How “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” Painted Joe Jackson as an Angry Young Man

It’s fascinating how an early hit can typecast an artist somewhat beyond their control. “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” did that to an extent with Joe Jackson, as he was labeled by many fans and critics as an angry young man type.

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Of course, the song wasn’t emblematic of Jackson’s overall musical approach. Nor, in retrospect, was it all that angry. Nonetheless, it’s a stellar single, one that helped set the tone for a long, prosperous career.

No Average Joe

Literate, New Wave-based singer-songwriter types were all the rage in the late 70s. Elvis Costello and Graham Parker set the tone in that respect. Joe Jackson found himself lumped in with that crew, even though his music would expand away from that stereotype once his career got rolling

Jackson stood out a bit from that pack in that he played the piano. He felt just as much at home playing jazz and cabaret as he did churning out spiky rock-based numbers. In the beginning, however, a record deal meant playing what was popular on the radio. The London music scene in the late 70s required something laced with attitude and bite.

To make that happen, Jackson surrounded himself with a band. They began working on some material together for a debut album. During that process, Jackson signed with a major label. They decided to start from scratch and re-record everything fresh with American producer David Kershenbaum.

A Title Leads the Way

Jackson didn’t go into the writing of “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” trying to make a big statement about male-female dynamics of the era. He just liked the title and decided to write a song from it. And he thought of it as a humorous song, even though many interpreted it otherwise.

Everyone who heard “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” gravitated to it as the first single. It was released in 1978 in advance of the debut album Look Sharp! Unfortunately, the song didn’t initially make much of an impact, either in the States or in Europe.

As Jackson’s reputation grew in the press, however, it was decided that the song should get another chance. Re-released in 1979, “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” started to find its way, landing in the Top 15 in the UK and topping out at No. 21 in the US. It defined Jackson for a while, at least until he hit big in 1982 with the jazzier texture of the album Night And Day.

Behind the Lyrics of “Is She Really Going Out With Him?”

“Pretty women go walking their gorillas down my street,” Jackson begins. It’s a humorous beginning to a song that reveals a lot more about the narrator’s insecurity than it exposes the flaws of the people he’s watching. He knows that he’s a pretender in this world of dating. “I wash my hair and I kid myself I look real smooth.”

Frustrated by his lack of effect on these women, he lashes out with insults. “They say that looks don’t count for much,” he snaps. “If so, there goes your proof.” He even admits his meanness in the middle eight.

“There’s something going wrong around here,” he muses.  That “something” would be the trajectory of this guy’s romantic aspirations. “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” might seem angry. But the narrator directs most of that anger inward at his own failings.

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