Steppin' Out (Joe Jackson song)

"Steppin' Out"
Single by Joe Jackson
from the album Night and Day
B-side

"Another World" (UK 7")

"Chinatown" (U.S. 7")
Released August 1982 (U.S.)
, October 1982 (UK)
Format 7", 12"
Genre Synthpop, New Wave
Length 4:23 (album version)
3:43 (single version)
Label A&M
Writer(s) Joe Jackson
Producer David Kershenbaum, Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson singles chronology
"Breaking Us in Two"
(1982)
Steppin' Out "Breaking Us in Two"
(1983)
Music sample
Steppin' Out

"Steppin' Out" is a song written by Joe Jackson, originally included on his 1982 album, Night and Day.[1]

The song is about the anticipation and excitement of a night out on the town.[2] Released as a single in August 1982, it became Jackson's biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit in the U.S., peaking at number six.[1] It was his second biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart, also reaching number six.[1] Only "It's Different for Girls", which reached number five in the UK in 1980 did better.[3] The music video for the song, directed by Steve Barron, featured a housekeeper pretending she was a Cinderella figure. It was filmed over one night in the St. Regis Hotel in New York during the summer of 1982.[2]

"Steppin' Out" eventually earned Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.[4]

The song was covered by Fantastic Plastic Machine for his 1998 self-titled album. Gabriella Cilmi sampled the bassline on her 2010 song On a Mission.[5]

In 2002, "Steppin' Out" appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on pop radio station Flash FM. A loop of the instrumental portion of this song is used as the theme music for the WYES-TV (New Orleans, Louisiana) weekly arts and entertainment program, Steppin' Out.

The song is heard as background music in the 2009 film, L'affaire Farewell. It is used in a scene set in 1981, which predated the actual release of the song.

The song is covered by Stanley Jordan on his 2008 album "State of Nature"[6] and Kurt Elling on his 2011 album "The Gate".[7]

A snippet from the song appears at the end of a 2011 Target television commercial for Pedigree dog food.

References

  1. ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 485–486. ISBN 1-84195-017-3. 
  2. ^ a b "Steppin' Out" by Joe Jackson at Songfacts.com
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 274. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  4. ^ "Biography by William Ruhlmann". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4574/biography. Retrieved 4 May 2009. 
  5. ^ Talking shop: Gabriella Cilmi BBC News, 28 January 2010
  6. ^ State of Nature, Album review, Nov. 17, 2008.
  7. ^ Kurt Elling: The Gate - review, Album review, Mar. 10, 2011.