Right and Wrong (song)

"Right and Wrong" was inspired by a speech made by Ronald Reagan in March 1985 where he defended the United States' involvement in the Nicaraguan Revolution.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/03/02/world/reagan-terms-nicaraguan-rebels-moral-equal-of-founding-fathers.html|title=Reagan Terms Nicaraguan Rebels 'Moral Equal of Founding Fathers'|first=Gerald M.|last=Boyd|date=March 2, 1985|website=The New York Times|access-date=2020-08-09}} Jackson told The Boston Globe in 1986: "I heard a Reagan speech about supporting the Contras 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."{{cite news|last=Morse|first=Steve|date=10 July 1986|title=Joe Jackson does it his way|newspaper=The Boston Globe}} After the song was written, Reagan asked Congress for $100 million to support the Contras in February 1986,{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/26/world/reagan-asks-100-million-for-contras.html|title=Reagan Asks $100 Million for Contras|first=David K.|last=Shipler|date=February 26, 1986|website=The New York Times|access-date=2020-08-09}} 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."

On its release as a single, Paul Benbow of the Reading Evening Post considered the song to be "another blast from the not too distant past with a hard-hitting rock sound".{{cite news|last=Benbow|first=Paul|date=12 April 1986|title=Singles...|newspaper=Reading Evening Post|page=23}} Jerry Smith of Music Week 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."{{cite magazine|date=19 April 1986|title=A&R: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=17|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1986/Music-Week-1986-04-19.pdf|via=World Radio History|access-date=25 July 2021}} John Lee of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner 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 [his] tally of essential listening".{{cite news |last=Lee |first=John |date=19 April 1986 |title=Reviews: Singles |newspaper=Huddersfield Daily Examiner |page=14}}

Billboard considered the "in-concert recording" to give the song's "scathing political observation an eyeball-to-eyeball immediacy."{{cite magazine|date=3 May 1986|title=Single Reviews|magazine=Billboard|page=65}} Cash Box described it as an "enchanting and sultry single" which "proves social conscience and good rock still go together well".{{cite magazine|date=3 May 1986|title=Single Releases|magazine=Cash Box|page=13}} In a retrospective review of Big World, Jason Damas of AllMusic 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."

;7" single

1. "Right and Wrong" - 4:11
2. "Breaking Us in Two" (Live Version) - 4:20

;12" single

1. "Right and Wrong" - 4:35
2. "Breaking Us in Two" (Live Version) - 4:20
3. "I'm the Man" (Live Version) - 3:47

;12" single (US promo)

1. "Right and Wrong" (Single Version) - 4:11
2. "Right and Wrong" - 4:35

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

{{Reflist}}

{{Joe Jackson}}

Category:1986 songs

Category:1986 singles

Category:Joe Jackson (musician) songs

Category:Songs written by Joe Jackson (musician)

Category:Song recordings produced by David Kershenbaum

Category:A&M Records singles