2015 recap and on to year of ‘Human Touch’ (2016)

As 2015 comes to an end, it’s difficult for me to resist a year-end countdown, so here you go – a recap of the My Rick Springfield Crush blog.

Since its first post in August 2014, this blog has had more than 7,000 hits (with more than 6,700 in 2015). More than 3,900 people visited the site from 64 countries – mainly from the United States.

The most views on one day? 222  (on Dec. 10, after “Light This Party Up” – the first single off of “Rocket Science” – was released.)

The majority of 2015 blog views – more than 2,100 – were the home page/archives.

As for individual posts, here are the top 10 posts of 2015:

10. Questions for RS Stripped Down Q & A

9. A new film: ‘Traces’ in 2016

8: A brief crossing of paths! (a post about when I met RS)

7. Rick Springfield fandom in the 1980s vs. today

6. Lyrics to down (maybe)

5. Yes, it’s makeup (A True Detective-related post)

4. ‘We Connect’ and ‘Let Me In’ (Two “Rocket Science” songs)

3. Walkin’ In video, what a great gift!

2. 7 reasons to adore Rick Springfield even more after Syracuse trial

And the number one post for 2015 is… (drumroll here):

1. A new look for Rick Springfield (A True Detective-related post)

I realize that most of these views are from people who randomly arrive at this blog during a “Rick Springfield” search (except for the two people that I know in real life who are only reading this because I’m writing it and not because of the subject – hi there), but it’s still pretty cool. When I first started this blog, I explained to a friend that I was doing it because I felt compelled to write it, to get my thoughts out of my head and make sure I don’t talk about it too much with the people around me. She asked me why I would do it so publicly, why not just write it in a journal?

Well, I have a stack of notebooks that I’ve written in over the years that were stored in boxes in the garage for years until I started this blog. I pulled them out to uncover any memories of my long-ago buried RS crush. Pages and pages and pages of scribbled words filling notebooks – documenting various experiences in my life and writing songs – that would have likely stayed in the boxes until I died and eventually been thrown into a big recycling bin to be transformed into paper towels.

Relics from a time before blogs.

So that’s why I started this blog. So that maybe others like me who have a RS crush would read it and know that they are not alone in their addiction. And I guess I picked a good year to start the blog because although I wrote in a post back in June that I wasn’t sure how long I’d continue writing the blog because I wasn’t sure what else I could say, I’ve written more than 60 posts since then (today’s post marks #145.).

Perhaps I got a little carried away, but between his music, acting (TV and film) and touring, there was lots to cover. My “Rick Springfield Crush Revival” video that I made in February already seems so outdated because there are no references to “Ricki and the Flash,” “True Detective” or “Rocket Science.”

Also this year, I was fortunate to see RS in concert four times, and each concert had their special moments. In March, I saw him for the first time in about 15 years on what would have been my mom’s 70^th birthday – with my best friend from high school, who I saw him in concert with in high school and in 1999. Plus I got to briefly meet him afterward and hand him a piece of paper with a link to this blog (not sure if he ever read it though).

Then in April I saw his “Stripped Down” show with my husband (who is now a fan and is reading his memoir, “Late, Late at Night“) and we both met him briefly after the show.

In October, I saw him at the state fair, where we scored third-row tickets and two of my sons got to sing “Don’t Talk to Strangers” with him. And then later that week, I saw him in Vegas, where I unfortunately had no interaction with him whatsoever, but I had a great time with my cousin and got to meet some “Rick Sistas.”

So yes, it’s been a good RS year. And in 2016, there’s Rocket Science (Feb. 19) and “Traces” (new movie – not sure when). And hopefully some more concerts.

Thanks for reading this! May you have a happy and healthy 2016 – the year of the “Human Touch”!

Here is the 1983 video of “Human Touch,” which is set in 2016:

Walkin’ In video, what a great gift!

Many thanks to Jenni for sharing this video of “Walkin’ In,” from a Stripped Down concert in Clearwater, Florida, this past March, which was the first time Rick Springfield played this song live. With her permission, a link to the video is posted below.

