Night and Day II
Encyclopedia
Night and Day II is a 2000 album
by Joe Jackson
. It was a revisit of the style of a prior album, Night and Day. The songs are about New York
lifestyle, seen by different characters. It featured a new set of songs in the spirit of his most popular previous recording.
While the original Night and Day (1982) took a satirical look at the downfalls of city life via songs like "TV Age", "Cancer" and "Real Men", Night and Day II is a commentary that steps into the dark side of inner city living as seen though the eyes of a cynical New Yorker (Jackson lived in New York at the time) and seemingly never glances up to seek a lighter tone. "Hell of a Town" and "Stranger Than You" (the featured song of the album) display a biting sarcasm of New York City life, along with lyrics
from songs like "Just Because":
making a commentary on Rudy Giuliani
's mayoralty.
This reflection of the original Night and Day album can be seen in many forms: from the cover (the artwork from 1982's Night and Day features a white background while the photograph from 2000's Night and Day II is a dark nighttime shot taken from within a New York City cab, and shows the World Trade Center just a year before 9/11), to the perceived presentation order of each song's motif (Night and Day feels as if the listener is being taken on a journey, via the song motifs, from daytime to night) while Night and Day II presents a sensation of moving from nighttime to day ("Glamour and Pain" to "Love Got Lost" demonstrates this fully as "Glamour and Pain" deals with a prostitute's lamentations while "Love Got Lost" is mostly placed during Marianne Faithfull
's fictitious working day).
The final song of the album, "Stay", might seem to be somewhat disconcerting upon reflection - Jackson left New York to return to England in 2003.
The music is built with contributions from Graham Maby
(bass
), and Sue Hadjopoulos (percussion
). Also featured are the string
quartet
Ethel
, and three guest vocalists: Iran
ian diva Sussan Deyhim
, drag
performer Dale De Vere and Baroness "Sacher-Masoch" Marianne Faithfull, who sings vocals on "Love Got Lost".
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson (musician)
Joe Jackson is an English musician and singer-songwriter now living in Berlin, whose five Grammy Award nominations span from 1979 to 2001...
. It was a revisit of the style of a prior album, Night and Day. The songs are about New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
lifestyle, seen by different characters. It featured a new set of songs in the spirit of his most popular previous recording.
While the original Night and Day (1982) took a satirical look at the downfalls of city life via songs like "TV Age", "Cancer" and "Real Men", Night and Day II is a commentary that steps into the dark side of inner city living as seen though the eyes of a cynical New Yorker (Jackson lived in New York at the time) and seemingly never glances up to seek a lighter tone. "Hell of a Town" and "Stranger Than You" (the featured song of the album) display a biting sarcasm of New York City life, along with lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
from songs like "Just Because":
My hovel needs a barricade
My pants need an alarm
Need some non-alcoholic whiskey
and some Giuliani charm
making a commentary on Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
's mayoralty.
This reflection of the original Night and Day album can be seen in many forms: from the cover (the artwork from 1982's Night and Day features a white background while the photograph from 2000's Night and Day II is a dark nighttime shot taken from within a New York City cab, and shows the World Trade Center just a year before 9/11), to the perceived presentation order of each song's motif (Night and Day feels as if the listener is being taken on a journey, via the song motifs, from daytime to night) while Night and Day II presents a sensation of moving from nighttime to day ("Glamour and Pain" to "Love Got Lost" demonstrates this fully as "Glamour and Pain" deals with a prostitute's lamentations while "Love Got Lost" is mostly placed during Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Faithfull
Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
's fictitious working day).
The final song of the album, "Stay", might seem to be somewhat disconcerting upon reflection - Jackson left New York to return to England in 2003.
The music is built with contributions from Graham Maby
Graham Maby
Graham Maby , is a bass guitar player. He has recorded and toured with Joe Jackson since his first album, appearing on most of Jackson's albums and tours. He has continued to record and tour with Jackson even while working with other artists.In the early '90s he toured with Graham Parker, Garland...
(bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), and Sue Hadjopoulos (percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
). Also featured are the string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
Ethel
Ethel (string quartet)
ETHEL is a New York based string quartet that was co-founded in 1998 by Ralph Farris, viola; Dorothy Lawson, cello; Todd Reynolds, violin; and Mary Rowell, violin. Unlike most string quartets, ETHEL plays with amplification and integrates improvisation into its performances...
, and three guest vocalists: Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian diva Sussan Deyhim
Sussan Deyhim
Sussan Deyhim is an Iranian singer, composer and dancer.Born in Tehran, her career began as a dancer with Iran's Pars National Ballet company...
, drag
Drag (clothing)
Drag is used for any clothing carrying symbolic significance but usually referring to the clothing associated with one gender role when worn by a person of another gender. The origin of the term "drag" is unknown, but it may have originated in Polari, a gay street argot in England in the early...
performer Dale De Vere and Baroness "Sacher-Masoch" Marianne Faithfull, who sings vocals on "Love Got Lost".
Track listing
- "Prelude" - 1:57
- "Hell of a Town" - 3:18
- "Stranger Than You" - 4:16
- "Why" - 3:54
- "Glamour and Pain" - 5:59
- "Dear Mom" - 4:12
- "Love Got Lost" - 6:59
- "Just Because..." - 4:45
- "Happyland" - 5:12
- "Stay" - 5:46