"Right and Wrong" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1986 as the lead single from his live album '' Big World''. It was written by Jackson, and produced by David Kershenbaum and Jackson. "Right and Wrong" peaked at No. 90 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 11 on the US ''

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chart.

Background

"Right and Wrong" was inspired by a speech made by

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in March 1985 where he defended the United States' involvement in the

Nicaraguan Revolution The Nicaraguan Revolution () began with rising opposition to the Somoza dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, the ouster of the dictatorship in 1978–79, and fighting between the government and the Contras from 1981 to 1990. The revolution r ...

. Jackson told ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' in 1986: "I heard a Reagan speech about supporting the

Contras In the history of Nicaragua, the Contras (Spanish: ''La contrarrevolución'', the counter-revolution) were the right-wing militias who waged anti-communist guerilla warfare (1979–1990) against the Marxist governments of the Sandinista Na ...

in Nicaragua. That's where he said it was not a question of right and left, but of right and wrong. But anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see it's absolutely, definitely a question of right versus left." After the song was written, Reagan asked

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

for $100 million to support the Contras in February 1986, which Jackson felt added further meaning to the song: "Reagan has been ranting and raving about terrorism, but now he's given the Contras $100 million so they can commit their own terrorism. This is the kind of thing I get angry about - and when I get angry about something, it's going to come out in my work."

Critical reception

On its release as a single, Paul Benbow of the ''

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'' considered the song to be "another blast from the not too distant past with a hard-hitting rock sound". Jerry Smith of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' wrote, "Deciding to record his latest album live has paid off as this single shows, adding a crisp, vibrant feel that ought to revive his chart ambitions." John Lee of the ''

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'' described it as a "moody exercise in hard-edged sophistication" and "typical Jackson" with its "sneering vocals coupled with a gritty and economical music track". He felt the song was not Jackson's "best by any means", but added that it was "certainly a worthy notch in istally of essential listening". ''

'' considered the "in-concert recording" to give the song's "scathing political observation an eyeball-to-eyeball immediacy." ''

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'' described it as an "enchanting and sultry single" which "proves social conscience and good rock still go together well". In a retrospective review of ''Big World'', Jason Damas of

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commented: "The best moments, like "Right and Wrong," establish ''Big World'' as one of the best and most overlooked records of Joe Jackson's career."

Track listing

;7" single #"Right and Wrong" - 4:11 #"Breaking Us in Two" (Live Version) - 4:20 ;12" single #"Right and Wrong" - 4:35 #"Breaking Us in Two" (Live Version) - 4:20 #"I'm the Man" (Live Version) - 3:47 ;12" single (US promo) #"Right and Wrong" (Single Version) - 4:11 #"Right and Wrong" - 4:35

Personnel

Right and Wrong * Joe Jackson - vocals, piano * Vinnie Zummo - guitars, backing vocals * Rick Ford - bass, backing vocals * Gary Burke - drums * Joy Askew, Nikki Gregoroff, Peter Hewlett, Curtis King Jr. - backing vocals Production * David Kershenbaum, Joe Jackson - producers * Michael Frondelli - recording engineer

Charts

References

{{Joe Jackson 1986 songs 1986 singles Joe Jackson (musician) songs Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician) Song recordings produced by David Kershenbaum A&M Records singles