Date: Aug 1, 1981
Weeks: 2
This song is probably best known for its lyrics, but the music is the big selling point for me. This sort of guitar-driven rock is just what was needed to sweep away the lingering remnants of disco and usher in the era of New Wave.
The guitars really are the big draw here. They repeat in just the right way to make the song stick in your head, but also have enough variety to keep the song from stagnating. The bridge is particularly compelling, when the key changes and the bass takes the show. Then there's a guitar solo, which is just what the song needs there. I suppose the 80s synth keyboards are a bit dated here, but honestly, they kind of work. They're kept in the background, accenting the song, and not calling attention to themselves. They're well-selected to produce a sound that no other instrument would make quite the same way. The drums are pretty basic, but weave into the tapestry of the song perfectly well. Ultimately, this is just a well-composed, simple rock song.
Rick Springfield's vocals aren't really the center of the song, and maybe someone else could sing better, but he matches his voice to the music pretty well. He's also really good at matching his voice to the lyrics. He's whiny during the verse, which is a bit annoying, but that just makes the lyrics feel heartfelt. It's a good performance. I know he was an actor as well, and he's using that to his advantage by imbuing the vocals with the emotions called for by the lyrics.
The lyrics are the star of this particular show, of course. They are the part of the song that is best-remembered, even though I think the lyrics wouldn't have carried as much attention without the great music. The song is about a guy who has a crush on his friend's girlfriend, and how he tortures himself thinking about them being together when he wants to be with her. The song contains several clever turns of phrase. The one that always sticks in my head is "I want to tell her that I love her but the point is probably moot." I particularly like how that demonstrates the narrator's self-awareness that Jessie's girl is in love with Jessie, and the narrator doesn't figure into her picture at all. "I've been funny, I've been cool with the lines. Ain't that the way love's supposed to be?" He doesn't know what else he can do, but he's got enough self-awareness to know that he can't do much. The song is all frustration, with no hope, and I think that's a great emotional story to tell. It's an effective song for anyone who has ever been infatuated with someone who was in love with someone else, and knew it probably wasn't going to work out for them, but found it therapeutic to wallow in their misery for a bit.
My verdict: Like it. It's got a great tune, and tells a great story with its lyrics and performance. A true classic.
I don't know. I think the music is really thin and not catchy for everything but the chorus. That's the only part of the song I can ever remember. But I'm not a big fan of the talk-chant sort of singing going on in the verses, so maybe that's part of it, too.
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