Song · Joe Jackson
“Right and Wrong” by Joe Jackson
Released 1986
“Right and Wrong” by Joe Jackson appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1989 and 2021. It was first released in 1986. Its best result is #405 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,853 alternative song of all time.
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"Right and Wrong" kicked off Joe Jackson's Big World campaign in 1986 as the live album's lead single, and it's a protest song with its sleeves rolled up. The spark was a March 1985 Ronald Reagan speech backing American support for the Contras in Nicaragua, in which the president insisted the issue was about right and wrong rather than right and left; Jackson thought that was exactly backwards, and said so. When Reagan went to Congress for $100 million for the Contras the following February, the song only got sharper in his eyes.
Jackson wrote, arranged and sang it, and co-produced with David Kershenbaum; Gary Burke is on drums and Vinnie Zummo on guitar, with Michael Frondelli recording. It climbed to 11 on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks chart.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 405 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 2002 | 927 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1088 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 833 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
Also listed as: Right And Wrong; Right and wrong.
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