Much has been written about the community of Rick Springfield fans (OK, maybe not MUCH, but there was a documentary about it: “Affair of the Heart“) – people who have gotten to know each other well from attending concerts across the country and fan events during RS’s long career. For instance, they raise money for charity for Rick Springfield’s birthday and organize a Christmas card exchange in December.

Recently the daughter of one of the “Rick Chicks” (or “Rick Sistas”) reached out to fellow fans because their family is going through a difficult financial challenge due to health issues. So, in the spirit of the season of caring and sharing, here’s my pitch to help a fellow fan. Their family business makes healthy homemade treats for dogs and cats. So if you have a furry friend that you want to spoil for the holidays, here’s their website: Maxx’s Munchies Pawkery.

Click here for the video of “Walkin’ In.” The song will be on the version of “Rocket Science” that can only be purchased at Best Buy.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

Lyrics to ‘Light This Party Up’

Somebody anonymously sent me the lyrics to “Light This Party Up” so I thought I’d post them here in case anybody else wanted to see them. (Thank you to whoever sent them.)

So here are the lyrics to the first song released off Rick Springfield’s new album “Rocket Science.” (Available in a few different versions on Feb. 19, 2016). The lyrics seem very accurate, right down to the “Mmmmm yeah,” although it’s difficult to discern if that’s the exact number of ms.

Sometimes my life feels like one long fall from grace
I chased my dreams, I was getting weary from the chase
I’ve held an angels hand
And I’ve felt the devils bite
Yeah
Now I take my regrets and burn them down
The future’s looking bright
let’s light it up

We light this party up
You better buckle up
We’ll light this party up

Give you a kiss for luck
Love is the deepest cut
We’ll light this party up

I give you love cause it’s all I got left to give
No time for tears we just got this one life to live
I tell the truth it’s time to cowboy up
Mmmmm yeah

No one gets a free ride life is a mystery
Drink from a lovin’ cup
And light it up

We light this party up
You raise your party cup
We’ll light this party up

Give you a kiss for luck
You better buckle up
We’ll light this party up

Come on now
Ain’t no doubt
Shout it out
Don’t keep your pretty mouth shut
Light it up

We’ll light this party up
Love is the deepest cut
Oooo yeah!

We’ll light this party up
Love is the deepest cut
We light this party up

Give you a kiss for luck
Love is the deepest cut
We’ll light this party up

We light this party up
You raise your party cup
We’ll light this party up

Give you a kiss for luck
You better buckle up
We’ll light this party up.

And here’s the song:

RS: Walkin’ In and Mercy

Not sure how I missed this the other day – or maybe it’s been added since then – but the official RS site – rickspringfield.com – lists “Walkin’ In” and “Mercy” as bonus songs on a version of “Rocket Science” that is only available through Best Buy.

I’ve been searching for information about “Walking In” (with a “g”) for months, ever since somebody posted a video of him playing it at Club Med and then removed it days later after I got most of the words down –  I still find myself singing it often, even though I’m not sure if the words are right.

So apparently there’s a standard version of “Rocket Science” with 13 songs, then a bonus track on the iTunes version and then two bonus tracks on the Best Buy version.

So I guess this means I’m going to have to get the Best Buy version since I want to hear “Walkin’ In.” But then again “Beautiful Inside” sounds like a nice song, too, so I guess I’ll need that version, too. I haven’t given any thought to “Mercy” yet since I didn’t even know that existed until about an hour ago.

 

 

The coolest gift came in the mail today

I received the COOLEST gift in the mail today! It was the Secret Santa gift that came with an order from Rick Springfield Official Merchandise.

To some, it may look only like a piece of notebook paper with some words scribbled on it, like maybe somebody accidentally stuck a piece of stained paper from a cluttered desk into the envelope before sealing it. But it is actually a treasure.

The writing is difficult to read, but do these words sound familiar to you?

Stop, my head is playing tricks again, won’t it every stop
Baby help me listen to my heart and then take me to the top

If not, I’ll tell you – it’s the lyrics to “Carry Me Away” off “Working Class Dog.”

And on the other side are the lyrics in progress for “Everybody’s Girl,” along with chords listed above some of the words and some lines crossed out with new words scribbled in on top.

