was one of the first songs
Joe Jackson recorded with the Joe Jackson Band, which included bassist
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.
Maby was born and raised in the central south coast town ...
, guitarist Gary Sanford, and drummer Dave Houghton. The song was immediately popular with the band; Jackson recalled in his autobiography, "Everyone liked it. It was catchy, they said, and had the makings of a hit. I wouldn't know a hit, I protested, from a hole in my head. I liked all my songs, and if I'd written a hit it was by accident. But I appreciated the enthusiasm, and something else, too: a growing feeling that I was up to something". The final version of the song was recorded with American producer
David Kershenbaum in August 1978 after Jackson was signed to
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
.
According to Jackson, the song originated from when he heard the title. Jackson claimed that he had first heard it on a
song
A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...
by
the Damned, who had gotten it from
the Shangri-Las' song, "
Leader of the Pack
"Leader of the Pack" is a song written by George "Shadow" Morton, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich. It was a number one pop hit in 1964 for the American girl group the Shangri-Las. The single is one of the group's best known songs as well as ...
". From there, he came up with the basis for lyrics for "a funny little song about watching couples and wondering what the girls could possibly see in the guys". Jackson recalled, "It wasn't based on a specific incident or anything like that ... I tried to write a funny song around that title, and that’s about all there was to it, really".
Though the song was written to be comical, it has been interpreted by some critics as angry, earning Jackson the tag of "angry young man".
He said of the song's origins in an interview:
In another interview, Jackson recalled another incident where the lyrics to the song were misinterpreted. He explained that he was accused of racism by a black man because of the song's opening lyric "Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street", which the man had thought was about black men dating white women. Jackson concluded, "And no matter what I said he wouldn't believe me, and as far as he was concerned that was what it was. So, I mean, really, what can you do? (Laughs) I always feel like my lyrics are very clear, but what can I say?"
Music and lyrics
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" has been described by critics as "snotty piano pop" and "the sound of New Wave boiled down into three minutes and 35 seconds."
The song contains a "soft seesaw rhythm of plunking guitar and bass"; the bass line, played by Jackson's longtime collaborator
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.
Maby was born and raised in the central south coast town ...
, has seen praise from critics.
Steve Huey of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
praises the rhythm section's performance for "immediately setting a vibe of cool indignation".
The song's chorus, which has been described as "perfectly singable" and "strong and emotionally compelling", contains "clean guitars and tight bass and drum groove" accompanied by Jackson's "lush vocals".
The song's bridge is more piano-based, showing what Huey describes as "a glimpse of Jackson jazz training".
Lyrically, the song contains a "string of priceless quips" about "boy/girl laws of attraction"; the opening lyric, "Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street", has been highlighted by Huey.
Huey also praises Jackson for "capturing mood and meaning through minor detail" in lyrics like "From my window I'm staring while my coffee goes cold / Look over there (where?) / There, there's a lady that I used to know / She's married now or engaged or something so I am told".
In a
call and response
Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...
, Jackson says "Look over there" and the band responds "Where?"; in live shows, the audience calls often provides the response, which Sarah Larson of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' recalled made Jackson laugh during a performance.
Release
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was initially released as a single in October 1978 with "You Got the Fever" as the B-side.
The American single release instead included "(Do the) Instant Mash".
This release of the single was unsuccessful on the charts, failing to reach the top 100 in either the UK or the US. Two follow-up singles, "
Sunday Papers" and "
One More Time One More Time may refer to:
Film and television
* ''One More Time'' (1931 film), a Merrie Melodies cartoon
* ''One More Time'' (1970 film), a film by Jerry Lewis
* ''One More Time'', a 1974 TV special with Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, and other ...
", were released, but neither charted. However, when the ''Look Sharp!'' album began to gain notoriety and British new wave music grew more popular in the United States, a reissue of the single was released in July 1979 with the new catalogue number AMS 7459.
The new release of the single saw much greater success than the initial pressing, reaching number 13 in Britain and number 21 in America.
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was also a chart success in other nations, reaching the top 10 in Ireland and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and the top 20 in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and New Zealand.
A live ''
a cappella
Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
'' version reached number three on the
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 () is a weekly music chart compiled by ''Stichting Nederlandse Top 40''. It started as a radio program titled "Veronica Top 40", on the offshore radio, offshore station Radio Veronica in 1965. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" ...
and number 17 in Belgium.
Since its release, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" has appeared on compilation albums such as ''
Stepping Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson'', ''
Joe Jackson - Greatest Hits'', and ''
This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979–1989)''.
The song was also used in the 1998 romantic
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
''
There's Something About Mary
''There's Something About Mary'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by the Farrelly brothers, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ed Decter and John J. Strauss. The film features Cameron Diaz as the title character, while Ben S ...
''.
Critical reception and legacy
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" saw positive reception during the time of its initial release; Geoffrey Himes of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' called the song "prime New Wave material" and "one of the best reasons for flipping on the car radio this summer".
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 ...
'' said that it has "a pop-reggae beat, accentuated by the steady bass line, bursting into a catchy pop chorus" and uses minimal instrumentation.
Since then, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" has been recognized as a classic of
new wave.
Sarah Larson of ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' called the song one of Jackson's "brilliantly agitated New Wave masterworks", while an author for ''
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 advertis ...
'' dubbed the song one of Jackson's "classics" and "old favorites".
''
Paste Magazine
''Paste'' is an American monthly music and entertainment digital magazine, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with studios in Atlanta and Manhattan, and owned by Paste Media Group. The magazine began as a website in 1998. It ran as a print publi ...
