Jessie (song)

"Jessie" is a song by American artist Joshua Kadison. It was released in May 1993 as the debut lead single from the album, Painted Desert Serenade, but did not become a hit in continental Europe until 1994 and not until 1995 (on its third release, but after continuous commercial radio airplay) in the United Kingdom. The song was a Top 10 hit in Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand. In an 1994 interview with Los Angeles Times, Kadison told about the song, "It's a song that a lot of people can relate to. Everybody's heart has been broken by somebody they'll always love. That's what this song is about.. It taps into a feeling that's buried in so many people."[1]

This article is about the Joshua Kadison song. For songs of similar name, see Jesse (disambiguation).
"Jessie"
Single by Joshua Kadison
from the album Painted Desert Serenade
ReleasedMay 11, 1993
Genre
Length5:19
LabelSBK Records
Songwriter(s)Joshua Kadison
Producer(s)
Joshua Kadison singles chronology
"Jessie"
(1993)		 "Beautiful in My Eyes"
(1994)
Music video
"Jessie" on YouTube

Content

The song describes the narrator's tumultuous relationship with a woman named Jessie. The person named Jessie in this song was rumoured to be Sarah Jessica Parker,[2] with whom Kadison was involved at the time. This has never been confirmed, and it has also been pointed out that Parker has never been known to be called "Jessie" or own a cat named Moses. In 1997, she married actor Matthew Broderick.[3]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor Bryan Buss noted that it is "about the searching title heroine and the hopeful, needing narrator who gets sucked into her longing, he paints vivid portrayals of troubled and hopeful dreamers. With lyrics like "Jessie, paint your pictures/'bout how it's gonna be/by now I should know better/your dreams are never free," Kadison taps into the wanderer in all of us."[4] Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that the singer "indulges in a worldly, intelligent brand of storytelling that aims to place him among late luminaries Jim Croce and Harry Chapin. Poignant piano ballad actually is more along the lines of early Billy Joel. Sophisticated, complex production".[5] Dave Sholin from Gavin Report complimented the "beautiful melody and catchy chorus" of the song.[6] The Network Forty stated that a "soulful bluesy delivery exemplifies the main strength of newcomer Joshua Kadison, who reaches new heights with this electrifying piano ballad."[7]

Music video

The music video for "Jessie" was directed by Piers Plowden.[8]

Track listing
CD single - 1993
  1. "Jessie" (Edit) - 4:19
  2. "Jessie" (Album Version) - 5:18
  3. "When a Woman Cries" - 3:31
  4. "All I Ever Ask" - 4:39

Chart performance

References
  1. "'Jessie' helps Marc Cohn find success as a folkie". The Vindicator. 1994-02-12. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  2. "Radio". swr.de. 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
  3. https://www.songfacts.com/facts/joshua-kadison/jessie Songfacts entry on Jessie.
  4. "Joshua Kadison - Painted Desert Serenade". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  5. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 1993-05-22. p. 110. Retrieved 2020-02-01.
  6. Sholin, Dave (1993-09-17). "Gavin Picks: Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 62. Retrieved 2020-10-16.
  7. "Mainstream: Music Meeting" (PDF). The Network Forty. 1992-09-17. p. 20. Retrieved 2018-02-21.
  8. "Jessie (1994) by Joshua Kadison". IMVDb.com. Retrieved 2018-10-18.
  9. "Australian-charts.com – Joshua Kadison – Jessie". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  10. "Austriancharts.at – Joshua Kadison – Jessie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. "Ultratop.be – Joshua Kadison – Jessie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2256." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  13. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 33. August 13, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11 no. 28. July 9, 1994. p. 17. Retrieved March 15, 2018.
  15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Joshua Kadison – Jessie". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  16. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (17.02.1994 – 23.02.1994)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 17, 1994. p. 20. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
  17. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Jessie". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  18. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Joshua Kadison" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl – Joshua Kadison – Jessie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  20. "Charts.nz – Joshua Kadison – Jessie". Top 40 Singles.
  21. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  22. "Swedishcharts.com – Joshua Kadison – Jessie". Singles Top 100.
  23. "Swisscharts.com – Joshua Kadison – Jessie". Swiss Singles Chart.
  24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  25. "Joshua Kadison Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 12, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  26. "JAHRESHITPARADE 1994" (in German). austriancharts.at. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  27. "1994 Year-End Sales Charts: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  28. "Top 100 Singles – Jahrescharts 1994" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  29. "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  30. "JAAROVERZICHTEN - Single 1994" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  31. "SCHWEIZER JAHRESHITPARADE 1994". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 4 December 2019.



This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.