Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out” is one of those songs that I really didn’t care for when it was a hit. I might have suffered through it during Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 countdown show, but quickly changed the station at any other time. Today I no longer hold such a strenuous objection to “Steppin’ Out,” even finding it somewhat enjoyable. Maybe because I actively avoided it at the time, such songs (and there are others) sound fresh to me many years later.

Now Los Angeles singer-songwriter AM and London artist/producer Shawn Lee have covered “Steppin’ Out” as the closing track on their second collaborative album, La Musique Numérique, out May 7. With Lee’s robo-tinged vocals, the duo navigate Jackson’s late 1982 #6 hit further into the night, venturing into outer space.

“When Shawn suggested we cover ‘Steppin’ Out,’ I think we both knew we were up against something pretty monumental,” AM tells Spinner. “It’s a hit song and the production is still just as fresh as when it was recorded. I’m proud of what we did, though. We made it more playful and definitely more cosmic.”

Free download of AM & Shawn Lee – “Steppin’ Out” (Joe Jackson cover) via SoundCloud.

AM & Shawn Lee are hitting the road this summer for a U.S. tour:

6/13: Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
6/14: Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
6/16: Vancouver, BC @ The Cobalt
6/18: Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
6/19: Boston, MA @ Church of Boston
6/20: Brooklyn, NY @ Knitting Factory
6/21: Chicago, IL @ Schubas
6/22: Rochester, NY @ Lovin’ Cup
6/26: San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
6/27: San Jose, CA @ Pagoda
6/28: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
6/29: San Diego, CA @ The Griffin