This month, I’m jumping into the #APlaceInTheSong challenge from @JukeboxJohnny2. Great songs have that special ability to describe places in a way that makes us feel like we’re right there. Each day, I’ll pick a track that I think accomplishes that feat.
Confession, I never heard this song until this week – a whole 40 years after its release. I also never heard of the album, or the movie Mike’s Murder for that matter. This is one of the great things about music. We never stop discovering. Joe Jackson’s immense catalog is rich and diverse, crossing between many different genres, sometimes within a single album. “Cosmopolitan” has that new wave touch. “Memphis” has a classic rock / surf rock feel. And “Laundromat Monday” is Joe Jackson on his jazz agenda.
I never saw the movie, but “Laundromat Monday” is intriguing as a soundtrack cut. It has a theatrical feel that makes it seem ripe for a Broadway musical. It’s very Joe Jackson. Simple character-based storytelling. Piano-driven accents. And energetic vocal chants. Best of all, the notion of a laundromat Monday feels like a thing, but in its own mundane manner. It’s what I love most about Joe Jackson’s music.
“Each quarter I've made is lost in washing machines. I'm gonna change the world, I could be President If I could just work out where all my Mondays went.”