Rick Springfield, real name Richard Springthorpe, is an Australian singer who started his artistic career in the late 1960s at the age of 19 when he joined a band called 'Rockhouse'. Group that will change its name to 'MPD Ltd' then 'Wickedy Wak'.
He was later found in a group called 'Zoot', a group whose members have the particularity of being dressed in pink satin from head to toe ! Provocative side which will particularly appeal to young audiences but which will not make them very credible as musicians worthy of the name ...
The passage in solo is done at the beginning of decade 70 when he signs with the label Sparmac Records, label which will allow him to release a first single "Speak to the sky" in 1971. Single which will make a real planetary success and launch the young singer on the international music scene in a shattering way.
A year later in 1972 released his first album "Beginnings", album which confirms the rise of the singer. Album which will mainly produce the title "What would the children think ?".
Change of label in 1973 with a stint at Columbia Records. New label with which he produced the album "Comic book heroes". A change of label that was hardly going to benefit him since the album was only going to have a very limited level of success.
Ditto for the album "Mission magic !” which will be released a year later in 1974. Only the title “American girls", released outside the album, will save the furniture in extremis the same year.
New label Chelsea Records and new album "Wait for night" two years later in 1976 and new failure. Only the title "Take a hand" will painfully succeed. A new failure that will cost him 5 years of wandering before returning to the front of the stage ...
In the game of musical chairs, new label change at the beginning of the 80s with a passage in 1981 at RCA and there, a miracle ! The four-year break has paid off and the singer is back in Olympic form.
So much so that the album "Working class dog" will make a real worldwide hit and put the singer back on track for a long time. In particular thanks to the singles "I've done everything for you", "Love is alright tonite" but also, and especially "Jessie's girl". Single which allows the artist to finally win a first global top hit and a Grammy Award at the same time, just that !
Success confirmed and amplified the following year in 1982 with the release of the album "Success hasn’t spoiled me yet". Album carried at arm's length by the enormous single "Don’t talk to strangers" and to a lesser extent "What kind of fool am I?".
At the rate of one album per year, it was the turn of "Living in Oz" to be released in 1983, an album that was less successful than its predecessor. Album which will still manage to save the furniture with 2 high caliber singles that are "Affair of the heart" and "Human touch".
New album "Hard to hold" in 1984, album which confirms the basic tendency that the artist is losing ground. That will not prevent him from releasing a new high caliber single with the title "Love somebody". He even released a second album "Beautiful feelings" the same year, a very daring bet, to say the least, given the fairly average level of success achieved by his predecessor. And bet lost of course since the album will go almost unnoticed ...
This does not discourage him in any way since he put the cover back in 1985 with the album "Tao". The album will not go unnoticed this time around, but will not register a sufficient level of success to relaunch the artist in the long term. Album from which will fortunately be extracted 2 new successful singles "Celebrate youth" and "State of the heart".
The great adventure is going to take a serious turn for the worse with a 3-year-old gap and a return to 1988 in what will be described as average form. The album "Rock of life" to be released that year will only come out thanks to the single of the same name.
A fundamental trend that will amplify in the years to follow and everything that will come out thereafter will only experience a very limited level of success ...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others ...) :
Speak to the sky 1971
What would the children think ? 1972
Believe in me 1973
American girls 1974
Take a hand 1976
Million dollar face 1977
Bruce 1980
Jessie’s girl 1981
I’ve done everything for you 1981
Love is alright tonight 1981
Don’t talk to strangers 1982
What kind of fool am I ? 1982
I get excited 1982
Affair of the heart 1983
Human touch 1983
Souls 1983
Love somebody 1984
Don't walk away 1984
Bop 'til you drop 1984
Taxi dancing 1984
Celebrate youth 1985
State of the heart 1985
Dance this world away 1985
Rock of life 1988
Honeymoon in Beyrut 1988
It's always something 1999
Beautiful you 2004
What's Victoria secret 2008
I hate myself 2012
Light this party up 2016
Down 2016
In the land of the blind 2017
Clips :
1971 ... first title and already...first success ! This is called an ideal start to say the least. Now it remains to be confirmed that it was not just a fluke ...
1972 ... unfortunately, the result will be much less favorable. With the consequence of a fall in the Charts, to say the least, severe. Too bad because it all started off pretty well ...
