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Is She Really Going Out with Him?

"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
Is She Really Going Out with Him? - Joe Jackson.jpg
Single by Joe Jackson
from the album Look Sharp!
B-side "You Got the Fever" (UK)
"(Do the) Instant Mash" (US)
Released

September 1978

May 3, 1979 (reissue)
Recorded 1976
Genre Pop rock, new wave, power pop
Length 3:33
Label A&M - AMS 7392
Songwriter(s) Joe Jackson
Producer(s) David Kershenbaum
Joe Jackson singles chronology
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
(1978)
"Sunday Papers"
(1979)
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
(1978)
"Sunday Papers"
(1979)
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
Kid Courageous - Is She Really Going Out with Him?.jpg
Single by Kid Courageous
from the album Dear Diary
Released 4 April 2005
Genre Pop punk
Length 2:52
Label RockSugar Music
Songwriter(s) Joe Jackson
Producer(s) Rick Will
Kid Courageous singles chronology
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
(2005)
"Life's A Movie"
(2005)
"Is She Really Going Out with Him?"
(2005)
"Life's A Movie"
(2005)

September 1978

"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is the first single released by British musician Joe Jackson in September 1978. The track, which was to achieve greater commercial success when reissued in 1979, was included on Jackson's debut album, Look Sharp!.

According to Joe Jackson, the song originated from when he heard the title. From there, he came up with the basis for the song lyrics of "pretty women" dating "gorillas." He said of the songs origins in an interview:

Now, that is just one of those songs that started with the title. I heard that phrase somewhere and I thought that could be a kind of funny song about gorgeous girls going out with monsters. It just started from there. It was just a funny song, or supposed to be funny. It was a great surprise to me when some people interpreted it as being angry.

Initially being released as a single in 1978, the song saw little chart success, failing to chart in both Britain and America. However, when the single was reissued in the summer of 1979 (catalogue number AMS 7459), the song saw greater success, reaching #13 in Britain and #21 in America. It also appeared in the charts in Australia, Canada and the Netherlands.

The UK B-side of the single, "You Got the Fever" was a non-album track that later appeared as a bonus track on later reissues of Look Sharp! In the U.S., however, "(Do the) Instant Mash," which also appeared on Look Sharp!, was issued as the B-side instead.

An alternate recording of the song was released as the B-side to Jackson's 1981 single, "Beat Crazy." The song was featured in the 1998 romantic comedy film, There's Something About Mary, The Simpsons episode "Rome-Old and Juli-Eh" and Live From Daryl's House episode No. 3 with the Plain White T's.

Live versions appeared on Live 1980/86 (containing three versions of the song including an acoustic version and an a cappella doo-wop version)", on Two Rainy Nights in 2002, and on the bonus CD of Volume 4 in 2003.


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