19 Songs From 1979: Is She Really Going Out With Him? (#1)

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It’s been an eventful two days, with tree trimming, a dental emergency, and having to pay taxes on the car. I need to start a “Go Fund Yourself” account to make it till the end of the month! And, speaking of “the end,” here’s the final song on my list of 19 favorites from the year I turned 19. #1: Is She Really Going Out With Him? - Joe Jackson Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street What an opening line. I was reading on Picky Wedia about how people have misinterpreted this song. Joe Jackson (British singer, not Jackson Five’s father or shoeless Chicago White Sox player) has said, repeatedly, the song is just a comical tune about the best-looking women picking the worst-looking guys to date. (Jackson’s one to talk....I remember Gallagher, the comedian, once pondering deep questions, one of which was, “does Joe Jackson have to be in his videos?” ) Some people just don’t have a sense of humor, or can’t see that others do. Jackson has frequently put a comical twist or two into his music, from the swipe at the press in “Sunday Papers” (“I’ve got nothing against the press, they wouldn’t print it if it wasn’t true”) to the proclamation that everything is potentially a carcinogen (“Cancer,” with its chorus of “everything gives you cancer, everything”). This bombed when it was first released in 1978, but a re-release in 1979 gave it more exposure. It was my first exposure to Joe Jackson, and I’m so glad I discovered it....and him. Thanks for reading. Is She Really Going Out With Him? Written by Joe Jackson Recorded by Joe Jackson From Look Sharp!, 1978 They say that looks don’t count for much: