From Jackie To Joe – Scott Walker And The Melancholy Disposition

As old Joe sat a dyin’, the baby down the hall was cryin’, somebody had a party going on…

I’m not going to pretend to you that Joe is without its flaws or even that you’re definitely going to like it. When I first bought the Scott Walker compilation that I found it on I used to skip it. The arrangement is based on a mildly cheesy cabaret style piano and it almost seems like Scott has thrown the tune away on a jokey experiment in form. But since then I think it might have gradually seeped into my consciousness to the point where now I’m almost obsessed with it. I’ve even started seeing links that probably aren’t there…

No one writes about sad, lonely people with more melancholy humour and beauty than Scott (stop shouting “Streets of London” at your computer…). Joe, I think, lyrically, is the pinnacle of this. It’s the story of the last years of an old man’s life as he sits and waits for death in an apartment block somewhere with only memories of the time when he had friends who would refer to him affectionately as Joe, and with stories of the past that no one wants to hear

The fat boy you told tales to
Moved away the other day
To think with no goodbye he could have gone

I’ve no idea what Scott was thinking when he wrote it. I don’t know the man and I’ve never read an article where he’s cared much to explain any of his songs. I read Rhymes of Goodbye which is a track by track guide to Scott Walker’s songs in the style of Songs That Saved Your Life and Revolution In The Head but it really does little more than say "This is about some old dude dying. It is good." VERY disappointing book - I wouldn’t bother (the cover is excellent though so if you see it in a shop I’d advise you just to rip it off and put the rest of the book back on the shelf); although saying that, I do have some sympathy with the writer in that most of Scott’s stuff both defies and often doesn’t deserve analysis. The Seventh Seal for example, despite being a great song, is almost certainly about nothing else other than the fact that Scott quite likes the film. And much of Scott’s other writing could be said to be exercises in Jacques Brel-isms that probably don’t relate to any of his own thoughts and emotions.

So the following is just a theory and you can take or leave it. I’m probably wrong but so what?

As you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re quite interested in music. I don’t want to call you a geek but… and as you’re reading this you’re most likely at least aware of Scott. As such you’ll probably all know the song Jackie in one form or another and so I’m going to reference it here without explaining it too much.

In my mind Joe is as much a sequel to Jackie as Ashes To Ashes is to Space Oddity. Jackie is a boy on the cusp of manhood who daydreams of fame and fortune; he shall be a singer, a lover; a wealthy trader in decadence and eventually a God. And in each fantasy he refers to a time when he was known by his nickname "Jackie". Sound familiar? Is it too big a leap to say that in Joe, Scott is presenting us with the same character from the other side; someone who all those things didn’t happen to; someone who lived an ordinary life ending in an apartment block with the only people he has to speak to being the fat boy down the corridor and the person who delivers his meals on wheels?

If you don’t believe me then listen to them back to back and try and replace the name Joe with Jackie (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it doesn’t scan but that’s not the point I’m making, is it).

There ain't no one left alive to call me Joe, you used to say
No one left alive to call me Joe…

Does it become more convincing when we look at Scott’s career as an artist crumbling around him at this point with pressures from all sides to ditch his own material and go back to crooning out standards? Is Scott looking into the future and seeing all of his dreams come to nought and a life of loneliness and disappointment beckoning? Is the Scott that was ‘Jackie’ seeing himself becoming ‘Joe’?

Maybe; worth a thought anyway.

Scott Walker – Joe

Scott Walker - Jackie


For existing Walker fans the 5 Easy Pieces box set is nice to have although the booklet is a bit rubbish.

For people new to Scott I’d really recommend It’s Raining Today as an excellent "Best Of". There are some rather eccentric selections on it and some you’d consider to be essentials that are left out; but then that’s Scott fans for you.

After that get Scott 2, then Scott 4, then Scott 3, then Scott. That’s not the order of their greatness, but the order I got them in and it’s done me no harm.

You can see all the lyrics to Joe and Jackie here.


Ricky Stardust