Birthday Singer and songwriter Joe Jackson plays with musical genres

Creativity is more important to Joe Jackson than success in the charts. The British singer and songwriter doesn't care about musical trends. From pop and rock to jazz and classical music, he has done almost everything in four decades. Today he turns 70.

Joe Jackson has presented himself as a multi-faceted songwriter, singer and multi-instrumentalist for decades. However, the Brit doesn't want to dwell on his past in too much detail. "I mainly think about what I'm doing now and what I'm going to do next - always," Jackson told "Classic Pop" magazine.

His 70th birthday will therefore probably not be an occasion for an extensive retrospective. It is more likely that Joe Jackson is already working on his next musical project.

With self-confidence against nostalgia

To mark the 40th anniversary of his debut album "Look Sharp!", he treated himself and his fans to a tour in 2019 with songs from five decades to "celebrate the fact that I'm still around". In the "Classic Pop" interview, he took stock at the time. "I think I've just gotten better," he said. "I'm a much better singer and a much better piano player than I was at the beginning of my career."

He has also grown as a songwriter, Jackson said, knowing full well that this is at least a debatable statement in view of his early album classics. "That's subjective," he admitted. "And then there's always the nostalgia factor: no matter what you do, people say, "Oh, that's not as good as the first album." That doesn't give me sleepless nights."

Beethoven fan in jazz

He was born David Ian Jackson on August 11, 1954 in Burton-upon-Trent, England. He gave himself the name Joe as a child and officially changed it when he was 20. He began playing the piano at an early age and also learned to play other instruments. Even as a teenager, he said he was a "Beethoven fanatic". With his parents' blessing, he performed in rough bars. And he discovered jazz for himself.

The musical talent of the boy, who was bullied by his classmates, was obvious early on. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied composition, piano and drums. There he also developed a deep understanding of classical music, which significantly influenced his later works.

His breakthrough came in 1979 with "Look Sharp!". The debut contains his iconic song "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", which immediately establishes Jackson as a striking new artist of the new wave and post-punk era. Yet he is not a typical representative of the genre; he does not fit into any musical pigeonhole.

Immortal catchy tune "Steppin' Out"

He released several studio albums at short intervals. His fifth, "Night and Day" from 1982, is a tribute to the American composer legend Cole Porter ("Anything Goes", "Kiss Me, Kate") and his adopted home of New York City. It becomes a huge commercial success. The catchy single "Steppin' Out" is nominated for two Grammys, but does not win one.

When Joe Jackson is heard on the radio today, it is almost invariably with "Steppin' Out". The Brit also played the song at his retrospective concerts in 2019 and revealed that he played all the instruments on the recording himself apart from the drums.

He tries out something new with almost every album that follows. On "Body And Soul" (1984), he mixed pop with Latin American music and jazz. On "Will Power" (1987), he experimented with classical music for the first time. And on "Blaze Of Glory" (1989), his cynical swan song to the 80s, he effortlessly becomes a rock musician. However, the album, of which Jackson is particularly proud, does not sell as well as expected.

Jackson realizes that artistic success does not always mean commercial success. Nevertheless, he remains true to himself as an artist. Creativity is more important to him than popularity and possible success in the charts. The only constants in his music are his intelligent lyrics and lyrical depth. He also composes film music, including for Francis Ford Coppola's "Tucker".

Writer's block is followed by a Grammy

In the new decade, Jackson is suddenly faced with a challenge. "There was a point in the 90s where I felt like I didn't fit into the pop world at all," he said. "I didn't want to make pop music anymore. I had a serious case of writer's block in the early 90s." But that soon passed.

While many of his contemporaries more or less successfully stuck to tried-and-tested formulas for success, Jackson completely freed himself from them. After pop and rock, he devoted himself entirely to classical music. In 1994 he released "Night Music", followed in 1997 by "Heaven & Hell", a modern interpretation of the seven deadly sins.

For "Symphony Vol. 1" (1999), after several nominations, he is awarded a Grammy for the first time - in the category "Best Pop Instrumental Album". On the album, which features hard rock guitarist Steve Vai, he combines jazz, classical music, pop and rock. A year later, in 2000, the tireless artist followed up his successful 1982 album. With "Night And Day II", he succeeded in creating a musically versatile successor.

Searching for the perfect song

Jackson largely keeps his private life out of the public eye, which is why little is known about it. In his autobiography "A Cure for Gravity" (1999), published in 1999, he mainly describes his musical journey and reflects on his career. He reportedly lives alternately in Berlin and New York.

On his latest album to date, "What a Racket!", which was released in November 2023, the British musician sings the songs of a fictional music hall entertainer called Max Champion from the early 20th century, performed with a 12-piece orchestra.

In an interview, he once revealed why he continues to tirelessly roam through musical genres. "I'm still searching for the perfect song," said Joe Jackson. "Maybe I'll find it one day, maybe I won't. But the search for it is what drives me."

SDA