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.
Language Of Love
Rick Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And to feel your heart pumping hard
I want to tell my story to your eyes
I want to watch you react
To me baby
Maybe I'm dreaming
I got to do something
We may be on the same planet
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Living in the touch of your fingers
Are you the passionate type
Is this a natural thing
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Second hand emotional trigger
In the devil's playground
Hear the church bells ring
I speak the Language Of Love
I speak the Language Of Love
She's my great obsession
And the girl likes me too
I think she has the wrong impression
She thinks I want to be friends
Maybe I'm dreaming
I better do something
We might be on the same planet
But talk different tongues
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Living in the touch of your fingers
Are you the passionate type
Is this a natural thing
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Second hand emotional trigger
In the devil's playground
Hear the church bells ring
I speak the Language Of Love
I speak the Language Of Love
She thinks I want to be friends
Maybe I'm dreaming
I better do something
We may be on the same planet
Living in different worlds
I speak the Language Of Love
I speak the Language Of Love
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Living in the touch of your fingers
Are you the passionate type
Is this a natural thing
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Second hand emotional trigger
In the devil's playground
Hear the church bells ring
The lyrics of Rick Springfield's song "Language of Love" reflect the universal human desire for love and connection. In the first verse, the singer expresses his longing for physical and emotional intimacy with someone special. He wants to share his story and to observe the reactions of his lover as he does so. However, he is also aware that they might be on "the same planet, living in different worlds," hinting at the challenges of communicating and understanding each other's feelings and desires.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Do you speak the Language of Love?" as a way of emphasizing the importance of finding common ground and shared experiences in a romantic relationship. Springfield's lyrics suggest that love is not just a feeling, but a language that needs to be spoken and understood by both partners. He also adds a hint of the supernatural in his line "In the devil's playground, hear the church bells ring," which could suggest that love can be both heavenly and hellish, depending on one's experience.
Overall, "Language of Love" is a song about the challenges and rewards of love, and the importance of finding common ground with a romantic partner in order to overcome differences and create a lasting connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I want your flesh and blood
I desire a physical and emotional connection with you
And to feel your heart pumping hard
I want to physically feel your love and passion
I want to tell my story to your eyes
I want to share my life and emotions with you, non-verbally
I want to watch you react
I want to observe your response and connection to me
To me baby
You are the one I desire and am speaking to
Maybe I'm dreaming
I may be delusional in my hopes and desires
I got to do something
I need to take action and pursue what I want
We may be on the same planet
We inhabit the same world
Living in different worlds
Our experiences and perspectives are vastly different
Do you speak the Language Of Love
Are you able to communicate and understand love in the same way I do?
Living in the touch of your fingers
Finding fulfillment and connection through physical touch
Are you the passionate type
Are you someone who can show deep and intense emotion?
Is this a natural thing
Is our chemistry and attraction natural and genuine?
Second hand emotional trigger
Being influenced and impacted by others' emotions and actions
In the devil's playground
Navigating difficult and tempting situations and emotions
Hear the church bells ring
An expression of heightened emotion and passion
I speak the Language Of Love
I am able to understand and express love in the same way
She's my great obsession
I am deeply infatuated with her
And the girl likes me too
She reciprocates some level of interest
I think she has the wrong impression
She misunderstands my intentions and feelings
She thinks I want to be friends
She believes I only desire a platonic relationship
We might be on the same planet
We may understand each other's experiences and worldviews
But talk different tongues
We communicate and express ourselves differently
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eric Bush
Great studio mix
Adulteducation8
How this great song did not end up on the Rock Of Life album and only as the B-side to the title track single, I'll never know. One of Rick's best!
bmo shareholder apple shareholder
This song is the B-side of Rock Of Life.
Jazz Man
Yup, but in the digital domain a bit less 'muddy' sound. The 7 inch wasn't that bad, but I can noticed some differences that sounded pretty to me.
gothgf
always reminded me of the hazy maze cave song from mario
Danny Hayden
Should have made the cd