Jojo by Boz Scaggs

Album: Middle Man (1979)

Charted: 17

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Songfacts®:

In 1975, Boz Scaggs introduced us to "Lido," a drifter with a very singable name. Two albums, later, he gave us Jojo, the first hit song about a pimp ("fifty dollars, he'll get you all you want," "His baby stays high... he keeps her on the street").

Scaggs wrote the song with David Foster and David Lasley, who was a backup singer on the track. Foster also co-wrote the Earth, Wind & Fire hit "After The Love Has Gone" around this time, and was on his way to becoming one of the top songwriter/producers of his generation. "The music was Foster; he just starts playing it and I start singing along with it and wrote the words," Scaggs said in our 2013 interview. "Then Lasley filled in some words, too. David Foster was writing some great R&B songs at the time, writing with Earth, Wind & Fire and others. He was just David Foster, he's just a genius."
There were plenty of first-call musicians on this track. Scaggs had been working with Paich (keyboards), David Hungate (bass), and Jeff Porcaro (drums) since before they formed Toto, and they all played on this along with their bandmate Steve Lukather (guitar). Lenny Castro also contributed percussion.
A disco version of this song was released as a 12" single in the US.
Scaggs made a video for this song, which wasn't common pre-MTV. Directed by Arnold Levine, it was a fairly basic performance video, with a nattily clad Scaggs singing amongst his bevy of musicians. Toto made similar videos around this time for some of their songs.

Comments: 9

AnonymousGilbert Estrada - I believe the drummer in the video is Carlos Vega.
Gilbert Estrada from CaliforniaWho is the drummer on the official JoJo video.. I know for a fact it’s not Jeff Porcaro
Rick Medina from Newark DelawareI always thought this song had something to do with Broadway Joe, Joe Namath who I remember used to wear a mink coat due those days.
Jj from United KingdomAccording to Bill Schnee, who engineered the track, David Hungate cancelled and was replaced by John Pierce on bass.
Darthcluster from GreeceI hoped JoJo was from the anime but I hoped too much...
Grinder from Los AngelesWell...not exactly, Mike. Of Boz' "hits" (debatable, but Top 20 is usually a pretty good gauge...) Jojo was actually his lowest charting "hit".

But a great song, nonetheless...
Zabo from Pugh, Pa.Jojo was a bad dude. The kind you wouldn’t want to call a friend. Jojo was a tormented soul and treated his women real bad. Jojo was the type of dude that was a predator. Probably a New York City bad ass.
Markantney from Biloxi, MsJul 2014,

Out of his many great songs, this is in the top 3. I think he's never received his just due because he's probably too Soulful to be "Pop" and not quite R&B enough to be Soul?

He's one of the most underrated of alltime to me regardless.
Mike from Santa Barbara, CaThis single was one of Boz Scaggs biggest hits, and it reminded some of his fans of his previous single "Lodown." It's about life in the big city, and seems to be about its criminal elements.

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