He received the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance for "Jessie's Girl", which proved to be a career breakout moment. He followed with four more top 10 U.S. rock hits: "I've Done Everything for You", "Don't Talk to Strangers", "Affair of the Heart", and "Love Somebody". His two U.S. top 10 albums are 1981's 'Working Class Dog' and 1982's 'Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet', releases featuring an energetic sound earning both commercial and critical successes. As an actor, he portrayed the popular Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime drama 'General Hospital' from 1981 to 1983, and he sprang back into the role during 2005 to 2008 and 2012, returning again in 2013 for the show's 50th anniversary with his son (and fellow actor) Liam Springthorpe.
Though having gigantic success in the early to mid-80s, Springfield felt totally exhausted with the pressures of stardom. He would end up devoting more time to his personal and family life, though still releasing albums through the late 80s and onward. In 2010, Springfield published his well-received autobiography, titled 'Late, Late at Night: A Memoir', which detailed these struggles.
Born Richard Lewis Springthorpe, later adopting "Rick Springfield" in his performing days, in South Wentworthville on 23 August 1949, he spent the early part of his life around the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. The son of Eileen and Norman Springthorpe, the latter a Australian Army career officer, he also has an older brother, Mike Springthorpe. Due to his father's Army career, the Springthorpe family moved to London, England, where they lived between 1960 to 1962. The family moved back to Australia in June 1962, where they settled in the Melbourne suburb of Ormond.
Inspired by the 60s pop rock boom around him, the young Rick Springfield took naturally to singing and songwriting. However, commercial success would come in sudden bursts for him, with the performer facing bouts of 'teen idol' worship (even spending a time doing music for kids as a sort of cartoon Mister Rogers from 1973 to 1975, with those songs put into his 'Mission Magic!' album) that concealed his desire to be taken seriously as a musician. Fully embracing a power pop and new wave sound, as played by contemporaries such as Cheap Trick, The Cars, and others, finally helped him hit the big time in a dramatic way. As well, in October 1984, Springfield married his longtime girlfriend, Barbara Porter, in his family's church in Australia.
When being interviewed about his autobiography, Springfield admitted that he dated while married, and that it was a problem that he has overcome. He mentioned in particular dating Linda Blair, Demi Moore, Connie Hamzy, Morgana Welch, and Geraldine Edwards (the inspiration for Penny Lane in 'Almost Famous'). Though on top of the world for a time, things proved unstable and uncertain. In 1985, when his first son was born and after the release of his 'Tao' album, Springfield took a break from his musical career to spend more time with his family, as stated before. He also resolved to deal with the off-and-on depression that had affected him since his adolescence. Springfield had suffered much in the 70s due to both the serious illness of his father, who died on 24 April 1981, and difficulties dealing with people in the music industry.
Recently, a new feature documentary, titled 'An Affair of the Heart: The Journey of Rick Springfield and his Devoted Fans, was filmed in 2010. The movie started on the film festival circuit in the spring of 2012. The performer's latest work is 2015's 'Stripped Down', a combination of covers, new material, and re-recorded tracks from his past that has attracted some critical praise.
Dance This World Away
Rick Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Busy blowing to the priests of noise.
Turn it up and make it drown out the warning
Bad news for the girls and boys.
Everybody looks so romantic
Acting like it's nothing at all.
Looking out for number one
Working for the week and living to the beat.Dance this world away - dance this world away -
Dance this world away - dance this world away.
I see people all dressed like Nero
Fiddling while Rome burns in strife.
Personal responsibility zero
We've lost that rhythm of life.
There's a shadow in our bright horizon
It won't be manna falling out of the sky.
The hard rain hits everyone
Working for the week and living to the beat.
Dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Somewhere there is a ship that's sinking
Why do I think that nobody knows?
Looking out for number one
Working through the week and dancing to the back beat.
Dance
Dance
Dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Dance - dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Dance this world away - dance this world away - . . .
Dance!
