Quote:
Originally Posted by Jedey
"Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street"
Joe Jackson ~ "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"
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Today I was listening again with amusement to
Joe Jackson's song "Is She Really Going Out With Him," which I feel has such cute and clever lyrics. So I checked to see if anyone else thought so, too...and yes, someone did!
I love Joe Jackson's use of just a few well-chosen words and turns of phrases to quickly get across his protagonist's feelings of disdain, jealousy, possessiveness, and incredulous frustration that the women he once knew are dating all these other men and not him:
"Pretty women out walking with gorillas down my street"
-- This is one of my favorite opening lines ever because his description of these competitor men as "gorillas" (to show how much he dislikes them) humorously summarizes the song's message and the protagonist's perspective.
"Here comes Jeanie with her new boyfriend.
They say that looks don't count for much.
If so, there goes your proof."
-- Ha ha! So now he's saying her boyfriend is ugly.
That's a funny and childish way to express jealousy.
"If looks could kill
There's a man there who's mowed (?) down as dead."
-- So now you can imagine him glaring at the man, hating him.
^These are the highpoints for me, but I really like all the lyrics because of the details (staring out the window, coffee getting cold, going to parties, kidding himself he looks smooth) and the overall sense of the protagonist's personality, which is adorable:
Is She Really Going Out With Him? Lyric Meaning - Joe Jackson Meanings