 |
LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONITE
(words and music by Rick Springfield)
I'm picking up my baby tonite
Though her daddy's making trouble
It'll be alright
I'm working hard, I don't know why
I'm like a working class dog
And I just get by
Tonite I'm crawling out from in it
And though we're living on the brink
Second by second by minute by minute
Love is alright tonite
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite
Everyone's saying the sky's gonna fall
Don't know where it's gonna stop
If it stops at all
I know the world's going crazy alright
I hope it holds together for one more night
Tonite I'm crawling out from in it
And though we're living on the brink
Second by second by minute by minute
Love is alright tonite, baby
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite
Don't worry Daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour
Go to sleep Daddy you won't think about tonite
With the night comes the feeling that I've got this incredible power
Gonna love her Daddy she'll be feeling it tonite
Alright, it's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright
Love is alright tonite, baby
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite
(total playing time 3:25)
Song Facts:
This song has been performed live numerous times, from 1981 when it was first released, through today.
It reached No. 20 on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart.
It appears on the following releases:
Working Class Dog, Anthology (import), The Best of Rick Springfield, Rick Springfield Collection:VH1 Behind the Music, The Greatest Hits ALIVE, Best of Rick Springfield (Japan), Rick Springfield's Greatest Hits, Rick Springfield, and Anthology (written in rock), We Are The '80s, Working Class Dog Expanded Edition
Rick says:
Love is Alright tonight is a real atypical pop/rock song. It's like a rock n roll 9 to 5. It's all the things about getting out and having a good time set to a rock n roll beat. This is one of the simpler and one of my favorite songs on that album. - The Hot Ones Radio Show, 1984.
|
|
According to US
"I'm picking' up my baby tonight, tho
daddy's making trouble it'll be alright". Rick, you sure do know
how to speak my language. I'm thirteen, right. I'd looove to have a guy who
drives pick me up for a date. And since I'm thirteen, I know why daddy's
making trouble.
Now this was/is a cool song to sing along to. I've always loved it, right from
the beginning. Bought WCD because of JG, but hey - this one's a toe tapper if
not anything else.
"I'm working hard, I don't know why - I'm like a Working Class Dog and I
don't know why". Hey! there's the album title. I was always so proud of
myself noticing that. Now that I've matured (at least that's what others in
the real world think, who am I to argue) I know what Rick was referring to
about working hard. Ten years here in America, and still no hit song? I thank
the gods or whomever told Rick to stick with it. Who knows what in the heck my
life would be like without Rick Springfield in it??
I just listened to this one today, on my way home from work. This song is
totally 80s, which is probably another reason why I love it. Happy about life,
happy to be alive, love IS alright tonite. Let's jam! - Michelle P
With all the press this week about MTV's
25th anniversary, I'm feeling so nostalgic it's pathetic. I was a year
off on the age for this song, I was 11 going on 12. Not that there's
that much difference in those ages, but YIKES! I can't believe I can say
"25 years ago...." <shudder>
This song still makes me feel 13. I don't
know what it is about it that makes me feel that way, but I love it for that.
I also wonder why Rick calls this his only party song. I've found myself
partying pretty hard throughout the 80's to various RS 'classics'.
Maybe he should refer to it as his *first* party song?
Being the mother of a teenaged son, I guess I'm
not feeling that sensitive to the lyrics as if he were a girl.
Actually, I'd probably feel more understanding if he were female, I
mean....I've seen Rick Springfield :-P Seriously
though, it's so hard to take this song seriously. I guess that's why
it's been dubbed a party song. - Michelle P
What a fun song, there is just so much energy in it. I know when I first heard it I saw it more as a party fun song - a guy picking up a girl and going out on a date and having fun. I took it all to simply be a boyfriend/ girlfriend going out on a date and the fact that they liked each other was 'alright'. The song is just so frantic, you can feel the energy, urgency, pushing him forward. A favorite lyric that illustrates that is "Second by second by minute by minute", but again who wouldn't be excited for a fun night out? And of course daddy would be concerned, curfews were important. ha! Plus I always loved "Don't worry Daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour" - I mean who wouldn't want such a responsible guy, right? And he just sounds so convincing and sincere in the way he sings it.
Now that I know the real reason he's taking her out it makes the urgency of the song even more relevant - there's a goal in mind and time is just ticking away. He does a little fast talking with the father to get her out the door and then it's on to the fun of the evening because of course "It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright" Hopefully it was an alright night!
- Jen H.
|
First of all, anyone ever notice that "Tonite" is spelled wrong. Hmmm...wonder if there is some secret message in that. This song starts out fast and never really lets down the whole song. Many of Rick's songs start with slower verses and workup to a fast chorus, but not this rocker. I didn't know much about love when this song came out (I was only 10 or 11 when it came out), so for me, it was just a feel good song then. When I was down and it seemed like the "sky was falling", I loved to play this to hear Rick sing "It's gonna be alright". Lyrically, it's a pretty simple song. Now, I look at this song as autobiographical. Having heard Rick say many times in interviews how tough it was to break into music, I see this as story on how he struggled to make it in the business. I think everyone can relate those feelings to there own lives, especially when your are having a crappy week at work and you just want to go out with that someone special, have a good time, and forget about your worries at least for a little bit.
My favorite part of the song is "Don't worry Daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour. Go to sleep Daddy you won't think about tonite. With the night comes the feeling that I've got this incredible power. Gonna lover her Daddy she'll be feeling it tonite. Alright, it's gonna be alright. It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright." Call me crazy, but the first thing that pops into my head when I hear this is Eddie Haskell from Leave It To Beaver. Here's this sweet charming guy telling "Daddy" all the things he wants to hear....I'll have her home early; I'll take care of your little girl, etc. But you know it's all an act, and the minute this guy gets out of Daddy's sight, he'll be trying to make the moves on her. I also love how the song just abruptly stops after that same verse and then jumps back into the chorus. When Rick does it live, that part is changed up and there is mainly just drums with Rick pumping his fist. It's a great encore song. I still love seeing this song live.
- LKH
This song is definitely a "time-warp" song for me. It completely takes me back to when I was 13, and falling madly in love with Rick Springfield (who, like 1,000's of other young girls & women, I thought I'd marry! LOL) That being said, this song is a great party song, and a feel good type of tune. The beat and guitars are in perfect sync with the lyrics and each other. It is also one of those catchy tunes that Rick is so notorious for. I cannot get this tune out of my head once it starts. (not that I'd want to!)
At the time when I first got the WCD album, I was too young and mostly innocent to totally grasp the deeper meaning in the lyrics, but over the course of that year, I quickly began to understand more. (hmmm...was it because of listening to so much Rick?! Probably.) The lyrics are seductive, but kind of "disturbing" for me, even now. As much as I love what he's saying here, I can't help but remember that uneasy feeling I had when I was a young girl at home (only child, daddy's girl) and how I KNEW it would tick my dad off to hear my hero singing this song. OR for any guy I wanted to "date" to talk this way. LOL Thank God he never tuned into my music! All of this comes from the lines, "don't worry daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour. Go to sleep daddy you won't think about tonight" {In my case, all I could think was "yes, he would think about tonight, no matter what you say Rick. He`d be waiting up for me in fact!}..."With the night comes the feeling that I've got this incredible power" {yes, he would have the power...if he love's daddy's girl!} "gonna love her daddy she'll be feeling it tonight...alright...it's gonna be alright." Now that last line holds a powerful punch! Not only was it an exciting thought, but it also has an "every mother's nightmare" feel to it (and father's in this case), but I LOVED it anyway. I just wanted him to carry me away against daddy's wishes! ("Though her daddy's makin' trouble it'll be alright.") He said it will be alright, well...okay, I believed him!
At this point in my life, as a mom of a 12-year old girl, I still adore this song but I have some new thoughts when I hear it. This is now my Rick-you-NEEDED-a-daughter-song. EVERY time I hear it, that thought crosses my mind. God really should have blessed him with another child...a girl. Then he might squirm a bit too when he hears this. I know how protective my dad was, and now my daughter's dad is the same way!! There are not many daddy's who like the thought of an older guy wanting his little girl to "be feeling it tonight." LOL In fact I try not to drill this particular Rick song into my daughter's head, (ok, I'm a bit overprotective too!) simply because I know how thought-provoking it was for myself at her tender age! From the perspective of the inexperienced girl...it's a scary but very sweet thought.
