Jack

Album: Single Release Only (2013)
Charted: 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ben Westbeech is an English musician originating from Hertfordshire who spent his formative musical years in Bristol, but later moved to Amsterdam. Trained as a cellist and vocalist, he also produces and DJs under the moniker Breach.
  • This House tune was Westbeech's first song to reach the UK singles charts under his Breach pseudonym, though he had previously written the vocal for Redlight's Breakthrough hit " Get Out My Head."
  • The song is a tribute to house music's frequent imperative in the late 1980s to those on the dance floor that they should "jack." The term "jack" comes from Chicago house slang and recalls the act of frenetically dancing to a house beat. It frequently cropped up in lyrics and song titles, starting with Chicago artist Steve "Silk" Hurley's "Jack Your Body," which was one of the first House hits in the UK, reaching #1 in January 1987. The same month saw Raze enter the UK Top 20 with "Jack the Groove" and a number of others followed including Mirage's "Jack Mix II" and "Jack Mix IV" as well as Hithouse's "Jack To The Sound Of The Underground."

    Even the leading pop songwriting and record producing trio Stock, Aitken and Waterman latched onto the jack bandwagon with "I'd Rather Jack," which was a #8 hit for The Reynolds Girls. A protest song complaining that their tunes weren't being played on the radio anymore as they preferred older acts, it famously found the popsmiths proclaiming that "they'd rather jack than Fleetwood Mac."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.