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.
I Want You
Rick Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's all give and take and you just take
I can't take it you see
Well, I'm givin' up on love this time
Me and my friends, we'll do just fine
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for meI've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
You said someday I'd have a whole lotta money,
I'd be a millionaire
But when that didn't happen over night
I found out how much you really cared
Well, all you want is a whole lotta money
All the rest is just jivin' honey
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
Well, I'm going out on the town tonight
And get as wild as I can be
I'm gonna find out what it's really like to be lose, high and free
Well, I don't care what the people say
I'm changin' my mind, I'm changin' to stay
You've done nothing for me
I've done everything for you
You've done nothing for me
You've done nothing for me
You've done nothing
You've done nothing
You've done nothing for me
The lyrics of Rick Springfield's hit song "I Want You" convey the deep love and longing of someone who is missing the presence of the person they love. The artist expresses a powerful sense of loneliness and isolation, admitting that they never thought they would feel so alone without that person. The imagery of the "cold" lights and "empty" streets suggest that the world is a dark and desolate place without the one they love. This speaks to a universal human feeling of needing someone else to make life feel complete and meaningful.
The chorus of the song only intensifies this feeling. The repetition of "I Want You, I need you" emphasizes the urgency of the artist's desire, and how much they long for their love interest to be with them. The way the artist sings the lines with so much feeling and emotion adds to the impact of the song's message. The phrase "I long to be beside you" is particularly poignant, as it conveys a sense of physical closeness that the artist desperately craves.
Overall, the song is a powerful declaration of love and longing that is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever experienced the pain of being separated from someone they love.
Line by Line Meaning
I never thought I'd feel so alone without you
I never thought I would miss you this much and feel so lonely without you by my side.
I never thought I'd want someone so much--I need you
I never thought I would desire someone so much, but now I realize how much I depend on you.
What am I gonna do?
I am feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed without you.
I Want You, I need you, I long to be beside you
I crave and yearn for your presence next to me because you bring me comfort and happiness.
to see you
I want to be able to look into your eyes and see your smiling face because it fills my heart with joy and comfort.
Never have the lights seemed so cold around me
The absence of your loving warmth has made me feel isolated and the world seems much colder without you.
And never have the streets been so empty, surround me
The streets now seem empty and lifeless without you and your presence.
Oh, oh, oh, what am I gonna do?
I am now feeling lost and don't know where to go or what to do because I am struggling to cope without you.
I Want You, to see you, I Want You, I Want You...
I crave you deeply and want nothing more than to see you, hold you, and be with you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SAMMY HAGAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind