YOU'D BETTER THINK TWICE
(Words and music by Rick Springfield)

People may seem crazy
Every single day
But everyone is different
In their own way

You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
About it

Mama spanks her baby
Makes the baby cry
But baby is the apple of her eye

You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
About it

Sometimes I get unhappy
With the things you do
But don't think I don't love you
'Cause you know I do

You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
About it

You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
You'd Better Think Twice about it
About it

(total playing time 2:09)

Song Facts: This appears on Mission Magic, Rick Springfield Greatest Hits, Speak to the Sky, Backtracks, and Speak to the Sky. This was in the first episode of Mission: Magic! The Land of Backwards.

According to US

From what I understand these songs were written specifically for the episodes Mission Magic. I'm not sure if Rick had anything tucked away, or if he started from scratch on all of these, but I can't imagine it was easy to pop one of these out every week, not matter what. This is a very simple song, and it somewhat ties into the episode (everything is backwards, so you have to think twice about everything that is going on, to really know what is going on). I think this could have used a couple of more verses to give it a little more "meat", but I think it worked for the episode. - rlh

This is an okay song, and definitely not one of my top favorites in the Mission Magic collection. The most interesting lyric for me is when he says, "Mama spanks her baby. Makes the baby cry. But baby is the apple of her eye." Now�in this day and time when society is so AGAINST spanking as a form of discipline, a song like this for a children's show just wouldn't fly. (those of us who were spanked as children turned out just fine didn't we?! ) It goes to show just how much the times have changed. In the cartoon episode in which this song appears, it even shows a baby being spanked during this verse. I can't see this happening in today's cartoons. (but yet it's quite common to see violence in cartoons nowadays ).

I really don't get the gist of this song. The only thing I can gather from it as far as a real meaning would be that it pays to think things through and to not pass judgment on others. In the first verse he is talking about how people are all different in their own way. Very true. Then the next verse is the `spanking' verse, which doesn't seem to relate to the first verse. The last verse also doesn't really correspond with either one of the other verses---"sometimes I get unhappy, with the things you do. But don't think I don't love you cause you know I do." Again�how that relates to the rest of the song, I don't know. 

I think the fact that Rick had to write a new song each week for the episodes could play a big part in the simplistic nature of the lyrics. That is quite a lot of work in one week, whipping up music and lyrics that `fit' the script of the given show. But I have to give Rick credit for getting those songs out there in such a short time frame. I think another reason the song is written this way could be because the songs were written for a children's show, therefore he kept them simple and to the point. It's definitely a song I can sing along too, and not one I feel I need to skip if I'm playing the MM collection (and I like the handclapping sounds in the background!), but again�it's not a song from Mission Magic that ranks high on my charts. There are other songs from MM that I like much better than this one. - Kelley Pearson