Songoftheday 8/29/12 - Now the mist across the window hides the lines....

Joe Jackson - "Steppin' Out"

from the album Night And Day (1982)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #6 (four weeks)

Weeks in the top-40: 15

Today's Song of the Day is by singer/songwriter Joe Jackson, not Michael's father, but rather the British guy born with the first name David (he was nicknamed "Joe" in school). Jackson grew on on the southern coast of England, and muddled around in a few bands before releasing his first album, Look Sharp!, in 1979. That album scored him his first top-40 hit in both the UK and America with the angst-filled "Is She Really Going Out With Him?". A sophomore set released the same year, I'm The Man, produced the British top-5 hit "It's Different For Girls", his highest-peaking single there to date. After another less successful third album and a since revered swing-jazz album (Jumpin' Jive), Jackson's career was in need of a boost.

With a lush and reverential ode to New York as a basis for his next album, Night And Day recast Joe Jackson as a troubadour plunked down in the Big City. It's first single, "Steppin' Out", which was written by Jackson and produced by him and David Kershenbaum, who was an exec at A&M records and produced Joan Baez's classic Diamond And Rust album. The song perfectly captured the frantic and swanky nature of New York at night...

"Steppin' Out" made the top ten on both the US pop and rock charts, as well as in Britain, and his album was a top-10 phenom in the winter of '82.

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Japanese ambient artist Fantastic Plastic Machine did the song in 1997..

Jazzman Kurt Elling took on the track last year..

And singer Gabriella Cilmi sampled the backing rhythm melody on her top-10 British hit "On A Mission" in 2010...

Up tomorrow: The piano man feels burdened...