Hot on the heels of Look Sharp!, Joe Jackson wasted no time dropping I’m the Man in October 1979. A mix of razor-edged wit, nervy new wave energy, and sharp social commentary, the album cemented Jackson’s reputation as pop’s sly contrarian. Beyond the hits, there’s a lot more lurking in this spiv’s suitcase.
1. The rise of “spiv rock”
Jackson invented the term “spiv rock” to describe both the record and his trench-coated, polka-dot-tied alter ego on the cover. The spiv was a British petty hustler, always ready to sell you a fake watch. It was satire and image rolled into one.
2. The album almost wasn’t called I’m the Man
The swaggering title track wasn’t an obvious single, let alone the album’s namesake. Jackson insisted on pushing it forward as his lead card. When it flopped in the UK and US, he shrugged, later joking that the label had been right all along.
3. “It’s Different for Girls” flipped clichés on their head
Jackson’s biggest UK hit took the expected boy-chases-girl trope and reversed it. The male narrator seeks love while the woman just wants sex. Delivered with deadpan cool, it became his highest-charting UK single, peaking at number five.
4. A 7-inch album experiment
For collectors, I’m the Man wasn’t just vinyl—it was also issued as a “7-inch album,” packaged as five singles plus a poster. This quirky format played into Jackson’s cheeky vision of marketing music like trinkets peddled by his spiv character.
5. A Goo Goo Dolls connection
Years later, John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls listed I’m the Man as one of the ten albums that changed his life. The nervy pulse and lyrical bite clearly left their mark on future generations of alternative rockers.
I’m the Man may have been billed as “Part Two of Look Sharp!,” but its mix of humor, reversal, and biting character sketches gave Jackson’s spiv persona a lasting place in rock history. Behind the shades and thin mustache, the hustle worked.