Jessie's Girl
Encyclopedia
"Jessie's Girl" is a rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield
. It was released on the album Working Class Dog
. The song is about unrequited love
, and centers on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend.
Upon its release in 1981
the song became an instant hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
for two weeks, and later won Springfield a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
. The song was at #1 when MTV
launched on 1 August 1981.
The song was released in the United Kingdom in March 1984 and peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart
in April 1984.
Springfield re-recorded the song as an acoustic version for his 1999
album, Karma
.
class along with his friend Gary and Gary's girlfriend. He initially wanted to use the actual name of the friend he was singing about, but instead decided to go with a different name — "Jessie". He happened to see a girl in a softball jersey with the name "Jessie" on it and changed the name from Gary to Jessie, then recorded the song. Springfield says that he does not remember the name of the girlfriend, and believes that the real woman who inspired the song has no idea that she was "Jessie's Girl", telling Oprah Winfrey
, "I was never really introduced to her. It was always just, like, panting from afar."
Springfield told Songfacts that Oprah's people tried to find her, and they got as far back as finding out that the teacher of the class had died two years previously and that his class records were thrown out one year after his death.
"Jessie's Girl" remains a staple of many lite rock and classic hits
FM radio stations. In 2006, it was named #20 on VH1
's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s".
) spray painting "Jessie's Girl" onto a brick wall, then leaving with his girlfriend, as Springfield watches and gives a monologue in the form of the song's first verse. Springfield runs into the couple one more time on the sidewalk, and he just stares as they walk away from him. Later, he goes home and looks in the mirror and mourns over why Jessie's girlfriend doesn't like him, and angrily smashes the mirror after he sees an illusion of Jessie's girlfriend in the mirror.
over 20 years after its original release, Springfield said, "I’m thrilled by it. As a writer, all you can ask is that a song has legs. It has an appeal that keeps coming back."
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
. It was released on the album Working Class Dog
Working Class Dog
-Album cover:The unusual album cover features a picture of a Bull Terrier dog dressed in a white shirt with a black tie. The dog was Rick's pet named Ronnie, who died in 1994...
. The song is about unrequited love
Unrequited love
Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such, even though reciprocation is usually deeply desired. The beloved may or may not be aware of the admirer's deep affections...
, and centers on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend.
Upon its release in 1981
1981 in music
See also:* Timeline of musical eventsThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1981.-January–April:*January 10 – A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.*January 24 –...
the song became an instant hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for two weeks, and later won Springfield a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to male recording artists for works containing quality vocal performances in the rock music genre...
. The song was at #1 when MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
launched on 1 August 1981.
The song was released in the United Kingdom in March 1984 and peaked at number 43 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in April 1984.
Springfield re-recorded the song as an acoustic version for his 1999
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
album, Karma
Karma (Rick Springfield album)
Karma is an album by Australian singer-songwriter Rick Springfield. Following about a decade without a new album from Springfield, its 1999 release took place amid a resumption of touring as well...
.
Story behind the song
Springfield was taking a stained glassStained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
class along with his friend Gary and Gary's girlfriend. He initially wanted to use the actual name of the friend he was singing about, but instead decided to go with a different name — "Jessie". He happened to see a girl in a softball jersey with the name "Jessie" on it and changed the name from Gary to Jessie, then recorded the song. Springfield says that he does not remember the name of the girlfriend, and believes that the real woman who inspired the song has no idea that she was "Jessie's Girl", telling Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
, "I was never really introduced to her. It was always just, like, panting from afar."
Springfield told Songfacts that Oprah's people tried to find her, and they got as far back as finding out that the teacher of the class had died two years previously and that his class records were thrown out one year after his death.
"Jessie's Girl" remains a staple of many lite rock and classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
FM radio stations. In 2006, it was named #20 on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's "100 Greatest Songs of the 80s".
Music video
The music video depicts Springfield watching a young couple with envy for the girl's love. It opens with Jessie (played by Steve AntinSteve Antin
Steven Howard "Steve" Antin is an American actor, stunt man, screenwriter, producer, and director.-Early life:Antin was born in Queens, New York, the son of British Jewish immigrants...
) spray painting "Jessie's Girl" onto a brick wall, then leaving with his girlfriend, as Springfield watches and gives a monologue in the form of the song's first verse. Springfield runs into the couple one more time on the sidewalk, and he just stares as they walk away from him. Later, he goes home and looks in the mirror and mourns over why Jessie's girlfriend doesn't like him, and angrily smashes the mirror after he sees an illusion of Jessie's girlfriend in the mirror.
Personnel
- Produced by Keith OlsenKeith OlsenKeith Olsen is one of the most prolific and successful music producers in the industry.-Career:With over 120 albums produced netting a 1 in 4 Gold or better ratio, of which more than 24 are Platinum or better, and more than 14 are multi-Platinum, sales from Keith Olsen’s work exceeds 110 million...
- Engineered by Chris Minto at Sound City
- Mastered by Greg FulginitiGreg FulginitiGregory Fulginiti is an American recording and mastering engineer.In a career spanning three decades, Fulginiti was nominated for the TEC Awards by Mix magazine 6 times, earned 175 Gold and Platinum Awards, 25 Multi-Platinum Awards, 100 Number One recordings, 135 Grammy nominees, including the...
at Artisan Sound Recorders
In popular culture
In regards to the song's use in films such as 13 Going on 3013 Going on 30
13 Going on 30 is a 2004 American romantic comedy fantasy film starring Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo. It has a similar premise to the classic short story Rip Van Winkle, in which a young person falls asleep and wakes up many years later as an older person...
over 20 years after its original release, Springfield said, "I’m thrilled by it. As a writer, all you can ask is that a song has legs. It has an appeal that keeps coming back."
- "Jessie's Girl" was mentioned on the popular webcomic Penny ArcadePenny Arcade (webcomic)Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
, where the character Gabe refers to "Jessie's Girl" as "the greatest song ever written" and states that this is a "fact". - The song was covered on GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
in the episode "LaryngitisLaryngitis (Glee)"Laryngitis" is the 18th episode of the American television series Glee. The episode premiered on the Fox network on May 11, 2010. It was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by series creator Ryan Murphy. In "Laryngitis", glee club member Puck dates Mercedes in an attempt to raise his...
". Finn sings the song to Rachel in front of the whole Glee Club to show her he loves her more than Jesse does. This version was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry AssociationAustralian Recording Industry AssociationThe Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
in 2010.
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981 (U.S.)
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1980s
External links
- Rick Springfield discusses "Jessie's Girl" - RetroRewind interview