Steppin' Out (Joe Jackson song)
Encyclopedia
"Steppin' Out" is a song
written
by Joe Jackson
, originally included on his 1982 album
, Night and Day.
The song is about the anticipation and excitement of a night out on the town. Released as a single
in August 1982, it became Jackson's biggest Billboard Hot 100
hit
in the U.S.
, peaking at number six. It was his second biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart
, also reaching number six. Only "It's Different for Girls", which reached number five in the UK in 1980 did better. 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.
"Steppin' Out" eventually earned Grammy
nominations for Record of the Year
and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
.
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
.
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" and Kurt Elling
on his 2011 album "The Gate".
A snippet from the song appears at the end of a 2011 Target
television commercial for Pedigree
dog food.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
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...
, originally included on his 1982 album
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...
, Night and Day.
The song is about the anticipation and excitement of a night out on the town. Released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in August 1982, it became Jackson's biggest Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, peaking at number six. It was his second biggest hit on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, also reaching number six. Only "It's Different for Girls", which reached number five in the UK in 1980 did better. The music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Steve Barron
Steve Barron
Steven "Steve" Barron is a director and producer, best known for directing the films Coneheads , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the innovative music videos for a-ha's "Take on Me" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean"....
, featured a housekeeper pretending she was a Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
figure. It was filmed over one night in the St. Regis Hotel in 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...
during the summer of 1982.
"Steppin' Out" eventually earned Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male
Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male
The Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male was awarded from 1959 to 1968. The award had several minor name changes:*From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Vocal Performance, Male...
.
The song was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Fantastic Plastic Machine for his 1998 self-titled album. Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....
sampled the bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
on her 2010 song On a Mission
On a Mission (song)
"On a Mission" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi from her second studio album, Ten . The song was released as the album's lead single in Australia on 5 February 2010 and in the United Kingdom on 7 March 2010. The song has been praised by music critics for its...
.
In 2002, "Steppin' Out" appeared in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 open world action computer and video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the second 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise and sixth original title overall...
, playing on pop radio station Flash FM. A loop of the instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
portion of this song is used as the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
for the WYES-TV
WYES-TV
WYES-TV is the primary Public Broadcasting Service member public television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, owned by the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Foundation. It broadcasts on virtual channel 12.-History:...
(New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
) weekly arts and entertainment program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, Steppin' Out.
The song is heard as background music in the 2009 film, L'affaire Farewell
L'affaire Farewell
L'affaire Farewell is a 2009 French film directed by Christian Carion, starring Guillaume Canet and Emir Kusturica. The film is an espionage thriller loosely based on actions of the high-ranking KGB official, Vladimir Vetrov. It was released in the United States in June 2010, under the title...
. It is used in a scene set in 1981, which predated the actual release of the song.
The song is covered by Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan
Stanley Jordan is an American jazz/jazz fusion guitarist and pianist, best known for his development of the tapping technique for the guitar....
on his 2008 album "State of Nature" and Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling is an American jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and vocalese performer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling first became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church...
on his 2011 album "The Gate".
A snippet from the song appears at the end of a 2011 Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
television commercial for Pedigree
Pedigree
Pedigree can refer to the lineage or genealogical descent of people, whether documented or not, or of animals, whether purebred or not. This can include:-Concepts and documents:...
dog food.