Yeah, I always took it as a bit of cleverness--reversing the stereotype--a scenario where the girl wants to get laid but nothing more than that, while the guy remembers how Mom always said to save himself for marriage. As if only partly overheard, which is an interesting storytelling technique. (It also throws in a bit of ambiguity, and I'm never certain whether I'm interpreting the song as Joe Jackson intended when he wrote it.)
Adding to the irony: if you see the cover of the 7-inch single, there's a photo of Joe, sitting at his piano (writing a song presumably)...but all of this comes through only if you look carefully. Give it a quick glance & you'd think the person in the shot is a teenage girl, not a grown man. Maybe just a weird pic; the shutter falls at a precise instant, and once in awhile you get a shot where the subject looks like somebody else. The style of the sleeve is very similar to the cover of the Look Sharp! LP (I'm guessing "It's Different For Girls" was written after that one but before I'm The Man).
i wasnt't familiar with the 7'' picture, thanks for pointing it out - now that you put it into perspective, it illustrates the song so beautifully.
to whoever is interested in the picture: discogs.com/viewimages
i wasnt't familiar with the 7'' picture, thanks for pointing it out - now that you put it into perspective, it illustrates the song so beautifully.
to whoever is interested in the picture: discogs.com/viewimages
Yeah, I always took it as a bit of cleverness--reversing the stereotype--a scenario where the girl wants to get laid but nothing more than that, while the guy remembers how Mom always said to save himself for marriage. As if only partly overheard, which is an interesting storytelling technique. (It also throws in a bit of ambiguity, and I'm never certain whether I'm interpreting the song as Joe Jackson intended when he wrote it.)
Adding to the irony: if you see the cover of the 7-inch single, there's a photo of Joe, sitting at his piano (writing a song presumably)...but all of this comes through only if you look carefully. Give it a quick glance & you'd think the person in the shot is a teenage girl, not a grown man. Maybe just a weird pic; the shutter falls at a precise instant, and once in awhile you get a shot where the subject looks like somebody else. The style of the sleeve is very similar to the cover of the Look Sharp! LP (I'm guessing "It's Different For Girls" was written after that one but before I'm The Man).
i wasnt't familiar with the 7'' picture, thanks for pointing it out - now that you put it into perspective, it illustrates the song so beautifully. to whoever is interested in the picture: discogs.com/viewimages
i wasnt't familiar with the 7'' picture, thanks for pointing it out - now that you put it into perspective, it illustrates the song so beautifully. to whoever is interested in the picture: discogs.com/viewimages
Nope, it's about him falling for Gold-diggers!
Nope, it's about him falling for Gold-diggers!