Still a working class dog: Rick Springfield bringing big hooks, big hits to MGM in Northfield

B.J. Lisko, Akron Beacon Journal

December 6, 2021 at 7:28 PM·6 min read

Rick Springfield will perform Friday at the MGM Casino in Northfield.

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Back in 2017 when iconic rocker and songwriter Rick Springfield was doing the rounds in promotion of his then-latest album, “The Snake King,” he described what a great Rick Springfield song consists of.

"Say something universal. Stay away from cliches, if possible. Write a good hook,” he said.

For the better part of a career spanning four decades, the 72-year-old songsmith has done just that, carving out his own unique rock ’n’ roll niche with dozens of catchy, guitar-driven, pop-tinged, ready-for-radio hits. Springfield will perform a full band, catalog-spanning set on Friday at the MGM Casino in Northfield.

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“For every fan that’s missed a show, every band has missed it that much, too,” Springfield said in a recent phone conversation.

“It’s a great communal meeting. Nowadays, people don’t go to church as much, the movie theaters are empty. Concert halls are the place that people commune together. Even at sports events, half the audience is on one side, and half is on the other. At least at a concert, everyone’s energy is towards the same direction. I think psychologically, it will be really good for everybody to get back into that connection that makes us all feel like one.”

Springfield has sold millions of records worldwide on the back of mega-hits like “Jesse’s Girl,” “I’ve Done Everything for You,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Affair of the Heart” and many more.

He has conquered not only the charts but has also succeeded in daytime television and Broadway as an actor. Springfield starred as Dr. Noah Drake in the long-running “General Hospital” franchise and more recently made appearances in “American Horror Story,” “Californication” and “Hot In Cleveland.” He’s also starred on the big screen in films like “Ricki and the Flash,” “Hard to Hold” and more.

2021 commemorated the 40th anniversary of Springfield’s seminal “Working Class Dog” album, and the Australian native is currently hard at work on a new record that will see the light of day early next year. An anniversary edition of "Working Class Dog" will also be released in 2021.

Springfield talked about his albums — new and old — songwriting, finding inspiration and rum in a candid conversation ahead of his MGM appearance.

He sensed he had something special with “Working Class Dog,” but that was nothing new.

“I thought I had something special every album before that, too,” Springfield said. “You always go in thinking, ‘This one’s the one.’ But my writing had taken a definite turn at that point, too. It was coming out of disco and ballads, and I had tried my hand at disco and failed miserably. But I didn’t like the genre. I was a guitar player, and I wanted bands and the guitar to come back into my music world. So I wrote guitar-based music. I also wasn’t thinking of a record deal at the time. I was thinking of going around and playing the L.A. club circuit that had suddenly got a lot of attention because an act had been discovered there. I just wrote a bunch of songs to play in the L.A. clubs and then got a record deal. So it was a different approach, I guess, to how I’d written before.”

Springfield has found success writing what he’s wanted to write.

“Every album that I’ve done has had a focus,” he said. “I think ‘Working Class Dog’ was the first one where I wasn’t really chasing a record deal. I just said, '[expletive] it. I’m gonna write songs that I really like, and I don’t care if they get a deal or if it’s what’s being played on the radio.’ Whenever you follow the radio, too, it’s really a tough journey, because by the time you get stuff out, it’s already too late. So I just wrote what I wanted to write. And that was the main thing. It was a very coherent album, and I had a plan for it. I wanted short, pop songs that if you didn’t like this one, there’d be another one right along in under three minutes. And I could play with the guitar, bass and drums — not a lot of hoopla. And so I think it felt like a very concise, focused album. I think it was good writing with good hooks.”

Unlike many established artists who solely rely on playing their back catalog, for Springfield, new music remains as vital as ever.

“It’s really important,” he said. “It’s my center. I’m a writer at heart. It’s something I’ve always been able to do without an audience. I don’t need an audience, I don’t need money. I just need a guitar and a tape recorder. So it’s something that I’ve always just gravitated to. I don’t play video games. I don’t watch television. When I have time, I sit down with a guitar or at a piano and write something, hopefully. I’m writing a new album now. It focuses me, and that’s what I get up about. It’s as exciting to me now as when I did ‘Working Class Dog.’ When I did the demos for ‘Working Class Dog,’ I couldn’t wait to finish the song so I could record it. And it’s kind of like that now, still.”

Springfield is always looking for songwriting inspiration, but it doesn’t mean he always finds it.

“I don’t really understand it, and I don’t know anyone who really does,” he said of getting inspired. “You’re always looking for inspiration, but it doesn’t mean you’ll find it. And it doesn’t mean it will find you. You’re certainly open to a great cosmic awareness. I believe there are ideas floating around, and you catch onto them or you don’t. I try to stay as open as I can without panicking, which a lot of writers do, and I certainly do when nothing is happening. I get very edgy when I’m not writing. And you always think the last song you wrote will be the last good song you’ll ever write. So songwriting is a great thing, and also has its downside, for sure.”

Rick Springfield seen at KAABOO Texas at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, May 11, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. Springfield will perform Friday at MGM Northfield Park. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

“I’ve Done Everything for You,” did a lot more for Springfield than it did for his friend and the song’s author, Sammy Hagar. The pair recently partnered in the alcohol business with Beach Bar Rum.

“He made some good money off it, he always says,” Springfield said with a laugh. “He put his daughters through college. Sammy and I have been friends since ‘I’ve Done Everything For You,’ and I wanted to get in the alcohol business. He actually said rather than have me as a competitor, he’d rather have me as a partner. So he offered a partnership in Beach Bar Rum, and I couldn’t think of a better person to hook up with. First of all, he’s a musician, and second of all, he knows the alcohol business. He’s already had a giant home run there. So it was just a very natural thing to do.”