'God, sex and death': Rick Springfield discusses the tenets of his music

Even 50 years into his career, Rick Springfield dreams in music.

The title track of his first new studio album since 2018, “Automatic,” seeped into his brain at 3 a.m., prompting Springfield to get up and write down the notes he heard in his head.

“There was no plan,” he says of not only the stomping rocker but also the ambitious 20-song album. “There was no deadline. No one is waiting for the next album from me. I just got to do what I love, which is why I got into music in the first place.”

The seemingly ageless Springfield – he turns 74 on Aug. 23, and aside from some artful gray hair streaks, looks remarkably unchanged – recorded the new songs as soon as he birthed them, joking that his “binge writing” led to a double-digit tracklist.

While “Jessie’s Girl” still follows him on every talk show appearance, Springfield’s 16 other Top 40 hits through the decades (“Affair of the Heart,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Love Somebody” and “Human Touch” among them) are staples in his live performances, which he has whittled to about 70 a year.

On “Automatic,” Springfield’s thoughtfulness and versatility as a writer glows. He delves into recent personal losses, questions his spirituality and unwraps melodic frivolity with equal dexterity.

The musician/actor/author tells us more about the meaning ingrained in his new music, living with depression and why he appreciates fans making the effort to come to his concerts.

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Question: You wrote "She Walks with the Angels" for your longtime engineer and front-of-house mixer Matty Spindel, who died last fall. What did you want people to know about him in the song?

Springfield: We used to call him the “Little Woman.” He had a very feminine vibe to him, although he was heterosexual and had lots of girlfriends through the years. But the “she” just felt right. I usually wait to write after someone I love dies. It took me three years to write “My Father’s Chair” after my dad died, but maybe I’m getting used to people dying. I knew Matty for 25 years. I spent more time with him than my wife. It was an incredibly hard loss and I still feel it, but we all feel his spirit.

The last song on the album, "We Are Eternal," is an intriguing mix of impending dread and hopefulness.

For anyone who hopes for an afterlife, it’s a mixture of dread and ecstasy. The great phrase is everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die. That song is about Brett Tuggle (who played keyboards in Springfield’s band as well as with Fleetwood Mac and David Lee Roth). Weirdly enough we lost Brett and Matty within six months of each other (Tuggle died in June 2022). I wanted the song to be hopeful. I don’t like writing downer songs when we lose people. Both Matty and Brett were very similar. I don’t know why they take the good ones.

You’ve talked openly about your struggles with depression, and “When God Forgets My Name” is pretty lyrically deep. Is it difficult to be so open?

No. I don’t think about people judging (my songs) when I’m writing; I just think about sharing a feeling. I know myself better than anybody, and in most of the writing there is a kernel of truth somewhere. I don’t restrict myself when I write. There’s always a degree of spit and polish and sweat, and when it comes through, you almost have to get out of the way.

Do you find it harder to write when you’re depressed?

It’s difficult when going through a down period, but it is part of my drive, the darkness. I always need to prove myself to myself. That’s the upside to depression: It forces you to look inside, and that’s gold to a writer.

On a cheerier note, "Come Said the Girl" has a very fun vibe with horns and hand claps.

That one is all about sex, obviously. This album is about my three favorite things – God, sex and death. That’s basically what I’ve written about the last 10 years. I’m still searching for God, interested in sex and curious about death.

I often hear your SiriusXM show ("Working Class DJ" on the ‘80s on 8 channel). Do you like doing it, because it’s hard to tell sometimes!

(Laughs.) I love-hate it. I don’t take it seriously at all, which I think shows. I have fun with it. The shows are getting sillier and sillier, and I think people appreciate that I’m not taking myself too seriously. I’m a musician, not a DJ. I don’t even know what I’m talking about sometimes. I wasn’t listening to radio (in the ‘80s) because I was writing and touring.

Anyone who has seen you in concert recently knows that you’ve kept your voice and body in great shape. How do you do it?

I’m conscious of what I eat and I work out every day. I recently got a trainer. If I’m healthy, I’ll enjoy doing what I’m doing. I learned from my dad because he died early (in 1981) and it was diet-related. His heart stopped when he was 51 and they brought him back and he had brain damage and he died 10 years later. That hit me really hard and I started focusing on health. I didn’t realize it was a reaction to him, and it’s a habit now. I hate being sick. I want to stay active, even though I can’t kick as high as I used to.

You’re heading out with The Hooters, Paul Young and Tommy Tutone for the I Want My ‘80s Tour Aug. 4. Since you’re on the road so much, do you ever get to catch any concerts?

Rarely. I was trying to see The Cure but (the timing didn’t work). I saw the (Rolling) Stones on their last tour. Honestly, it’s a pain to go out and see concerts. I don’t know how people do it. Fans will bring an old ticket for me to sign and I’ll see it was 12 bucks and I’ll go, “When did it get up to $60 and $90?” And then you have to park and get a sitter for the kids and have dinner. It’s a big deal. I always thank the audience because they put so much into being there.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rick Springfield talks 'Automatic' album, I Want My ‘80s Tour