One of the things that makes it so cool is that it’s like a time machine back to when RS was working on “Working Class Dog” and before he hit his big success. When he was writing these words, he was on the brink of “making it big” yet he didn’t know it yet. At the time it was just a piece of paper – one of many – with his lyrics on it but nobody else had ever sung them yet.

And now a copy of that piece of paper has arrived at my house about 35 years later, (and is now in a plastic sheet protector) and I was singing the melody as I read the words.

So weird, and incredibly cool.

Thank you to those at Rick Springfield Official Merchandise!

 

 

Even more Rocket Science details

Another late-night post after everyone else is sleeping…

Got to see some of tonight’s “Stripped Down” show in San Diego – thanks to those who shared on Periscope! The new “Jessie’s Girl/867-5309/Stacy’s Mom” mash-up is great (and I noticed a few seconds of “My Sharona,” too in tonight’s version). And there was a funny little message to the airlines, too, in a separate song.

The official Rick Springfield site, rickspringfield.com now has lots more details about “Rocket Science” so the RS recap can be a little more complete now:

Current recap on “Rocket Science”:

1. Light This Party Up: single released: described as “a song about redemption and how life sometimes feels like one long fall from grace.”

2. Down: single released: “A song about disillusionment and commitment” written with Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus while “traveling on DeMarcus’ tour bus to Atlanta, where the two were filming an episode of “Drop Dead Diva.”

“Jay came up with the title ‘Down’ and we were off to the races,” Springfield says. “By the time we were halfway to Nashville the melody and structure of the song were complete, as if by magic. I love it when that happens.”

(Side note: I watched the episode of “Drop Dead Diva” (mentioned above) a few months ago after finding out he was on it (“First Date” is the name of the episode from 2014). One of the actors was my high school class president so there’s my “two degrees” to RS, however tenuous that may be. I guess it’s really three degrees, since I didn’t know him personally but knew others who did. It’s a cute show, I watched the pilot afterward and have watched through the third season so far.)

3. That One:
“Who of us hasn’t had some heartless lover crap on us and our tender feelings?” he says. “This song hits home for me both as the protagonist and the victim. I have been both the crapee and the craper, I’m ashamed to admit.”

4. The Best Damn Thing: Still a mystery

5. Miss Mayhem: a “blues-infused rocker,” on which he collaborated with indie artist Tad Kubler of the band The Hold Steady.

“Ah, Miss Mayhem,” he says. “We have all met her or him at some point in our romantic past. A burning hot, amazing-in-bed, beautiful/handsome, whack-job!”

6. Pay It Forward: “Imbued with a sense of spirituality” and he mentioned at a “Stripped Down” Q&A that this is his favorite song on the CD.

7. Found: Still a mystery

8. Crowded Solitude: “Imbued with a sense of spirituality”

9. Let Me In: a “sensitive ballad” that was a bonus track on “Songs for the End of the World.”

10. All Hands on Deck: “anthemic”

11. We Connect: A few lyrics are in an article on MelodicRock.com.  One of three described as “imbued with a sense of spirituality.”

12. (I Wish I Had A) Concrete Heart: See this post from last week.

13. Earth to Angel: Still a mystery

Bonus track on MP3: Beautiful Inside: Still a mystery

And still no word on the “Walking In” song he played at a Stripped Down show earlier this year and said it was going to be on the new CD.

And here’s more from the article, that provides some insight on his writing process:

“I wanted the album to be very open and electric — rock and roll with some country elements, and always with great hooks,” he says. The lyrics largely address matters of the heart with the irreverence, wit, and dark humor that has always permeated his work. “The songs usually start with titles for me,” Springfield says. “A title will catch my eye and inspire a lyric. Both Matt and I are happily married, but there’s some heartache on this one. You can’t just write about how everything is all good and bore people out of their minds. When different emotions come up, I just go with that. I don’t set out to write about anything in particular. I just look for something that feels true and that I can hopefully say in an interesting way.”

(Another side note: I feel like I’m sounding a little bit obsessed about this new CD. But then I look at the long list of posts on this blog and realize that I passed that point long ago. But it’s all in good fun, right?)

RS: ‘Down’

The official audio of “Down” from Rocket Science was released today. Whoo-hoo!

The country influence he’s mentioned about this new album can definitely be heard here (there’s a little country twang here and there, which wasn’t as evident in the live version), but it’s a great song!

