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.
Speak to the Sky
Rick Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you know you're not talkin' to the air, to the air
And the world will look better from up there
Speak to the sky 'cause things can get ya down
And you know when you're talkin' to the Lord, to the Lord
The world will look better than before
And if I stumble and it seems that I am blind
Or if the road I'm on seems awful hard to find
And though my conversation doesn't always rhyme
I always try to find some time to
Speak to the sky and tell you how I feel
And to know sometimes what I say ain't right
It's all right
Cause I speak to the sky every night
And if I stumble and it seems that I am blind
Or if the road I'm on seems awful hard to find
And though my conversation doesn't always rhyme
I always try to find some time to
Speak to the sky and tell you how I feel
And to know sometimes what I say ain't right
It's all right
Cause I speak to the sky every night
Speak to the sky when ever things go wrong
And you know you're not talkin' to the air, to the air
And the world will look better from up there
In Rick Springfield's song "Speak to the Sky", the lyrics suggest that when things go wrong, instead of talking to oneself, one should speak to the sky. The implication is that it's like speaking to God, with the aim of finding solace, reassurance, and guidance. The artist takes the opportunity to speak about the struggles he faces, acknowledging the difficulties he encounters in life as he stumbles blindly on a difficult and not always clear path. He confesses that his conversations are not perfectly sensible, but he perseveres in his determination to speak to the sky, overcome his challenges, and gain a clearer perspective on his world.
The song encourages people to let out their worries and feelings without fear of being judge, and to have faith that things will get better. The message of the song is that there's always someone listening, even if it's only the sky, and that by speaking to it, we somehow transcend our problems and gain a new perspective on them, leading to a better outlook on life. Suffering is universal, and Rick Springfield acknowledges this, but wants people to remember that they are not alone, that there is help and hope, and that speaking to the sky can provide the comfort they need.
Line by Line Meaning
Speak to the sky when ever things go wrong
When life gets tough, try talking to the sky
And you know you're not talkin' to the air, to the air
It's not a waste of time; someone is listening
And the world will look better from up there
Maybe changing your perspective will help
Speak to the sky 'cause things can get ya down
When you're feeling low, talk to the sky
And you know when you're talkin' to the Lord, to the Lord
Believe that someone is there listening to you
The world will look better than before
You might find a new outlook or solution
And if I stumble and it seems that I am blind
Sometimes life gets too much to handle
Or if the road I'm on seems awful hard to find
It's easy to lose direction when overwhelmed
And though my conversation doesn't always rhyme
You don't need to be perfect when talking to sky
I always try to find some time to
Make time for yourself, even during hardships
Speak to the sky and tell you how I feel
Open up and be honest about your emotions
And to know sometimes what I say ain't right
Don't worry about being correct with your words
It's all right
It's okay to make mistakes or stumble
Cause I speak to the sky every night
Talking to the sky can be a comfort or habit
Speak to the sky when ever things go wrong
Remember to reach out during tough times
And you know you're not talkin' to the air, to the air
Believe that someone is listening to you
And the world will look better from up there
Looking at a problem from a new perspective may help
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICK SPRINGFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@zacopol
lyrics
Speak to the sky when ever things go wrong
And you know you're not talkin' to the air, to the air
And the world will look better from up there
Speak to the sky 'cause things can get ya down
And you know when you're talkin' to the Lord, to the Lord
The world will look better than before
And if I stumble and it seems that I am blind
Or if the road I'm on seems awful hard to find
And though my conversation doesn't always rhyme
I always try to find some time to
Speak to the sky and tell you how I feel
And to know sometimes what I say ain't right
It's all right
Cause I speak to the sky every night
And if I stumble and it seems that I am blind
Or if the road I'm on seems awful hard to find
And though my conversation doesn't always rhyme
I always try to find some time to
Speak to the sky and tell you how I feel
And to know sometimes what I say ain't right
It's all right
Cause I speak to the sky every night
Speak to the sky when ever things go wrong
And you know you're not talkin' to the air, to the air
And the world will look better from up there
@marlaalger1601
Love this song!
@naydeenbirst9871
Thanks mum you make me smile r.i.p
@ChrisBakerauthor
I was born in 1971, so I certainly remember "Jessie's Girl." I hadn't heard this song before or didn't remember it. I though: "This is Rick Springfield?" It sounds like something you would have heard on Christian radio! He definitely changed nine years later.
@markbelmares7138
I'd totally forgotten about this, wow.
@jamespete7222
TODAY'S SONG....when I was getting ready to graduate from Northland College in May 1979, this song was popular. And I kept listening to it.
Great memories!
@jeanlemcke6458
I bought this 45 in 1972!
@loriwyman5658
I must have a promo of this song because it is on an album from the early 70’s where many artists are featured on there. Rick Springfield sings Speak to the Sky in his Australian accent.
@JoeBuss-h3s
He was on the Saturday morning show mission magic
@mikereef902
We need a lot more of this!
@jimleaveck1986
driving ohio rt 163 east of port clinton, thru the snow squalls punctuated by brief sunshine,CKLW blasting this song on the radio at a time when i was kind of down, really helped me thru it...his best song ever in my opinion