Sunday, May 2, 2010

Weekend Retro Rewind Featuring Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield "Jessie's Girl"



Unlike most girls in 1981, I loved Australian-born Rick Springfield for his music and not his hotness. At the tender age of 9, I think Rick was too much of a man for me back then. This was the same deal with Duran Duran. In the early 80s, my classmates were so in love with Simon Le Bon and John Taylor. I wasn't into "men" I always preferred "boys" closer to my age. In fact, I remember feeling uneasy learning Ralph Macchio was actually much older than he appeared in films.


Yes, Rick was on General Hospital, I wasn't into soap operas. Ever. He had some great love rock ballads back in the days such as the shirtless video for "Affair of the Heart", "Don't Talk To Strangers" and "Love Somebody" however "Jessie's Girl" was his lone #1 hit and my personal favorite. It's been on my iPod since 2006.


Trivia tidbit: At age 25, he lived with 15-year-old Exorcist star Linda Blair. He considered it his first real "adult" relationship according to Wiki. Wow.

I'd like to give a shout out to my BFF blogger, Jesse/Copyboy. The only "Jessie/Jesse" I've ever "met."





43 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember in 4th grade, a classmate had one of those buttons on that was a pic of Rick Springfield and I had no clue who he was...lol.

Copyboy said...

Thanks. I feel so flattered be linked to the Rick Springfield single...yet again. It made feel so good in elementary school. haha.
Rick's an Aussie? No way. And he lived with a pea soup spitting kid? You truly are a reporter that hunts those facts down. cool post.

Copyboy said...

Thanks. I feel so flattered be linked to the Rick Springfield single...yet again. It made feel so good in elementary school. haha.
Rick's an Aussie? No way. And he lived with a pea soup spitting kid? You truly are a reporter that hunts those facts down. cool post.

Cheeseboy said...

Copyboy is a Jesse? I should have known. My actual best friend is named Jesse. Jesse's are always cool and this song is proof of that.

Joe Cap said...

Yes, Jessie is a cool name.
My sisters loved Rick Springfield.

Ms. A said...

And he still looks great!

Riot Kitty said...

He lived with a 15-year-old? Eewwwwwwwwwwwww

I was 4 for most of 1981 so I don't remember having a crush on him, but I've always liked his cheesy music!

Sara Louise said...

That's such a great song. I have it on my ipod in my 'Awesome 80s' playlist. So embarrassing.

Teachinfourth said...

My sister had a crush on the members of Duran Duran as well.

Man, girls...

cheeky rose said...

He wasnt all bad, not sure about the song though

ScoMan said...

I know the song Jesse's Girl.. but mostly thanks to the recent cover by that band that recently covered Jesse's girl.

Australian born is always better.

Brandy@YDK said...

I work at the Tulsa state fair and mr Springfield is on our lineup this year. He still makes the fair/casino circuits quite a bit

Unknown said...

I have heard that song before. Oh yeah, on my cousin's Laptop.
I am not very sure of knowing any of them. Except for Linda Blair.

Have an awesome day...:)

LaraAnn said...

My friend Suzy loved Rick. I wasn't into the teen stars back then but now I can see why everyone else liked certain ones, especially him and John Taylor. My crushes were older guys like Tom Selleck and Harrison Ford. Now I seem to like younger guys such as James Franco. My brother teases me and calls me a cougar - how annoying.

mamahasspoken said...

I had a student named Jessie. His mom said she liked the song Jessie's girl. Found it odd she name her son after a song.....

Unknown said...

thanks. love that song!

Unknown said...

haaa.... i wasn't into "men" either, preferring boys like ricky schroeder and alisdair from ycdtotv. if they potentially had chest hair, it was too much for me. i also was not into men who wore lipstick (brett michaels comes to mind). thought richie sambora was handsome, but i was 14... i didn't want to GET WITH him!

the first man crush i ever had was bruce willis ala moonlighting, but when i pictured us together i was actually maddie hayes, so i don't think it counts.

Ally said...

Dina - The weird thing about this is after I wrote it, I forgot I had several man crushes, I think that rockers and musician men scared me in that "crush" way. Like I really dug Bill Bixby from The Incredible Hulk!

'Cuz I Felt Like It! said...

I wasn't into those older guys either....I worshiped Ricky Stratton....and Richie Rich....blonde, wealthy, and kind....is there a pattern there?

liz said...

All your random factoids make me think of VH1's Pop-Up video (is that what it was called?). You totally could write the little tidbits of info that show up on the screen.

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of the Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams too! Oh, the flip flops my heart did over these songs and their super-cute vocalists! I remember it well, but only when I read something like this. Thanks for the walks down memory lane.

Tiffany Kadani said...

Ew.... 15 year old? So creepy!

Momma Fargo said...

Rick Springfield...I was swooning over him back then... He still has a mullet. Saw him on TV the other day.

Mimi said...

I love you for posting this video! I have to admit that I had the biggest crush on Rick Springfield back then. I was so boy-crazy at that time in my life it was almost pathological. I still get way too happy when I hear this song.

Michelle Pixie said...

I am a General Hospital watcher. Have been since that summer we had a babysitter who just sat around watching soaps all summer when I was 8. A few years after Rick's big hit. I enjoyed his revival of his GH character last year but I am however creeped out by his first "adult" relationship and will never look at him quite the same.

Mama E said...

Thanks for stopping by during FF! Looks like a great blog you've got here and I look forward to reading more!

Anonymous said...

Rick was back on GH for a while a few months ago. My daughters Dads name is Jesse. So he was tortured by that song on 80's nights at the bars, LOL!

Macey said...

Ah! That's funny cuz The Karate Kid's age always freaked me out too. I found how just how old he was and was like, "EW!" But he LOOKED young. I like the "boys" too. The men were hairy. Gross.
Also. Wow. Rick Springfield...he was a naughty boy being with that little girl.

Big Mama Cass said...

Wow I remember that. He isn't still with her is he? That is pretty creepy though. A 25 year old and a 15 year old??? Weird.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Aah, Doctor Noah Drake!! I so wanted him to operate on me. His character came back to GH recently too. (It may have actually been him, but I'm not sure.)
Cheers,
Robyn

Tree said...

Hey Ally! You just brought back SO many memories for me! I've been singing Jessie's girl all day. LOL Unlike you...I WAS into Rick because of his hotness more than his music. tee hee But, I was 17 at the time.

I've tagged your post on my blog for my Sunday Linky Love....come check it out when you get a chance! :)

Sunday Linky Love #3

Jjjj said...

"Too much of a man" LOL I remember feeling the exact same way about Patrick Swayze. He made me feel all tingly and I found it sort of upsetting.

Vicky said...

Yep, he was it! I was more of a Days of Ours lives fan... but he may have convinced me to check him out a time or two!

Vonlipi said...

ooohhh! Rick Springfield!

I was 16 in 1981, I found him cute but I was really in love with his music.

I lust loved Jesse's Girl.Thanks for the blast from my past!

Vonlipi said...

ooohhh! Rick Springfield!

I was 16 in 1981, I found him cute but I was really in love with his music.

I lust loved Jesse's Girl.Thanks for the blast from my past!

Krista said...

I spent seven years in Oz and never knew Rick Springfield was from there? Holy crap! This is the country that dubbed Tom Cruise as "Australia's Son-in-law." Rick was a babe!

Marlene said...

Ok, so I admit that BACK THEN I used to watch GH. I had a thing for Dr. Noah Drake (aka Rick Springfield). Don't know what the hell he saw in Bobbi....the doe-eyed trollop.

Lauren said...

didn't he also play the brother that gets blown up by cylons on the original BSG?

Teresa @ ♥ Too Many Heartbeats ♥ said...

I {heart} Rick Springfield. I adored Dr. Noah Drake, umm, I mean Rick Springfield on General Hospital! But, like most, I loved to watch him sing even more! Jessie's Girl was definitely my favorite.

Thanks SO much for stopping by my blog for Friday Follow and for deciding to follow me. I really hope you will come back to visit soon. I REALLY like your blog. I can't wait to read more of it! I just became your 'Follower', too, and I will definitely be back soon.

I hope you have a wonderfully blessed week!

Teresa <><

California Keys said...

To this day, every time I meet someone named Jesse, I have to ask.... 'How's your girl?' Funny though, I haven't asked Copyboy yet.... In due time.... In due time....

LaraAnn said...

Lauren - my brother loved the original BSG. I sometimes watched it with him and I'm pretty sure that I saw the episode with Rick in it.

Carin Siegfried said...

Did you know he has a book coming out this fall? A memoir about his sex addiction and I think also drugs. Pretty dark.

KLZ said...

Over from BBCD...

My 6 year old self was way into Rick Astley. Hey, he was never gonna give me up, never gonna let me down.

But then, I also had a crush on Winston from Ghostbusters. The cartoon.

::facepalm::

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