Garage Sale Vinyl: Rick Springfield
Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet / RCA / March 1982
by Christopher Long
For me, it’s been more vital than at any other time of year, the music that has bookmarked my personal summer experiences: sunny days at the beach, smoky cookouts in the backyard, and moonlit nights with “you know who.” Decades later, those unforgettable “summer jams” still possess the power to transport me instantly back to magical times, wonderful places, and amazing people. In 2023, my undisputed #1 summer jam has thwacked me as only very few have before. The crazy thing is, it dropped more than 40 years ago.
• •
There I was, hanging out at my local go-to used record joint one afternoon earlier in the season, watching with bated breath as my “dealer” dug on her hands and knees through a creaky crate of musty arrivals — “Ugh, these are gonna go cheap.” Then, hidden within the nearly 100 tattered-looking, tired butt rock slabs, she spotted a true treasure — “Hey, check this out!” Peaking up from her crouched position on the floor, she handed me a surprisingly pristine LP — “Are you into Rick Springfield?”
As a proud graduate of Nick Gilder Power Pop University (summa cum laude), I certainly was “into” Rick Springfield, kinda. I mean, I at least knew and appreciated his string of catchy ’80s hits. But also, as a faithful subscriber of Cock Rocker Monthly, I naively always sorta thought of him as that too good-looking soap opera guy who “did music” on the side. As a result, I’d never owned a full-length Rick Springfield album. That was about to change.
Back in the old days, many, if not most of my LP purchases were based on one crucial criterion — a cool cover. The follow-up to Springfield’s massive 1981 breakout record, Working Class Dog, the pseudo sophomore set, Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet arrived in the spring of 1982. The now classic cover depicts Springfield’s own Bull Terrier, Ron, rollin’ in a private limo, “Pimp Daddy” style, while cozied-up with a couple of canine cuties, and being served champagne by Springfield himself as the handsome limo driver. Punched up with fun shades of pinks, blues and purples, the eye-catching cover somehow now was speaking to me as I gave it a close examination. The cover of this particular copy was clean and the record itself was in what many vinyl aficionados might consider “near-mint” condition.
“How much?” I inquired.
“Six bucks,” my dealer replied in a snap.
“I’ll take it!”
Produced by Keith Olsen (Fleetwood Mac, Benetar, Heart, Ozzy), the infectious 12-track collection hooks ya from the tippy, and it keeps ya reeled in for a full 37+ minutes. While Springfield has received a slew of well-deserved personal acknowledgments and accolades over the years, Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet arguably shines brightest as his most exceptional and influential piece of work.
TIMELINE is EVERYTHING. So, when Springfield proclaimed, “I want to see it on the video tonight,” in the opening tune, “Calling All Girls,” it showed some pretty forward-thinking awareness, as MTV only had launched a couple of months prior to the record’s release and relatively few homes had access to the fledgling music video channel. Also, honest lyrical rock star swagger such as “She was insatiable, you know the type / And she was young, but she was ripe” never would be tolerated by today’s “enlightened” influencers. Go git ‘er, boy! And DON’T apologize for a freaking thing — you’re Rick Springfield!
Those who have been around long enough and possess proper “vision,” can see with 20/20 clarity how the record inspired future music from a menagerie of up-and-coming ’80s artists — from lyrics (“Yeah we talk about the girls, girls, girls”) to song titles (“Still Crazy for You”) to phrasing that’ll “wham” ya every time. In “Tonight,” Springfield revealed how Patty and Jesse seemingly were “living on a prayer” as they struggled in their working-class reality.
But Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet didn’t merely inspire a crop of ’80s icons, it also would inform a cast of gunky ’90s rockers. I know, bro — “say it ain’t so,” right? C’mon, let’s be honest — “The American Girl” alone is only one bad haircut and a spritz of B.O. away from having you craving “cake,” for goodness sake. In fact, there’s a scene in the 2013 documentary, Sound City, in which Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is prepping for an in-house, all-star recording session. Despite a guest list that included the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, Grohl looks into the camera with schoolgirl-like glee and announces, “Rick Springfield is coming over tonight!” Furthermore, I shudder to think how Spuds’ future would have played out if not for Ron’s inspirational prosperity message presented on the album cover.
With a track list that owns this much WOW factor, it’s tough to hit just a few highlights. However, I’d be remiss in not pointing out how Springfield’s reworked collab with Jim Vallance on “Kristina” jumped way higher than the original version (“Jamaica”) did for Bachman-Turner Overdrive in 1979. Also, “What Kind of Fool Am I” (still) serves as a three-minute crash course in perfect pop songwriting — mic drop.
Thanks to my savvy used record dealer, I now can count Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet among my personal all-time favorite “summer jams.” And my poor GF has proved to be quite a good sport about it, as she too has “experienced” the album over and over (and over) again in recent weeks. As a result, I know that it takes exactly two full passes of the album (via my trusty iGadget) to mow her entire lawn. Pass me the sunscreen, sweetie — big Daddy’s gots man’s work to do!
(5/5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet Track List
SIDE ONE
- Calling All Girls – 3:26
- I Get Excited – 2:32
- What Kind of Fool Am I – 3:19
- Kristina (Springfield, Vallance) – 3:01
- Tonight – 3:19
- Black Is Black (Hayes, Grainger, Wadey) – 2:52
SIDE TWO
- Don’t Talk to Strangers – 2:59
- How Do You Talk to Girls – 3:17
- Still Crazy for You (Sanford) – 3:56
- The American Girl – 3:09
- Just One Kiss (Kelly, Steinberg) – 3:14
- April 24, 1981 – 1:33
