Music Review: Howard Jones "Things Can Only Get Better"

Howard Jones

Things Can Only Get Better

Album: Dream Into Action

Year: 1985

              Howard Jones won’t let the unknown stop him from trying in the uplifting            “Things Can Only Get Better.”

          A hopeful synth opens the single, setting a soaring tone.   He’s going to ask his crush out. He has a great friendship with her. However, he isn’t into playing it safe. If she says no, ok then. At least he gave it a shot. He would like to have a wonderful companion as they travel the world and experience new things. His relatives have criticized his way of life, calling it reckless. Pride and ego are heavy burdens and something he’d prefer not to carry. (“We're not scared to lose it all/Security through the wall/Future 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.”)

In the chorus, his nerves are stinging his skin. However, he is going to push through the pain and get his words out. Somehow, he mangles them and says something wrong, there will be another chance. (“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 whoa oh oh.”)

          Life goes by too fast. Tomorrow, he could get run over by a car. He has to do what he would like now. At 60, he would like to be able to look outside of the window, in his wheelchair, in the nursing home, at peace. His dreams aren’t going to happen overnight. It’s going to take a lot work. Whatever mistakes or accomplishments he makes, he will own them. It’s a part of achieving of what he wants out of life. (“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.”)

An edited chorus ends the single. (“And do you feel/Whoa whoa whoa whoah/And do you feel.”)

 
             Jones’ undoubting vocals want to instill confidence and get people to believe in themselves. He has it together, tries to see the best in people, and has a fantastic outlook on life. His exhilaration for life is catching.

         The undeniable “Things Can Only Get Better” only gets better with each passing decade.