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.
What Kind Of Fool Am I
Rick Springfield Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is she really goin' out with him
He's not her type
And doin' all the things she used to do to me
Well, I'd say something to her
But I get so jealous
When I think of her lovin' somebody else
That I can't think why we ever let go
Tell me what kind of fool am I
To just let go
To just let go like that
What kind of fool am I
To lose you
She was cold sometimes
But she made me feel alive
She was such a spoiled baby
But baby, she could love
And she loved me like nobody ever will again
I thought we'd be together
When the world ran down
When the curtain fell and the lights came up
But the Gods or whatever make the world go round
Shuffled when they should have cut
Tell me what kind of fool am I
To just let go
To just let go like that
What kind of fool am I
To lose you
Did it come too easy to the two of us
Did we go too wrong to ever make it right?
Were we too busy checking out the left hand
That we didn't see the right
And tell me what kind of fool am I
To just let go
To just let go like that
What kind of fool am I
Oh baby, please, oh baby
Please come back
I meant to say in time
Baby we could work it out
But I never meant to say goodbye
Tell me what kind of fool am I
What kind of fool am I
What kind of fool am I
To lose you
The lyrics of Rick Springfield's "What Kind of Fool Am I" are a true representation of a man who is struggling to deal with the end of his relationship. He wonders who his former lover is seeing, and if she is truly happy in her new relationship. The idea that her new partner is not her type, and she is doing all the things she used to do with him, only worsen his jealous feelings. He admits that he is crazy for feeling this way and for letting her go. The idea that he may be the 'fool who let go' is a central theme of the song.
The lyrics suggest that the couple had their ups and downs, and the song highlights the importance of a deep connection between two people. The singer reflects on the memories of their time together, how she could be cold sometimes, but how she made him feel alive. He acknowledges that she was a spoiled baby, but that she could also love, and that she loved him like no one else ever could. He reminisces the times when he thought that they would always be together, and they could work out any issues that came their way. However, the reality turned out to be different, and he finds himself alone, confused, and heartbroken.
In conclusion, the lyrics of "What Kind of Fool Am I" showcase the depth of emotions in a relationship and the overwhelming feeling of losing someone important. The lyrics are beautifully written and complemented by the melody, making the song a heart-wrenching masterpiece.
Line by Line Meaning
I wonder who she's seeing tonight
I am curious about who she is going out with tonight.
Is she really goin' out with him
Is it true that she is going out with him?
He's not her type
He is not the kind of person she usually dates.
And doin' all the things she used to do to me
He is doing all the things she used to do to me
Well, I'd say something to her
I want to talk to her.
But I get so jealous
But I feel jealous.
When I think of her lovin' somebody else
When I think of her loving someone else.
That I can't think why we ever let go
I can't understand why we broke up.
I must have been crazy
I must have been out of my mind.
Tell me what kind of fool am I
I need to understand what kind of fool I am.
To just let go
Why did I just let go?
To just let go like that
Why did I let go so easily?
To lose you
Why did I lose you?
She was cold sometimes
She was distant and unemotional at times.
But she made me feel alive
But she made me feel alive and happy.
She was such a spoiled baby
She was very indulged and used to getting her way.
But baby, she could love
But she was capable of loving very deeply.
And she loved me like nobody ever will again
She loved me in a way that is unique and that no one will ever be able to replicate.
I thought we'd be together
I believed that we would stay together.
When the world ran down
When everything was going wrong.
When the curtain fell and the lights came up
When everything was revealed and we had to face the consequences.
But the Gods or whatever make the world go round
But life is unpredictable and we can't always control it.
Shuffled when they should have cut
It's like the deck of cards was not shuffled properly.
Did it come too easy to the two of us
Did our relationship seem too easy to maintain?
Did we go too wrong to ever make it right?
Did we make too many mistakes to ever be able to fix things?
Were we too busy checking out the left hand
Were we too distracted to notice the real issues in our relationship?
That we didn't see the right
That we didn't pay attention to what was actually important.
Oh baby, please, oh baby
Please, baby.
Please come back
Please come back to me.
I meant to say in time
I planned to say it eventually.
Baby we could work it out
We could have fixed our relationship.
But I never meant to say goodbye
I never wanted to say goodbye to you.
To lose you
I am foolish to have lost you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Rick Springfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lucy Villalobos
LOVE ALL HIS SONGS..... THE 80"S WERE SO FUN!!!!!
John Lancaster
The first 4 albums...the guy owned the first half of the 80's! Rock on, Rick.
AnthonyYouTubeFan
He and Pat Benatar, to me, were two sides of a related coin, in The 1980s. And they (along w/ Neil Giraldo, Pat's Husband) were musical friends.
Sakkara1331
his songs are timeless
Jessica Gutierrez
What kind of fool am I to lose you
Cindy McCann
Today’s kids will never understand....😔
Cindy McCann
Back when music was “normal”-🎼❤️🔥🎼 😁
Nina Martinez
Indeed
John
And relatable
sandra moncivais
Fabulous music and he's astonishing his going to leave his mark in the music industry a legacy for all time ♥️💖💘