It's Different for Girls
"It’s Different for Girls" is a song by Joe Jackson appearing on his 1979 album, I'm the Man. The song has since become one of his most successful singles, notably being the highest charting Joe Jackson single in the UK. Covers have been recorded and released by several different artists.
Not to be confused with Different for Girls."It’s Different for Girls"
Composition[edit]
The song opens with a simple repeated two-note pattern on guitar which is quickly joined by a pulse on bass and drums. The first section of the verse remains quiet, with these instruments and the singer's voice being the main components. In the second section of the verse the dynamics change, with two strident beats on the lyrics "She said", and then drop back down to a quieter chorus driven by a slow arpeggiated guitar pattern, over which the vocal floats in a more complex melody, before returning to the original two-note guitar and bass pulse of the introduction.
Critical reception[edit]
Upon its release, David Hepworth of Smash Hits described "It's Different for Girls" as "a very good song but a mite too sprawling and unfocused to be much of a hit".[7] James Belsey of the Bristol Evening Post picked it as the newspaper's "single of the week" and noted the "attractive sound" and "nicely observed lyrics". He concluded it was "by far the best single release so far from the talented Joe Jackson".[8] In the US, Billboard wrote, "Though the lyrics may be scathing, the instrumentation is laidback and backup singers provide nice harmonies."[9] Record World called it "a power pop ballad with echoing vocals and keyboards that carry Jackson's thoughtfully poignant message about male/female roles."[10]
In 2007, Freaky Trigger ranked the song at number 52 in its list of "The Top 100 Songs of All Time".[11] Glide Magazine ranked it as Jackson's 5th best song.[12]