Despite the scorn of the critics, Howard Jones had made his mark in the UK, and he had even gotten some notice in the USA. Now the dreaded sophomore album was upon him. Could he manage to add something new to the mix, while still retaining his integrity?
It may be difficult for some to imagine, but not too long ago, without the benefit of instant internet answers, the only way to stay informed about the music scene was to regularly read the print magazines and constantly listen to the radio. I knew Mr. Jones was working on a new album, but I had no clue when it would appear, and the best I could manage was to keep an ear out every night on my favorite stations.
I still vividly recall the moment "Things Can Only Get Better" first came on WFNX, just as I was falling asleep. I knew it was him after the first few notes. Was that a real bass guitar in the mix? An actual horn section? Backing singers? Clearly the record label had spent money on the production, and yet the man had not lost the touch.
As always, I thought about the lyrics far more than most would bother, and while I realized it was certainly a feel-good song, something Jones has the knack for, he put a twist on the whole idea of having high hopes: the "things" in life get better when our attitudes get better.
Once I am willing to surrender my dependence on the safety of circumstances, and even let go of my expectations about what might, or might not, happen, then I am on my way to living the best possible life.
Of course I'm terrified, but happiness is mine for the taking when I I am not subject to success or failure as the herd defines it.
I feel uncomfortable when someone assures me that the situation will always improve; the simple fact is that, for so many of us, it doesn't improve. The key, rather, is in having faith in oneself, regardless of the situation.
These were the tiny nudges that later turned me into that eccentric Stoic!
"New Song" had scraped the bottom of the US charts, while "Things Can Only Get Better" climbed all the way to the top ten. Suddenly everyone knew who Howard Jones was, if only for the spiky orange hair.
Just to confirm what a hopeless romantic I am, I adore the brief scene in the video where his lovely wife, Jan, gives him a kiss before he goes on stage.
—5/2007
A few words of commentary from Howard Jones:
And the song itself:
Howard Jones, "Things Can Only Get Better" from Dream into Action (1985)
We're not scared to lose it all
Security thrown through the wallFuture dreams we have to realize
A thousand skeptic hands
Won't keep us from the things we plan
Unless we're clinging to the things we prize
And do you feel scared—I do
But I won't stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better
Whoa whoa whoa-oh-oh whoa-whoa whoa-oh-oh . . .
Treating today as though it was
The last, the final show
Get to sixty and feel no regret
It may take a little time
A lonely path, an uphill climb
Success or failure will not alter it
And do you feel scared—I do
But I won't stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better
Whoa whoa whoa-oh-oh whoa-whoa whoa-oh-oh . . .
And do you feel scared—I do
But I won't stop and falter
And if we threw it all away
Things can only get better
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