The last time I heard Jessie’s Girl played, I assumed I’d already written about it – since I always got a kick out of it during my late teens and early adulthood. That’s when I first heard it in nightclubs, like one called The Bin in Canberra (Australia’s capital). We’d slam dance to it – purposely crashing into each other in wave-like unison on the dance floor (as you do). Boys will be boys, as they say. It was a lot of fun at the time, though looking back, pretty reckless and just plain ol’ stupid. Anyway, strangely, I overlooked Jessie’s Girl in my Music Library Project – perhaps because I’d already written about Joshua Kadison’s breezier romantic escapade, Jessie (1993), and confused the two.
Jessie’s Girl had fallen off my radar until I heard it again in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Golden Age of Porn” movie, Boogie Nights. This fairly innocent song about the unrequited love of a young man for his best friend’s girlfriend is used to great – and oddly jarring – effect in one of the most nail-biting scenes of the film. It’s where the junkie protagonists – Dirk, Reed, and their unhinged friend Todd Parker – try to scam local drug dealer Rahad Jackson by selling him a half-kilo of baking soda disguised as cocaine. Now, finally, onto some detail of the song itself… First and foremost, I had no idea this was an Australian song until reading about it just now.
The following was abridged from the Wikipedia article below:
Jessie’s Girl is a song written and performed by Australian singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog, which was released in February 1981. Upon its release in the United States Jessie’s Girl was slow to break out taking 19 weeks to hit No. 1. It remained in that position for two weeks and would be Springfield’s only No. 1 hit. It won him a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the 24th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background
Rick Springfield was taking a stained glass class. Also in the class was his friend Gary as well as Gary’s girlfriend. Springfield initially wanted to use the actual name of his friend, but instead decided to go with a different name. He chose “Jessie” because he was wearing a T-shirt with the name of football player Ron Jessie on it.
Springfield says that he does not remember the name of the girlfriend, and he believes that the real woman who inspired the song has no idea that she was “Jessie’s Girl“. He told Oprah Winfrey, “I was never really introduced to her. It was always just, like, panting from afar.” Winfrey’s people tried to find her, and they got as far back as finding out that the teacher of the class had died two years previously and that his class records were thrown out one year after his death.
References:
1. Jessie’s Girl – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I’ve always liked «Jessie’s Girl» – great pop rock song! My only «problem» with it is that if you hear Rick Springfield on the radio, typically, that’s the song they play. And that does bug me a bit. Springfield had a bunch of other decent songs that for some reason tend to get played much less often like «Love Somebody», «Don’t Talk to Strangers», «What Kind of Fool Am I», «I Get Excited’ and «World Start Turning.»
Listening to the songs you sent as I form a response here. I can see your frustration with the commercial saturation of just one song from an artist who has many songs under their belt. Springfield’s vocals and music remind me a bit of the Christian singer Kenny Marx and the band – Journey lol
I liked the music in ‘World Start Turning’. He’s still touring too. Thanks Christian.
About 6-8 years ago, my family and I saw Rick Springfield at a close-by theater. If it hadn’t been for my wife who likes him, I probably would have skipped the show. In fact, if I recall it correctly, I hadn’t even been aware he was playing at that place.
When we got to the parking lot of the venue, another car pulled up and out came Rick Springfield and quickly walked to a back entrance of the facility.
Other than watching, we didn’t do anything. Usually, it’s also not my personality to run up to a music artist and ask to take a picture with them or for an autograph.
What an interesting bit of trivia based on first – hand experience. Upon his entrance, I’m surprised your wife didn’t encroach on his personal space. Hehe.
🤣
I want, I want…1981..so far back, seems like yesterday…cool
old memories brought to life