If there is anything I can genuinely point to as a guiding star in shaping my life in my formative years, it would be the New Wave. There are many different thoughts about where and when New Wave began, who its originals were, and what its roots were. Many, if not most, would say the new wave sound arrived as a better description of what some called “Post Punk,” a divergence from radical to a slightly more acceptable version. Some will point to the Talking Heads and Blondie in the mid-to-late 1970s and continue to embrace the music as a rejection of mainstream rock (which most agree was the entire purpose of punk.) Everyone would agree that the sounds were about rebellion and creating a new sound but incorporating a necessary dance element, a slight rock edge, a lot of electronic or synthesized sounds, and a bit more accessibility.
Where the early 1970s formed a solid foundation for who I was to become musically (along with some 1960s influences), it was later in the decade that I grew towards adulthood, independence, my rebellion, and a more solidified and distinct individuality about the music I wanted to and eventually did listen to. By 1976, I had moved to Arizona from my New York roots and upbringing. If I hadn’t been careful, I could have allowed that environment to shape me into a hard rock or country-influenced long hair. It was there for the taking, but I wanted more. Like the music industry, I was feeling an itch for something different and looking everywhere for sounds that better suited who I wanted to be or perhaps who I would become. I was approaching my twenties, and even then, I knew they would be formative and shaping years. I didn’t know yet that they would also be the years of New Wave.
Although not entirely, the New Wave sound predominantly came from the United Kingdom. Let’s face it: even if anyone were to argue with me about true roots and definitions, most of the bands and artists were British. Obviously, there were stellar examples from the United States (like the previously mentioned Talking Heads and Blondie, amongst others) that would influence my musical repertoire, but if you’ve read anything within my series of substack entries, you will know my bias and favorite flavors have largely been British.
Rock music in the late 1970s was becoming too ‘corporate’ and over-produced. It was working in big arenas and stand-around club settings. Still, the truth was that people like me needed something to dance to, and although Disco was fun, we needed to dance to something with more rock flavor. Punk was for the mosh pit; New Wave gave us different speeds and allowed us to start jumping up and down through expressive, free-flowing movements that claimed no design or particular dance style. We were all becoming our own choreographers, and that suited me just fine.
One example, and this Substack’s focus is a British singer called Joe Jackson. Jackson would not be what I would describe as the typical New Wave artist when it came to running out to the dance floor, but he was an early example of the difference that this genre blossoming out of several others would represent to me. Here was a slight touch of punk (at a decidedly slower pace), a bit of pop, a lot of Britain, and a whole lot of alternative all wrapped up in one package. The track came from Jackson’s debut album “Look Sharp” and was released in October 1978. The single bombed in the UK initially, but it was rereleased in 1979 when New Wave picked up steam in both the United Kingdom and the United States. When I first listened, the song and the style were reminiscent of one of my late 1970s favorites, Elvis Costello.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, every dance club, whether full-on gay disco or the ever-increasing New Wave model, would take it down a bit from time to time with a slower number to transition styles, give people a break or allow couples to concentrate on each other as well as the music. I remember “Is She Really Going Out With Him” as a song you could enjoy your partner with on the dancefloor while mouthing the words that reportedly were written as a satirical commentary on a beautiful woman dating a less-than-handsome man. It had a distinct beat, meaning you could do certain structured moves without expending much energy. Even if one was not dancing to the tune, it possessed a very melodic and easy-to-remember chorus line that remained in your head if you heard it on the radio or at a party.
Joe Jackson was one of the bands that made an indelible mark on my musical brain and put me in different memorable places with people who will always remain a part of the period that I would list as my favorite musical era (1978-1985). I have found the right music in each year of my life to store as my triggers, but in those seven years between the ages of 20 and 27, I was in what I would likely refer to as my heyday. This part of my life shaped me for the future and where I may have the most triggers to pull from.
Jackson, who will turn 70 this August (!), also recorded and produced tunes like “Steppin’ Out,” “I’m The Man,” “It’s Different for Girls,” “Breaking Us in Two,” “You Can’t Get What You Want (‘Til You Know What You Want), and “Sunday Papers.” For those who did not come up through this era of earworms, one or two of these may be recognizable if heard on an oldies radio station or in a Trader Joe’s near you. This is my youth stored away in a box in my brain. I live for the triggers to remind me and open up the memories, preferably to sit back and remember with a set of headphones.
Tonight’s the night when I go to all the parties down my street
I wash my hair and I kid myself I look real smooth
Look over there (where?)
There, here comes Jeanie with her new boyfriend
They say that looks don’t count for much
If so, there goes your proof
Is she really going out with him?
Is she really gonna take him home tonight
Is she really going out with him?
‘Cause if my eyes don’t deceive me there’s something going wrong around here.
Around here.
❤️