“Is She Really Going Out With Him?” by Joe Jackson

Joe Jackson came out swinging in 1978 with "Is She Really Going Out With Him?", his first single, which later found a home on his 1979 debut album Look Sharp! It was among the first things he cut with his new band, the crew that stayed with him through his first three records: Graham Maby on bass, Gary Sanford on guitar and David Houghton on drums, with David Kershenbaum producing and Rod Hewison engineering.

Maby's bass line is the hook before the hook, strutting out front while the guitar nips at its heels and Houghton keeps everything crisp and tight. Jackson plays the baffled bystander, cracking wise about good-looking women stepping out with homely men, and critics singled out a chorus that sticks like gum on a shoe. Plenty of listeners heard a sneer; Jackson has since said the song's angry reputation was never deserved.

The first time out it went nowhere. When it came back in mid-1979, with new wave on the rise and Jackson's name spreading, it finally caught, reaching the UK top 20 and 21 on the Hot 100. Years later a live a cappella version even made the Dutch top five in 1988.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.