Discover the story of the song > Say It Ain’t So Joe – Murray Head

- "Say It Ain't So, Joe" is a song by Murray Head from his 1975 album Say It Ain't So.
- The song was written after Head watched a documentary about Americans in the Watergate scandal refusing to believe that President Richard Nixon had lied.
- "Joe" represents both President Nixon and "Joe Public," i.e. the average man.
- American journalists were quick to draw the analogy to Shoeless baseball star Joe Jackson. In 1921, Jackson was banned from baseball for life after he refused to testify against his teammates in the Black Sox scandal.
- The Chicago Daily News headlined his article "Say It Ain't So, Joe," which translates to "Tell me it ain't so, Joe."
- This phrase became famous when another reporter attributed it to a young fan he saw outside the courthouse after Jackson testified before the grand jury.
- In 1977, Roger Daltrey covered the song for his third solo album One of the Boys. This version included The Who drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle, as well as Wings guitarist Jimmy McCulloch.
- Daltrey's version was released as a single everywhere but the UK, peaking at #20 in the Netherlands.