I love how he added the line "I'm working hard, I don't know why I'm like a working class dog and I just get by" That is a classic line for me! He truly was that kind of guy and still is, even now! He has had to work for it all, and knows the struggle. Then to name the album WCD, and to feature his actual dog on the cover...AND to have his dog in a shirt & tie like a man going to work....perfect! What a cool way to tie that all together. Ronnie is adorable with that outfit & Rick's small picture in his shirt pocket. I wonder what came first, that lyric or the name of the album?
I also like the longing in Rick's voice and the need for some love and escape from the hassles of everyday life--"I know the world's going crazy alright, I hope it holds together for one more night." Oh yes, love is definitely alright tonight. I say it's now or never, in a world where there is too much junk, and so often a lack of love. For me, this will go down as one of those amazing, all encompassing songs that can whisk me back to a time of youth...or as a song for living in the moment & just having a great time.
- Kelley Pearson
This song was a little different for me when I first heard it, possibly because I was
23 years old, married and had a child when it came out. The part where he says he's just a working class dog had such meaning for me because
that's what I was doing at that time. It just made Rick and his music seem so much more approachable for
me. Like his thoughts and feelings were the same as everyman/woman. He says in the song about going out
for the night. It's just to get away from the worries and tribulations of regular life for one
night. The part where he says "I just get by", Wow,I so identified with
that. Even though I had responsibilities, I still appreciated the "Don't worry,
Daddy", "She'll be feeling it tonight" aspect of this song. I remember thinking what a Bad Boy he was
and I must admit I have always had a weakness for them. I thought the music was so catchy and loved his soaring vocal on
it. It's really a feel good song. Elizabeth S.
One of the most interesting things about this song to me is the line "I'm like a working class dog and I
just get by". If you listen to the demo, this line isn't even in there, and yet it ended up inspiring the name of the album, and probably the cover art to go along with it.
This song is only one of a few on this album where Rick seems to be the one in control in the relationship, which leads me to believe that this was more of a fantasy for him then stemming from reality. And interestingly enough, it seems to be with a much younger girl (who's "daddy" is still in the picture). I never picked up on some of the sexual undertones in the 80's, but I'm sure getting them now. He was SO
bad....lol - rlh
"I'm picking up my baby tonite
Tho her daddy's making trouble
It'll be alright
I'm working hard, I don't know why
I'm like a working class dog
And I just get by"
I can't help but think this song is one of those ones that talks about the feeling of getting ready to go out on a Friday night after a tough week. Only for him, he has had a tough few years since moving to the USA. It is interesting that no matter how crappy your day, week, or year can be, he brings to light the fact that spending time with a special someone of the opposite sex can make things feel
"alright". And, with all the challenges he has gone through, it appears that the smallest one he thinks he needs to worry about is her daddy..lol, now that is a confident man!
"Tonite I'm crawling out from in it
And tho we're living on the brink
Second by second by minute by minute"
He probably feels he is in deep...trying to make it as a musician, never knowing where your next dollar or break will come from. The next minute, the next second, it
can make you or break you but that feeling of anxiety goes away for a few hours
starting from the time he anticipates his evening.
"Don't worry Daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour
Go to sleep Daddy you won't think about tonite
With the night comes the feeling that I've got this incredible power
Gonna lover her Daddy she'll be feeling it tonite
Alright, it's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright"
Like so many who heard this song when it first came out, I caught the more
mature message in this passage as I aged and discovered more about myself and my
own sexuality. When he merely sings the line" Gonna love her daddy she'll be feeling it tonite", my body physically reacts to it!! It doesn't matter if I hear him sing it live or via my cd player,I get that naughty tingly feeling! LOL
"Love is alright tonite, baby
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite"
Interesting that he is a Rock Star with a long career and a huge vault of songs, and still claims
"This is the only party song I ever wrote", and it is still a part of his live set lists!
- Kat Mendelin
|