No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | “Dear John“ | John, Gary Osborne | 3:28 |
2. | “Spiteful Child“ | John, Taupin | 4:11 |
3. | “Ball and Chain“ | John, Osborne | 3:27 |
4. | “Legal Boys“ | John, Tim Rice | 3:08 |
5. | “I Am Your Robot“ | John, Taupin | 4:42 |
6. | “Blue Eyes“ | John, Osborne | 3:25 |
7. | “Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)“ | John, Taupin | 5:05 |
8. | “Princess“ | John, Osborne | 4:55 |
9. | “Where Have All the Good Times Gone?“ | John, Taupin | 3:58 |
10. | “All Quiet on the Western Front“ | John, Taupin | 6:00 |
Jump Up! is the twenty-second album (the sixteenth in the studio) by the British singer-songwriter Elton John, published April 9, 1982.
The LP, produced exclusively by Chris Thomas, was recorded on the Caribbean island of Montserrat (Air Studios) and Paris (Pathe Marconi Studios); the band featured during the sessions consisted of Jeff Porcaro on drums, Dee Murray on bass, James Newton Howard on keyboards and Richie Zito on guitars. Pete Townshend played the guitar in a song (Ball and Chain).
The artistic result is maintained on good levels, but for many critics the album is not up to the previous 21 at 33 and The Fox [1]. Among the most significant stylistic pieces we should mention the touching Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny), composed by Elton and Bernie Taupin in honor of John Lennon (murdered two years before the album was released). Also notable are Legal Boys (first, occasional, Elton’s collaboration with lyricist Tim Rice) and Where Have All the Good Times Gone ?. The singles extracted from the LP were, in addition to the aforementioned Empty Garden and Ball and Chain, Princess, All Quiet on the Western Front and the famous Blue Eyes (number 12 USA): driven by this latest hit, Jump Up! sees sales pick up slightly (US 17 number, UK number 13) and is more noticeable than previous production. However, it will be necessary to wait for the next Too Low for Zero (1983) so that Elton can return to receive a great success with critics and audiences.