About the artist: Joe Jackson (1954) is a British musician and singer-songwriter. He started as a New Wave artist, but gradually his style became more eclectic, and even classical. He released 21 studio albums, but Night and day was by far his most successful one. Joe Jackson currently has four songs in my list of about 200 best pop/rock songs of all time.
About the song: Real men is the first single released from the impressive 1982 Night and day album, which for me, thanks to its strong melodies and clever jazz-influenced instrumentation, is one of the best album of the eighties. The song deals with the interactions of men and women, whether gay or straight. Actually, at least according to Jackson, the straights seem more and more effeminate whilst "all the gays are macho, can't you see their leather shine". Finally he concludes pointedly "if there is war between the sexes then there'll be no people left". Run time 4:04.