As RS has mentioned in the past, he wrote the song with Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts on a tour bus during a snowstorm.

The lyrics gathered from the live shows weren’t too far off (see this post from September when I tried to decipher the lyrics) but there are still some I’m not 100 percent sure about.

I wonder what song will be next?

(Wow, his fans are so demanding…)

: )

If money wasn’t an obstacle

If money wasn’t an obstacle, I would have quite a nice weekend planned.

It’s looking to be a nice weekend already – dinner plans with the family at a friend’s house on Friday night, a bar mitzvah on Saturday and a birthday party on Sunday but oh, my Saturday night would be looking different. And it wouldn’t include “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”(Although that seems to be in my family’s plan sometime next week when the kids are out of school.)

This is what I’d do. After the lunch on Saturday, I would head to the airport and fly to Ontario, California. It’s only about an hour flight, so I’d get in around 4, rent a car and head to the Fox Performing Arts Center in Riverside. It would be too late for the sound check for Rick Springfield’s Stripped Down show that night, but that’s OK because I could purchase a Meet and Greet pass and meet him after the show instead, where I could get a picture with him and he could sign my Stripped Down collectible box set (which I would have already purchased back when it was available, if money wasn’t an obstacle).

Then I’d enjoy the Stripped Down show from the front row.

Then after the meet and greet, I’d head back to the airport, return the car and head home, ready to wake up the next morning to take my youngest son to his friend’s karate party.

Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

(Oh, and of course I’d also purchase my tickets for the Rick Springfield and Friends Getaway for next November at the Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas, but that is pretty obvious, right?)

But since money is an obstacle, maybe I’ll just scan my Twitter feed and check for any Periscope videos instead. To those actually going to the show (and the one Friday night in San Diego) – have fun!

RS: Concrete Heart

Sometimes it seems like Google has all the answers to the mysteries in the universe.

Here’s what I found today:

Is this the original version of (I Wish I Had A) Concrete Heart?

Recap to RS’s RS:

1. Light This Party Up: single released
2. Down: played live in concert, recorded version after the lights go on at the concert (Written in the middle of an ice storm on a stranded tour bus’with Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus)
3. That One: Still a mystery
4. The Best Damn Thing: Still a mystery
5. Miss Mayhem: a “blues-infused rocker,” on which he collaborated with indie artist Tad Kubler of the band The Hold Steady.
6. Pay It Forward: Still a mystery
7. Found: Still a mystery
8. Crowded Solitude: Still a mystery
9. Let Me In: a “sensitive ballad” that was a bonus track on “Songs for the End of the World”
10. All Hands on Deck: “anthemic”
11. We Connect: A few lyrics are in an article on MelodicRock.com.
12. (I Wish I Had A) Concrete Heart: See above
13. Earth to Angel: Still a mystery

Bonus track on MP3: Beautiful Inside: Still a mystery

On a side note, for the first time in more than 12 years, I played one of my songs out in public tonight, at an open-mic type of program – two mics, actually, one for me and one for my guitar. Since it’s Hanukkah, I played “Shine Your Light.” Although I was kind of dreading it – I’m more of a “behind-the-scenes” kind of person – I was glad I did it. Would this had ever happened if I didn’t come across that Rick Springfield interview on PBS last year? I don’t know.

 

More ‘Rocket Science’ details: Miss Mayhem

This just in from MelodicRock.com:

“Rick Springfield announces full ‘Rocket Science’ details.”

So here’s  a recap of what we know so far:

1. The actual recording of “Light This Party Up”
2. The live version of “Down” plus bits of the recorded version after the lights go on after a concert. (Written in the middle of an ice storm on a stranded tour bus’with Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus, according to the article.)
3. Miss Mayhem:  a “blues-infused rocker,” on which he collaborated with indie artist Tad Kubler of the band The Hold Steady.
4. The previous version of “Let Me In” (described as a “sensitive ballad.” Awww, love those…)
5. A few lines of lyrics from “We Connect.”
6. A mention in an interview that “All Hands on Deck” is a patriotic song (“anthemic,” according to this new article).

And good news – some additional tracks will be made available in coming weeks before the Feb. 19 release, according to the article. Yay!