The lyrics of Dance This World Away by Rick Springfield delve into the prevailing attitude of people towards the problems that surround them. The first verse speaks of how the majority seems oblivious to the world's dangers, with everyone getting high and partying hard, drowning out the warnings that are out there. The lyrics paint a picture of a world that is romanticized and where people live for themselves, with little regard to the consequences of their actions. The second verse talks about how people are dressed like Nero, a reference to the Roman emperor who notoriously played the fiddle while Rome burned. The lyrics demonstrate how people are acting as if there are no consequences to their actions and how they have lost the rhythm of life. The final verse talks about how there are problems in the world, and that people are unaware of them - focusing on their own lives instead. Despite all of this, the repeated refrain of "dance this world away" exhorts people to keep going, to keep dancing, as if to say that even if things are bad, life still goes on.
The song itself is a reflection of the mindset during the early 80s when the song was written. Disco was on its way out, and the New Wave era was just beginning. People seemed to carefreely dance and party, with little thought of the world at large. The line "turn it up and make it drown out the warning" shows how people were beginning to look for escapism through music. Interestingly, the chorus of the song has a hopeful message, a call to walk away from the troubles of the world and indulge in the moment. The lyrics, despite their melancholic undertones, still have a message of optimism.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody looks so spaced out there
Everyone seems to be in their own world and not paying attention to what's going on around them.
Busy blowing to the priests of noise
Too many people are focused on listening to loud, meaningless music.
Turn it up and make it drown out the warning
People want to avoid thinking about the problems in the world and are using music to distract themselves.
Bad news for the girls and boys
The future doesn't look bright for young people.
Everybody looks so romantic
People are pretending that everything is okay and not facing reality.
Acting like it's nothing at all
People are putting on a facade and not being honest about their feelings.
Looking out for number one
People are only concerned with themselves and not thinking about others.
Working for the week and living to the beat
People are stuck in a routine of working just to get through the week and not really living.
Dance this world away - dance this world away - Dance this world away - dance this world away.
The only escape people have is dancing and forgetting their problems.
I see people all dressed like Nero
People are partying and enjoying themselves while ignoring the serious issues facing society.
Fiddling while Rome burns in strife
People are ignoring the problems in the world while they continue to get worse.
Personal responsibility zero
People aren't taking responsibility for their actions and the impact they have on the world.
We've lost that rhythm of life
The natural balance of life has been disrupted and lost.
There's a shadow in our bright horizon
There are dark times ahead and people aren't prepared for them.
It won't be manna falling out of the sky
Help won't just magically appear to solve our problems.
The hard rain hits everyone
Everyone is affected by the problems in the world, no one is immune.
Somewhere there is a ship that's sinking
There are serious problems that are being ignored and it's only a matter of time before they cause collapse.
Why do I think that nobody knows?
It seems like no one is aware of the problems facing the world.
Working through the week and dancing to the back beat
People are still just going through the motions of life without really living it.
Dance!
The only thing left to do is dance and forget about everything else.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RICK SPRINGFIELD, TIM PIERCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@biroldemir1810
hey Rick , I am 56 now , I still listen this song and love it after 40 years , it is still excellent
@ianflawlez
David Fincher made this when he was only 22! Incredible!!!
@robertpurnell6881
I think TAO is still the best Springfield album.
@graysonbr
It is good, probably my favorite of his. This song is one of my favorites too.
@cherylh3020
COMPLETELY AGREE!!😊
@dencorb
In my opinion one of the best CDs ever produced. Not one bad song.
@1DR_PRODUCTIONS
No lies detected 🙌🏻 Tao is one of the best albums ever created. Tao is his opus ❤
@coolnegative
The word "underrated" is used way too much when it comes to 80s musicians, but in Rick's case, it is absolutely deserved. Rick's music and lyrical content is way better and deeper than he is ever credited for. Just because he was a "pretty boy" soap star, he's guilty by association of playing shallow or vapid pop rock, but he has some seriously deep cuts and some very inventive word play. Personally, still a fan all these years later.
@JCRUEDAESTEVEZ
TAO
@coolnegative
@@JCRUEDAESTEVEZ yes! Great album! "My Father's Chair" still brings me to tears.