'' also praised the song, saying, "Only Joe Jackson could turn a song so self-deprecating and sarcastic into something so peppy and upbeat".
AllMusic's Huey praised the song's "caustic yet charming witticisms", while the same website's Tom Maginnis called it "the lead salvo from one of the stand out albums of the late 70's New Wave/Pop era".
Dave Lifton of ''
Ultimate Classic Rock
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
'' ranked the song Jackson's second best, highlighting the song's bass line, chorus, and call-and-response.
The song has been described by critics as one of Jackson's most remembered tracks; ''Paste'' described the song as "the song Jackson is most remembered for", Maginnis called it "the track that put Joe Jackson on the musical map", and Lifton said it has "proven to be his best-known song".
Jackson later wrote, "People still occasionally tell me that this song is the best thing I've ever done. I'm certainly not ashamed of it, and I thank them, but I have to admit I sincerely hope they're not right". In another interview, Jackson said of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" and his 1982 hit "
Steppin' Out", "I wrote them, so I'm biased, and I think they're pretty good. Those songs have been around for so long, and I've played them so many times, it's almost like doing a cover version by some guy I used to know".
When asked if audiences at his concerts interrupt to ask for "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", Jackson said, "I mean, that never really happens. I always play it anyway. It's fine with me. You always get a reaction for the best-known songs — that's obvious".
Live performances
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" has been a mainstay of Jackson's live setlist since its release. Like many of Jackson's songs, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" has been rearranged in live concerts to align with Jackson's shifting musical interests.
These reworkings include an acoustic rendition and an ''a cappella''
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
version, performances of which have both been released on ''
Live 1980/86''.
An a cappella version of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was released as a single in 1988 in some European countries.
Jackson attributes this tendency to rework his songs to jazz musician
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life.
Born and raised in Washington, D ...
, a musical idol of Jackson's for whom Jackson released a tribute album titled ''
The Duke'' in 2012; he explained in an interview, "I was ... inspired by Ellington's own philosophy, which he thought the same way about his music – he constantly rearranged and reinvented his own compositions. Sometimes in quite radical ways".
A live version of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" recorded at the
Hammersmith Palais
The Hammersmith Palais de Danse, in its last years simply named Hammersmith Palais, was a dance hall and entertainment venue in Hammersmith, London, England that operated from 1919 until 2007. It was the first ''palais de danse'' to be built ...
appeared as the B-side on Jackson's 1981 "
Beat Crazy" single. Other live renditions have appeared on ''
Two Rainy Nights'', ''
Live in Germany 1980'', and ''
Live at Rockpalast''.
Another live version of the song was released on a bonus CD for Jackson's 2003 album ''
Volume 4'', performed by a reunited Joe Jackson Band; this reunited lineup also performed the song live on ''
Later... with Jools Holland'' in 2003.
Personnel
*
Joe Jackson – vocals, piano
* Gary Sanford – guitar
*
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.
Maby was born and raised in the central south coast town ...
– bass
* David Houghton – drums
Personnel per ''Look Sharp!'' liner notes.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Cover versions
American ska punk band
Goldfinger included a recording of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" on their 1998 cover album ''Darrin's Coconut Ass: Live from Omaha''.
Despite the name of the album, this version of the song is an in-studio recording, like all the others on the album.
American alternative rock band
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is an American rock band formed in Newport Beach, California, in 1986. Originally playing heavier funk metal and nu metal style music, the band achieved mainstream popularity in 1997 with their more pop-influenced single " Fly". Th ...
recorded a cover of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" on their album ''
In the Pursuit of Leisure''.
This version reached number 19 on the US ''Billboard''
Adult Top 40 Tracks and was used as the theme for the short-lived sitcom ''
I'm with Her''.
Chuck Taylor of ''
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 advertis ...
'' reviewed the song favourably, saying that McGrath "infuses it with his consistently likeable brand of hand-waving posturing", though Will Levith of ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' named the song one of the worst covers ever released and said "the song just misses the heart and soul of the original completely".
Australian
pop punk
Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...
band
Kid Courageous released a version of the song as the first single from their album ''
Dear Diary'', reaching number 25 on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart.
Comedic ''a cappella'' singing group
Da Vinci's Notebook also recorded a cover of the song, which appeared on their album ''The Life and Times of Mike Fanning''.
The Raconteurs
The Raconteurs (, also known as The Saboteurs in Australia) are an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 2005. The band consists of Jack White (vocals, guitar), Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar), Jack Lawrence (bass guitar), and ...
' 2006 song "
Steady, As She Goes
"Steady, As She Goes" is the debut single of American rock music, rock band the Raconteurs from their first album, ''Broken Boy Soldiers'' (2006). In early 2006, a limited-edition 7-inch single, 7-inch vinyl record was released as a double A-side ...
" has been compared by some critics to "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" for its similar-sounding bass line.
Leah Greenblatt of ''Entertainment Weekly'' compared the two songs and declared "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" to be the better song, saying, Steady' proves
White">ackWhite's non-
Stripes chops (he's not allergic to bass after all!), but Jackson's track is a stone classic".
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Is She Really Going Out With Him?
1978 songs
1978 debut singles
2003 singles
2005 singles
Joe Jackson (musician) songs
A&M Records singles
Kid Courageous songs
Song recordings produced by David Kershenbaum
Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician)
Sugar Ray songs