Joe Jackson Steppin' Out

The Story Behind Joe Jackson’s ‘Steppin’ Out’: A night on the town in a vanished New York City inspired Joe Jackson’s hit ‘Steppin’ Out’.

With the decline of punk and disco in 1981, British and American new-wave artists filled the gap with songs driven by synthesizers and programmed dance beats.

“Steppin’ Out” by British singer-songwriter Joe Jackson came early in the transition. Released in June 1982, the song reached No. 6 on the Billboard pop chart, while the album, “Night and Day,” peaked at No. 4.

Recently, Mr. Jackson, who played all the instruments on “Steppin’ Out,” and David Kershenbaum, who coproduced, looked back at the song’s evolution. Mr. Jackson’s U.S. tour begins July 6. Edited from interviews.

Joe Jackson: December 1980 was a turning point for me. My band had just finished touring when my drummer, Dave Houghton, gave notice. I considered replacing him and carrying on. Instead, I broke up the Joe Jackson Band and took a break from pop. I wanted to try something different.

I set to work arranging some of my favorite late-1940s jump blues and jazz songs. It was a bit of fun—a vacation from my own music. My album, “Jumpin’ Jive,” came out in June 1981, and I toured until September.

For me, lyrics have always been the hardest part of writing a song. I sweat over words. I don’t want them to sound dumb and clumsy and meaningless. So I did a lot of editing.

Except for the first verse, I started each with a different pronoun—me, we, you. I used them as cues for the narratives that followed. The lyrics were intuitive and had nothing to do with my personal life. They just felt right.

The first verse set the scene: “Now / the mist across the window hides the lines / But nothing hides the color of the lights that shine / Electricity so fine / Look and dry your eyes.”

The next verse urged the other person to forget the argument: “We / so tired of all the darkness in our lives / With no more angry words to say / can come alive / Get into a car and drive / to the other side.”

The rest is about heading out and the anticipation of arriving at a club: “And in a yellow taxi you turn to me and smile / We’ll be there in just a while / If you follow me.”

Even though the song is set in late ’81, I viewed it as a trip through New York of another era. I imagined the couple going to CBGB or the Village Gate but dressed up, as if in a movie set in 1940s New York.

Once I had written the music and words, I recorded a low-tech demo at a Long Island studio. For the basic rhythm track, I played a Yamaha CP-70 electric piano set to sound like an acoustic piano. It would sustain a warm, human feel after I layered on the synthesizers.

For the bass, I used a Prophet-5 synthesizer. I liked Kraftwerk’s electronic dance beats and bass riffs on albums such as “Computer World.” I set the synth bass so it had a completely precise and metronomic sound. I also used a Boss DR-55 drum machine. I just pressed the “club beat” button.

After the basic rhythm track was done, I overdubbed a Hammond organ and a Fender Rhodes electric piano. I also added a glockenspiel, which sounds like bells.

Then I asked A&M’s David Kershenbaum if he’d come to the recording sessions for an extra set of ears. David had signed me to the label in London in 1979 and worked with me on two albums.

David Kershenbaum: When I first met Joe in the late ’70s, his style, dress and music were very much in sync with the surfacing new-wave movement.

As we worked on his first two albums, I quickly discovered he was a superb musician who could write top-notch songs. Even more interesting was how he absorbed influences and the way they turned up in his music.

By 1981, I was head of A&R at A&M. When Joe played me his demo for “Steppin’ Out” that year, it ran about four minutes and 15 seconds. That was long for a single. The song also didn’t have a chorus. That’s what everyone sings and remembers. I still loved the song.

Mr. Jackson: We recorded at Blue Rock Studio in New York’s Soho neighborhood on Greene Street. Soho then was a gritty neighborhood of warehouses and loft rentals. At night, it was deserted.

I recorded the album in January and February of 1982, late at night. Those hours suited me. The studio was small, which was perfect since I didn’t need much room to record all the instruments.

Mr. Kershenbaum: When we recorded “Steppin’ Out,” Joe played the acoustic grand piano that was there. He also had a Prophet-5 synthesizer. We programmed his driving bassline on a Minimoog.

Mr. Jackson: Next I added a Yamaha CP-80 keyboard. Later, drummer Larry Tolfree overdubbed a real snare drum on top of the fake one to give it an authentic sound.

On the Fender Rhodes, I played notes in my right hand to make the acoustic piano’s notes sound shinier. The Hammond organ added texture and depth to the background. The glockenspiel came last. I didn’t use a guitar on the song or the album. Source: WSJ.com

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