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I like this video, purely on the fact that Rick looks good, he's in it a lot, and he's pretty much just being himself through most of it.
Now I'm wondering what the tiger was. My first thought was that it could be the tiger from "Tiger by the Tail" and that it's an indication that this song is about his wife.
I also question the old woman with the iron, what was that?
I love the way he's not looking at the camera, and then he is. That is so appealing. He does it 3 times that I count. Then the part where he blindfolds the girl, I'm wondering if that has any symbolism for if she didn't know how he looked, would she be interested anyway.
The last thing I find kind of interesting is the way the girl is in the audience (was he having fantasies about his audience members back then?) - I actually don't think so, because I think someone else was coming up with the ideas for the videos, I'm just trying to come up with some different possibilities. |
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Wow, what is there NOT to like about this video?? This one is purely one of the sexiest Rick music videos of all times. I remember when this came out in the 80's. *sigh* As if the song alone wasn't enough to send my teenage self over the edge…but then he goes and creates a video of it?! Most of the imagery in this one doesn't make sense though with the song. I guess it did to Rick, but I just don't `get' a lot of it or how it really relates to the song itself. But you know what? Who cares! Rick is absolutely HOT in the video and the song speaks for itself. Besides the `shock' (or pure joy! ) of seeing Rick Springfield tossing around shirtless in bed, the scenes on stage with all the camera eye-contact are just the best. It always amazes me hearing people from his past (and even Rick) talk about how in his early days of performing he would turn his back to the crowd. Well I'm glad he got over that fear, because it seems something changed in him and he learned how to work that camera like a pro!
And what about the opening scene with the sun rising and then a disco ball? Were disco balls still popular at that time? I think it's supposed to represent that fact that it's morning time now & he's still in the midst of a dream, which involves the disco ball. Ahhh…so then we see a half-naked Rick in bed, from a `birds eye view,' tossing around in a fitful sleep. When the music begins to kick in, his eyes fly open and he sits straight up in bed, looking around. He jumps up to slide into his shirt, but he quickly looks over his shoulder. Is he paranoid someone is watching him? Although this theory doesn't relate to the lyrics, some of the imagery in this video seems like what Rick's life was like at that time. There appears to be a director handing Rick a script, people gathered everywhere as if they're waiting to see him, and what looks like paparazzi flashing their cameras.
I wonder if the Tiger he sees when he starts to open his armoire is supposed to be symbolic in some way of what he's talking about in the song Tiger by the Tail. As if to say that his life was like that of a tiger during these years…wild and driven. Or maybe it's that the people who were constantly wanting a `piece' of him were like tigers on the prowl. He goes from his serene bedroom into another world by pushing on the mirror, like a man living two lives. Ok, so I think it's supposed to be a vision or even a dream. But in a way, he was living two lives. Pretty cool how he added that! Rick is walking around in a dim lit room and there are so many different things going on and some interesting `characters' floating around that it's almost hard to take it all in with one viewing. There's a lady who appears to be either a waitress or a housekeeper, people lounging back watching a TV from their couch, and again there are reporters (who set off a flash that causes him to throw his hand up and block his face). |
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So then we have Rick on stage all in black with that great hair and those eyes…and well, the whole package---looking cool as ever, jamming out on his guitar and looking right into the camera at the most appropriate times, right at *us.* We see a woman wearing a blindfold and Rick spins her around. Maybe the blindfold is supposed to represent the fact that his girl was `blind' to the fact that he loved her so deeply? That is part of the feeling I get from the chorus of this song anyway, that he is trying to convince her that yes, he IS drawn to her physically, but that it's so much more than that. Or what about the sexy shot when Rick says, "I don't have to look any further than into your eyes," and he looks directly at the camera and it kind of freezes on him there, zooming up on his face. *Meltdown!* I know I keep mentioning how sexy he looks here, but hey…it's the God's truth. And yes, I think he MEANT for it to come across that way. Rick is no fool. People told him for years before this how wonderful he is on the eyes, so I totally think he began to use that to his advantage. One of the mottos in show biz is that `sex sells.' Well, he learned that pretty quickly & he began to work it for his videos & stage performances. But the thing that really lasts is the music. Sex does sell…but it also fades pretty quickly. Great music is around forever!
And what is UP with the older woman who's ironing??? Is this supposed to represent the `blue haired ladies' who watched General Hospital that Rick talked about? LOL! I love the scene where Rick and the woman are standing in the spotlight and he removes her blindfold. The lyrics say, "I want your heart," and we see Rick reaching out towards the viewer, gripping his hand in mid-air as if grabbing a hold of her heart. He grabbed ours too! Soon we see all of these `characters,' including the woman who was blindfolded, the reporters, everyone…hanging in front of the stage like a concert crowd, clapping in perfect rhythm together towards the end as Rick and the band perform on stage.
The ending is interesting. After all this craziness we see the mirror Rick had pushed over at the beginning. It goes backwards & upwards, back into place in his bedroom armoire. Rick's reflection is seen as it was before and he grabs the doors and closes off the `other world.'
This is most definitely one of my favorite music videos by Rick. (even if all the visuals don't make perfect sense!)
- Kelley Pearson |
