After his successful 1982 release Night and Day (click here for that review), Joe Jackson was invited to contribute a track to Mike’s Murder. The film was written and directed by James Bridges and starred Debra Winger. Jackson ended up writing a number of songs and instrumental pieces.
Deciding to release all of it as an album, Mike’s Murder soundtrack came out in September of 1983. The film, however, was delayed and did not open until March of 1984. Much of Jackson’s work was replaced with a score by John Barry. Despite this disconnect, Jackson’s album reached number 64 on the US Billboard Album chart. Today we will give it a listen to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary.
