Genre New wave, punk Label A&M | Length 2:55 Writer(s) Joe Jackson | |
Released January 5, 1979 (1979-01-05) Recorded 1978, Eden Studios, London, England | ||
"Got the Time" is a song written and performed by the British new wave musician Joe Jackson, appearing as the closing track on his 1979 debut album, Look Sharp!. The song has since been performed frequently in live concerts by Jackson.
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The song was covered in 1990 by thrash metal band Anthrax.
Background
In a live performance at Rock Goes to College, Jackson dedicated the song to "anyone out there who leads a hectic life." In the lyrics of the song, Jackson sings of a frantic lifestyle where he is constantly being encountered by new obligations and duties. Musically, the song is a fast-paced rock song with vocals by Jackson. In later live versions of the song (after Jackson split with the Joe Jackson Band), percussionist Sue Hadjopoulos plays a prominent conga rhythm.
The song was first released on Look Sharp!, but it has since seen many other releases. A 1980 live version from the Beat Crazy tour appeared on the live album, Live 1980/86, and a 2004 version appeared on Afterlife. It has also appeared on the compilation album This Is It! (The A&M Years 1979–1989) in live form.
Personnel
Anthrax version
"Got the Time" was covered by the American thrash metal band Anthrax on their album, Persistence of Time. This version was also released as a single by the band in 1990. The band's version was cited by AllMusic writer Steve Huey as the "standout track" from Persistence of Time.
Jackson didn't hold Anthrax's version in high esteem. In the June 1991 issue of Q magazine, Jackson remarked: "I think it sounds kind of clumsy compared to the way we did it on the Live album. I mean, our version is really smoking. Theirs is actually slower than ours, and kind of lumpen. The way I feel about it is, Thanks for the royalties, guys."