Rick Springfield’s best 1980s songs and their song lyrics.
Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He portrayed Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama General Hospital, 1981–83. Establishing himself as a heart-throb on a popular series, Springfield scored movie deals in films that were basically vehicles for his good looks, and a recording contract that actually yielded some very memorable music, packaged of course with a lot of big pictures of Rick looking cute. Unlike many stars who casually turn to music to increase their appeal, Rick Springfield not only sang and played guitar on his albums, he also wrote and produced much of his work. In 1981 Rick had a huge hit with “Jessie’s Girl,” and strung a few more hits together over next few years, including “Human Touch” in 1983 and “Celebrate Youth” in 1985. And while the music and lyrics that this soap dish crafted was not the best of the decade (recall the line “She’s got the love monkey riding on her back” from this week’s pick) it’s still muh better than a lot of the crap (Alanis) that the music industry has thrown at us over the years.
Jessie’s Girl
Jessie is a friend, Yeah, I know he's been a good friend of mine But lately something's changed It ain't hard to define Jessie's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine And she's watching him with those eyes And she's lovin' him with that body, I just know it! And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl I wish that I had Jessie's girl Where can I find a woman like that? I'll play along with the charade That doesn't seem to be a reason to change You know I feel so dirty when they start talking cute I wanna tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot 'Cause she's watching him with those eyes And she's lovin' him with that body, I just know it! And he's holding her in his arms late, late at night You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl I wish that I had Jessie's girl Where can I find a woman like that? Like Jessie's girl I wish that I had Jessie's girl Where can I find a woman... Where can I find a woman like that? And I'm lookin' in the mirror all the time Wonderin' what she don't see in me I've been funny; I've been cool with the lines Ain't that the way love's supposed to be? Tell me, where can I find a woman like that? You know I wish that I had Jessie's girl I wish that I had Jessie's girl I want Jessie's girl Where can I find a woman like that? Like Jessie's girl I wish that I had Jessie's girl I want, I want Jessie's girl
Don't talk to strangers
When you were just a young girl and still in school How come you never learned the golden rule? Don't talk to strange men, don't be a fool I'm hearing stories, I don't think that's cool Why dontcha tell me Someone is a-lovin' you 'Cos you're my girl Some say it's no longer true They say you're dating Some slick Continental dude I'm tellin' you Don't talk to strangers Baby, dontcha talk Don't talk to strangers You know he'll only use Don't talk, don't talk Oh, don't talk Don't talk, don't talk to him Nobody, nobody ever told you Now tell me, how's life in the big city? I hear the competition's tough, baby, that's a pity Where every man's an actor, every girl is pretty I don't like what's gettin' back to me Now who's this Don Juan I've been hearing of Love hurts When only one's in love Now did ya fall at first sight Or did you need a shove I'm beggin' you, please