1973 ... a tumble that accelerates in this year 1973. Only Australia still gives him a little importance and again. Attention danger...
1974 ... and it will not really get better during this year 1974. It must be said that with such a high tempo, this is not the kind of title that the general public is raving about ...
1976 ... luckily, he still retained some core fans between Canada and the United States. Basic fans who allow him to exist for a while longer on the international scene ...
1977 ... the end of the 1970s which saw him disappear altogether from the Charts. After starting a decade on the hats, we really wonder how we got there ...
1980 ... who says new decade says rebirth ? For now, things are going pretty badly. He will really have to adapt quickly to new musical trends if he does not want to see his career end prematurely ...
1981 ... and that, to adapt, he will adapt ! So much so that he will land here the biggest success of his entire career and return to the front of the stage in a shattering way to say the least. HU-GE !
1981 ... a year 1981 which saw him return to the race in a particularly impressive way. A spectacular and above all beneficial metamorphosis !
1981 ... a comeback in terms of both quantity and quality, which does not spoil anything. As much as the 1970s barely saw him, the 1980s revealed him like never before !
1982 ... a year 1982 which starts again on the same bases as the year 1981. Everything smiles on the artist and each title that comes out now is a real success. All good !
1982 ... a slightly less favorable end of the year and yet he is far from unworthy. But given what is looming on the horizon, no worries about the rest of his career ...
1982 ... this one will not do better than its predecessor. To see him return to contact with the best, we will therefore have to wait for the year 1983 ...
1983 ... back to the top of the leading pack with this title. We suspected that with such talent the slight air hole experienced on the 2 previous titles would not last ...
1983 ... the great adventure continues with this title. A good job once again but with him it becomes a habit !
1983 ... the year had started particularly well but the end will be less glorious with this 'little' hit to close the year. It's always better than nothing as they say ...
1984 ... of course, he will never land a mega hit worthy of the name but on the other hand will land a bunch of top hits. A good number of colleagues would have largely been satisfied with such a prize list !
1984 ... with him, the titles of the beginning of the years know a rather favorable level of success and the following titles a rather unfavorable level. In your opinion, what result for this one ...?
1984 ... a bloated year 1984 in terms of titles but with a very fluctuating level of success depending on the title. This title will know the same fate as its predecessor unfortunately ...
1984 ... here he is in shocking but above all charming duo mode. A duo which works very well and which shows another facet of its talent
1985 ... with him, who says the first title of the year necessarily means guaranteed jackpot in the Charts. This one will be no exception to the rule of course ...
1985 ... he played very little in the luxury cover category. Exceptionally here he covers a title from the group Mondo Rock dating from 1980. Well he took it !
1985 ... a title which will not be released as a single and which nevertheless would have really deserved to appear in broad daylight. This clip will at least have had the merit of highlighting it ...
1988 ... after 5 years spent at the highest level, the singer will know like a slight air hole. Air hole which will still last 3 years. Anyway, he comes back in great shape in this year 1988 and inevitably, his first title of the year will be very popular with the public once again !
1988 ... the first title will win the stake so much that there will be nothing left for this one ! And yet he would have deserved a much more favorable fate in terms of public recognition. Astonishing ...
1999 ... a stealthy comeback, to say the least, since the singer will once again disappear from the radar for almost 11 years. And this time the comeback is not going to be successful, far from it. Unfortunately, the delay with the competition is now too great ...
2004 ... despite a level of success at the bottom of the daisies, he continues his adventure for whatever reason. And he is far from being ridiculous, it is clear ...
2008 ... you have to remember that he started his career in 1971, so...37 years ago ! It is therefore a little normal that he has trouble struggling with youngsters who are at least 20 years younger than him ...
2012 ... he will have gone through the 1970s, then the 1980s, then the 1990s, then the 2000s and here he is back in this 2010 decade. Who would have believed it ...?
2016 ... nothing and no one seems able to stop him, it is clear. It is obvious that he does more some figuration than anything else now but his will to move forward costs respect, it is clear
2016 ... ah, if all the singers of his generation had managed to keep the same level, the young generation would have something to worry about, I'm telling you ...
2017 ... unstoppable the guy ! He does not let go and continues to produce title after title. We therefore imagine that the adventure is far from over and that we will surely find it again the following decade ...
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