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.
Honeymoon In Beirut
Rick Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the sound of breaking glass
Got troops in the bed
And tanks in the hall
I kidnapped and held for ransom (the one in me)
The one in me that you loved
We wait for the fall
And put emotional bullet holes in the wallAnd we both, keep sending signals all is well
"Wish you were here"
Honeymoon In Beirut
Although I keep on sending postcards
From heaven (tell me)
Why do I stay (I don't know)
Honeymoon In Beirut
And we still keep pretending
Sixes are sevens (tell me)
Why can't we say
There is no honeymoon
This is no honeymoon, no
This is no honeymoon
There is no honeymoon, no
Honeymoon in Beirut
There are no peace talks pending
No quarter given (there's just)
Blood on the bed, where there used to be love
Strategy and maneuvers (have replaced)
Any love that was here
We have dinner in silence
And bullets with beer
I don't know what you want (my defeat)Or complete surrender
Or peace in our time
While in bed we draw the battle line
And we sit, out in the rain
Writing cards to friends back home
The weather is fine
Honeymoon In Beirut
Although I keep on sending postcards
From heaven (tell me)
Why do I stay (I don't know)
Honeymoon In Beirut
And we still keep pretending
Sixes are sevens (tell me)
Why can't we say
There is no honeymoon
This is no honeymoon, no
This is no honeymoon
There is no honeymoon, no
And we stand out in the rain
Smiling as we sink like a stone
And hope for the end (whatever it is)
Honeymoon In Beirut
Although I keep on sending postcards
From heaven (tell me)
Why do I stay (I don't know)
Honeymoon In Beirut
And we still keep pretending
Sixes are sevens (tell me)
Why can't we say
There is no honeymoon
This is no honeymoon, no
This is no honeymoon
There is no honeymoon, no
The song "Honeymoon In Beirut" by Rick Springfield provides a metaphorical portrayal of a crumbling relationship placed in the context of a war-torn Beirut. The lyrics illustrate the discord between two lovers who have become enemies and the emotional turmoil that comes with it. The first verse depicts the chaos of a warzone with the sound of breaking glass, troops in the bed, and tanks in the hall. The singer appears to have a struggle within themselves, symbolized by being kidnapped and held for ransom, representing the part of themselves that their partner had fallen in love with. The second verse talks about how love has been replaced by strategy and maneuvers, and their attempts to communicate with each other are weak, as they only send postcards and sit in silence during dinner. They even draw a battle line while lying in bed together. Despite all of this, they both refuse to admit that things are falling apart, and they keep pretending that everything is as it should be.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Honeymoon In Beirut," emphasizing the disastrous nature of the love story in their minds. They ask why they are staying in this battlefield, why they can't say the truth that there is no honeymoon. They stand in the rain with a smile on their faces, knowing that things are only getting worse.
The song uses Beirut as a metaphor for the couple's relationship, which is in crisis. Beirut was famously known to be a hotbed of conflict in the 1980s when this song was written. This song highlights the relationship as a war, with no peace talks pending and no quarter given. It is a powerful critique of the failure of communication between two people who are supposed to love each other.
Line by Line Meaning
I wake up every night (to the sound)
Every night I am awakened by a disturbing sound
To the sound of breaking glass
The sound I hear every night is the shattering of glass
Got troops in the bed
I am sharing the bed with soldiers
And tanks in the hall
There are military tanks outside in the hallway
I kidnapped and held for ransom (the one in me)
I have taken hostage the part of myself that you loved
The one in me that you loved
Your love only exists in the part of myself that I have suppressed
We wait for the fall
We are anticipating our relationship's inevitable collapse
And put emotional bullet holes in the wall
Our emotional outbursts are leaving permanent scars on our relationship
And we both, keep sending signals all is well
We continue to pretend that our relationship is healthy
"Wish you were here"
I wish you were here with me to see how our relationship has deteriorated
Honeymoon In Beirut
Our relationship is like a honeymoon destination that has turned into a warzone
Although I keep on sending postcards
Even though I am sending messages that everything is okay
From heaven (tell me)
From a place beyond our relationship's problems
Why do I stay (I don't know)
I don't know why I continue to stay in this relationship
And we still keep pretending
We are still acting as if our relationship is perfect
Sixes are sevens (tell me)
Our relationship is a mess and we are in denial
Why can't we say
Why can't we admit the truth about our relationship
There is no honeymoon
Our relationship is not the blissful honeymoon we hoped for
This is no honeymoon, no
Our once-marvelous relationship is now full of pain and conflict
There are no peace talks pending
Our relationship is in a state of perpetual war
No quarter given (there's just)
We don't give each other any mercy or compassion
Blood on the bed, where there used to be love
Our bed is now a symbol of our violent, loveless relationship
Strategy and maneuvers (have replaced)
We are using tactics and schemes instead of love and intimacy to navigate our relationship
Any love that was here
The love that once existed between us is gone
We have dinner in silence
We spend mealtime without speaking to each other
And bullets with beer
We drink while our relationship is under attack
I don't know what you want (my defeat)
I don't understand what you want from me (especially if it means my downfall)
Or complete surrender
Perhaps you want me to give up everything
Or peace in our time
Maybe you desire a peaceful resolution to our problems
While in bed we draw the battle line
Even in our most intimate moments, we are at war with each other
And we sit, out in the rain
We sit outside in the rain because our relationship is too painful to stay indoors
Writing cards to friends back home
We write messages home to people who care about us, pretending everything is great in our relationship
The weather is fine
We are lying about the weather to keep up our pretense
And we stand out in the rain
We continue to sit in the rain, despite the discomfort
Smiling as we sink like a stone
We are happy even as our relationship sinks deeper into despair
And hope for the end (whatever it is)
We are hoping for the end of our relationship, no matter how that plays out
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stevenwinans3489
Why isn't Rick Springfield in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame???? He DESERVES to be in it, & is LONG overdue....
@krystalfantasy7759
Yes, he deserves it! ❤
@Enough13
I literally said this today!
@wildimpo
This guy doesn't get the recognition he deserves, some artist sometimes are only known by one or 2 songs, Rick has a lot of cool songs even his new album is really good!!!
@krystalfantasy7759
❤❤❤❤
@ResigningCross
Love! Rock of Life! The best!
@genxviewer
An overlooked gem by Rick Springfield.
@pipertarin68
I agree❤ Blessings & lots of love, Piper
@tonyacook7614
This is how expressive he is!! So emotional and filled with feeling his songs are!!! Goosebumps!!
@daveeastman7218
One of the best songs ever written anyone anywhere