| "Stranger than Fiction" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| SinglebyJoe Jackson | ||||
| from the album Laughter & Lust | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 8 April 1991[1] | |||
| Length | 3:40 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Joe Jackson | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Joe Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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"Stranger than Fiction" is a song by English singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, released in 1991 as the lead single from his ninth studio album, Laughter & Lust. It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Ed Roynesdal.[2]
Upon its release as a single, Alan Jones of Music Week commented, "Lighter than his latter work, 'Stranger than Fiction' is oddly reminiscent of the Hollies. Probably not a hit, but a mouthwatering taster for Jackson's forthcoming album."[3] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "His first Virgin release and what a smash song too! Jackson has returned to pop. The chorus will be whistled from every grocery shop to every petrol station all over Europe."[4] Jane Downing of the Sunday Sun picked it as her "gem" of the week and commented, "Joe's a top rate artist but his singles don't do too well. But then again, neither [does] anything that's remotely melodic."[5] Barbara Ellen of New Musical Express described the song as "not bad" but added that "yet another whirl around low-rent suburbia is not quite what the 'kids' are into at the moment".[6]
Marcus Hodge of the Cambridge Evening News gave a mixed review, stating, "It's intelligently arranged, fresh and buoyant, but all the brass stabs and big production remind us that he's really from a different era."[7] Andrew Hirst of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner felt it "lacks the tuneful sting to scratch too deep beneath its cheerfully witty veneer".[8] Jon Wilde of Melody Maker was critical, calling it "sub-Costello gripe".[9] Steve Duffy of the South Wales Echo awarded two out of five stars and commented, "Joe not at his jaunty best, apart from the odd line. This has a marked American (yawn) influence."[10]
7-inch single
12-inch single and UK CD single
Cassette single (US release)
Production
Other
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | 119 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12] | 79 |
| Europe (European Airplay Top 50)[13] | 26 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 71 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[15] | 53 |
| UK Playlist Chart (Music Week)[16] | 41 |
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