Jessie's Girl
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| “Jessie's Girl” | ||
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Sleeve to the single "Jessie's Girl"
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| Single by Rick Springfield from the album Working Class Dog |
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| B-side | "Carry Me Away" | |
| Released | 1981 | |
| Format | 7" single | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Length | 3:15 | |
| Label | RCA | |
| Writer(s) | Rick Springfield | |
| Producer | Keith Olsen | |
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"Jessie's Girl" is a Grammy Award-winning rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog.
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 is about unrequited love, and is centered around a man in love with his best friend's girlfriend (see below for story behind the song). While some try to highlight deeper symbolic meanings of the piece, most simply enjoy it for its catchy tune and memorable lyrics.
The song was at #1 when MTV launched on August 1, 1981[1].
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[edit] Story behind the song
Rick was taking a stained glass class along with "Jessie" and his girlfriend. Springfield wanted to use the name of the friend he was actually singing about (Gary), but instead decided to go with a different name. He happened to see a girl in a softball jersey with the name "Jessie" on it, and he changed the name from Gary to Jessie, and recorded the song.
This song was featured in the 1997 film Boogie Nights. It was also featured in the 2004 film 13 Going on 30. Jessie's Girl remains a staple of "retro" FM radio stations and has gained further popularity on the back of the recent "eighties revival" trend.
[edit] Credits
- Produced by Keith Olsen
- Engineered by Chris Minto at Sound City
- Mastered by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan Sound Recorders
[edit] Covers
- It was covered by The Chipmunks on their 17th album Chipmunk Rock, six months after the release of Springfield’s version and using the same instrumental backing track.
- In 2004, it was remade by the band Frickin' A, on their debut album Big Egos...No Ideas. In a twist, Rick Springfield made a special appearance in their music video.
- Everclear have also paid tribute to the longevity of the song's popularity by recording a live cover version of the song.
- Korea Girl have covered this song as a hidden track at the end of the Japanese release of their self titled album.
[edit] Legacy
The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming most episodes after an 80's hit song, named an episode after this song. In the upcomming Guitar Hero: On Tour its will be featured in soundtrack.
[edit] References
| Preceded by "The One That You Love" by Air Supply |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single August 1, 1981 - August 14, 1981 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie |
| ARC Weekly Top 40 number-one single August 1, 1981 |
Succeeded by "Believe It or Not" by Joey Scarbury |
