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Cover of Look Sharp! by Joe Jackson — Cover: Look Sharp!

Song · Joe Jackson

“Look Sharp” by Joe Jackson

From the album Look Sharp! (1979)

“Look Sharp” by Joe Jackson appears on 17 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1988 and 2022. It was first released in 1979 on the album Look Sharp!. Its best result is #269 on the WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,202 alternative song of all time.

17countdowns

6stations

#269best position

0#1 finishes

0top 10 finishes

1988–2022years charted

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"Look Sharp" is the title track of Joe Jackson's 1979 album Look Sharp!, a wiry blast of new wave cool that sounds like a man adjusting his skinny tie in a cracked mirror. Jackson wrote it alone, and David Kershenbaum produced with Rod Hewison engineering.

The band behind him is a lean trio: Gary Sanford's guitar slashing short and sharp, Graham Maby's bass running nimble circles, David Houghton's drums snapping tight. It sits on the album between "Sunday Papers" and "I'm the Man," and it carries the record's whole attitude, all nerves and style.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

#1,202 of all time

Indie & Adult Alternative

#318 of the '70s

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year	#	Station	Countdown	of
1988	429	KROQ	KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)	496
1989	481	WOXY 97X	WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989)	500
1991	382	WOXY 97X	WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991)	500
1994	269	WOXY 97X	WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)	500
1996	332	WOXY 97X	WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)	498
1999	374	WOXY 97X	WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)	500
1999	645	CD101	CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)	2000
1999	307	CFNY 102.1 The Edge	CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)	1002
2000	645	CD101	CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)	2001
2001	653	CD101	CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)	2002
2002	653	CD101	CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)	2003
2002	1766	Fred (XM 44)	Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)	2002
2003	653	CD101	CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)	2004
2003	348	Fred (XM 44)	Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)	2044
2004	653	CD101	CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)	2005
2005	653	CD101	CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)	1994
2022	319	90.9 The Bridge	90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s	908

Also listed as: Look Sharp!.

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