Why Rick Springfield???

Rick Springfield, photo courtesy Luck Media

"It's true, and I can't explain just what makes you so different...."

"You tell me I look bad. Hey, what do you mean by that?

'Cause I am addicted and I can't help myself."

from "Lust"

words and music by Rick Springfield

I know what you’re probably thinking: "Rick Springfield... he’s that guy that did
'Jessie’s Girl,' right? What’s he doing? Doesn't he know by now you can't build a career on one song? He’s a has been. How come you’re spending time and energy building a website for that guy?"

I’ve heard it all. I’ve heard remarks even more unkind than that. Unkind and untrue.

Let’s tackle the first question first. Yes, Rick Springfield wrote and performed "Jessie’s Girl," which went to number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. However, "JG" was but one of 17 Top 40 hits in a career spanning some 30 years.

Rick’s first solo hit (after some success as a member of the band "Zoot") was 1972’s "Speak to the Sky," which hit number 1 in Australia and reached number 14 in the U.S. before unfounded payola rumors derailed it.

Rick supported himself by acting for several years, but never abandoned his music. In 1976 he released the album "Wait for Night," which included the single, "Take A Hand," on Chelsea Records (unfortunately, the label folded just as "Take A Hand" was "taking off").

Rick finally hit it big in 1981 with the release of "Working Class Dog," his first album with RCA Records. The album spawned not only "Jessie’s Girl," but two other Top 20 hits, "Love Is Alright Tonight," and "I’ve Done Everything For You." Subsequent Top 30 hits include: "Don’t Talk To Strangers," "What Kind of Fool Am I?" "Affair of the Heart," "Human Touch," "Love Somebody," "Bop ‘Til You Drop," "Celebrate Youth," and "Rock of Life." His latest studio album is entitled "Karma," (released in 1999) and he has just released a new live album, "Alive - The Greatest Hits". Rick has enjoyed a successful run on Broadway in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" and currently headlines the hit Las Vegas show, "EFX - Alive" at the MGM Grand Hotel.

Except for a relatively brief hiatus following an ATV accident in 1988, Rick Springfield has written, recorded and toured consistently for the last three decades, during which time he’s sold over 18 million records, earned two Gold Records ("Beginnings" and "Tao"), four Platinum Records("Working Class Dog," "Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet," "Living in Oz," and the "Hard To Hold" soundtrack) and won 3 American Music Awards. He's also regarded as one of the finest lyricists in the business; even when the song's about getting laid, the lyrics are always thoughtful and intelligent.

So much for the theory that he’s a "has been" trying to build a career on one song.

So now you’re probably thinking, "OK, sure, well maybe he’s done more than one song, I get that. But still - why Rick Springfield? There’s lots of great musicians out there. Why him?"

Good question.

Let's dispense with the obvious: He's very attractive. Drop Dead Gorgeous in fact. My nickname for him is The Most Beautiful Man on the Planet. Every 52-year-old man, every man of ANY age, should look that good. Let no one argue that I skirt that particular issue.

And there’s lots of other answers, the main one being that as terrific as the guy’s music is (and it is - really listen to the guitar work on "Jessie’s Girl," or the lyrics to "Souls" or the title track from "Karma," and THEN try to dismiss Rick Springfield as a "pretty boy") the MAN behind the music is even more remarkable.

Rick Springfield is a real human being with gifts that go beyond musicianship. He is a warm, sensitive, deeply spiritual person, with tremendous strength of character, integrity, and self-discipline. He has faced numerous obstacles and setbacks in his life and career with grace, dignity, courage, and humor. He is, in short, a Grade A class act, both personally and professionally.

"OK," you’re saying. "So the guy has good press. Maybe even some of it’s true. So what?"

So...first of all, the guy does NOT have good press. The media, for the most part, takes every opportunity to tear this man down. His music has NEVER been treated fairly in the press, and recently the attacks have turned personal, as well.

Let me tell you, instead, what I’ve seen of Rick Springfield, with my own eyes, and through the eyes of others he’s met and interacted with.

I’ve seen a man who give completely of himself at a concert, who not only performs with great passion, but shares of himself with the audience. A Rick Springfield show is less concert, and more of a private party with personal friends. The positive, loving energy that goes from Rick, to the fans, and back again is like an electrical current. The feeling is indescribable.

He also spends hours, before and after a concert, meeting with fans, and truly interacting with them. Fans get more than a quick autograph and a "Thanks for coming." Fans lucky enough to meet Rick Springfield enjoy a real conversation, genuine affection, and leave feeling truly appreciated and understood. I know this for a fact. I've experienced it, firsthand. It's not just publicity. It's the truth.

I won’t even mention the many charities Rick supports with his money, and his time, or the time he spends personally answering his fan mail, or the personal attention he pays to his website (so the fans always know what’s going on with him) the dozens of other things the guy spends time and energy on to give back to the fans and to the world.

In other words, Rick Springfield cares deeply and sincerely about the millions of fans who love and support him and his music. The love the fans give to Rick comes back to us tenfold.

THAT’s why.

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