Stranger than Fiction (Joe Jackson song)

"Stranger than Fiction"
Single by Joe Jackson
from the album Laughter & Lust
B-side "Drowning"
"Jenny Jenny"
Released 8 April 1991[1]
Format 7", 12", CD single
Length 3:40
Label Virgin
Songwriter(s) Joe Jackson
Producer(s) Joe Jackson
Ed Roynesdal
Joe Jackson singles chronology
"Obvious Song"
(1991)		 "Stranger than Fiction"
(1991)		 "Oh Well"
(1991)

"Obvious Song"
(1991)		 "Stranger than Fiction"
(1991)		 "Oh Well"
(1991)

"Stranger than Fiction" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, released in 1991 as the second single from his ninth studio album Laughter & Lust. It was written by Jackson, and produced by Jackson and Ed Roynesdal.[2] "Stranger than Fiction" reached No. 53 in Germany,[3] No. 71 in the Netherlands,[4] and No. 79 on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart.[5] A music video was filmed to promote the single.[6]

Critical reception

Upon release, Music & Media wrote: "His first Virgin release and what a smash song too! Jackson has returned to pop. The chorus will be whistled from every grocery shop to every petrol station all over Europe."[7] In a review of Laughter & Lust, Jason Damas of AllMusic said: "...songs like "Stranger than Fiction" and "When You're Not Around" sound so effortless, so catchy, so made for radio - and yet you know that Joe Jackson constructed these songs just because he could, not necessarily because he wanted to."[2] Billboard described the song as "Rundgren-esque".[8]

Track listing

7" single
  1. "Stranger than Fiction" - 3:40
  2. "Drowning" - 5:09
12" single
  1. "Stranger than Fiction" - 3:40
  2. "Different For Girls (New Recording)" - 3:37
  3. "Drowning" - 5:09
Cassette single (US release)
  1. "Stranger than Fiction" - 3:40
  2. "Jenny Jenny" - 2:44
CD single (UK release)
  1. "Stranger than Fiction" - 3:40
  2. "Different For Girls (New Recording)" - 3:37
  3. "Drowning" - 5:09
CD single (US promo)
  1. "Stranger than Fiction" - 3:40
CD single (Japanese promo)
  1. "Stranger than Fiction" - 3:44
  2. "Drowning" - 5:10

Chart performance

Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[9] 119
Canadian (RPM) 100 Singles Chart[5] 79
Dutch Singles Chart[4] 71
German Singles Chart[3] 53

Personnel

  • Joe Jackson - vocals, keyboards
  • Tom Teeley - guitar
  • Joy Askew - keyboards, backing vocals
  • Graham Maby - bass
  • Dan Hickey - drums
  • Sue Hadjopoulos - drums, percussion
Production
  • Joe Jackson - producer (all tracks)
  • Ed Roynesdal - producer on "Stranger than Fiction" and "Drowning"
  • Larry Alexander - engineer
  • Bob Ludwig - mastering
Other
  • Calef Brown - illustration
  • Patrik Andersson - photography

References

  1. ↑ "Joe Jackson - Stranger Than Fiction / Drowning - Virgin America - UK - VUS 40". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  2. 1 2 AllMusic Review by Jason Damas (1991-04-30). "Laughter & Lust - Joe Jackson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  3. 1 2 Steffen Hung. "Joe Jackson - Stranger Than Fiction". germancharts.de. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  4. 1 2 Steffen Hung. "Joe Jackson - Stranger Than Fiction". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  5. 1 2 "Item: 1086 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  6. ↑ ""Stranger Than Fiction" by Joe Jackson | Music Video | MTV Africa". Mtvbase.com. Retrieved 2018-07-18.
  7. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music & Media magazine. April 27, 1991.
  8. ↑ Billboard magazine - Album Reviews: Pop - May 11, 1991 - page 74
  9. ↑ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". Imgur. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.