Randy's girl

[oxcoug]

A friend of mine house-sat for Rick Springfield five or six years ago. In a room w/ mementos from his music career is a framed piece of scratch paper with the lyrics to "Jessie's Girl" scribbled in verses.

Handwritten at the top of the page is "Randy's Girl" crossed out with "Jessie's Girl" next to it.

Just a fun and pointless anecdote for your Monday morning.

[Art Vandelay]

Jessie is a friend, yeah. I know he's been a good friend of mine....I don't know Randy. I don't want to know Randy.

This is one of the few songs my wife still loves as much as she did, when she heard it as a feathered-haired, bell-bottom wearing 5th grader. I'm just glad the song isn't titled Art's girl, because she wouldn't have been Art's for very long, when Ric was cool with the lines.

[Paperback Writer]

Jessie's Girl was released while I was in high school. At the time, I was a big Bruce Springsteen fan (still am to a lessor degree) and finally got to attend a Springsteen concert in the midwest. I wore my Springsteen concert T-shirt with pride. Around the same time, Rick Springfield topped the charts with Jessie's Girl. Other HS students would come up to me and ask me about "the Boss" singing Jessie's girl upon seeing my Springsteen T-shirt. At first I was snarky and reply that he didn't sing "Jessie's Girl" during the concert. Then, I'd wait for their reaction of unbelief: "You're kidding - he really didn't sing it?". Then I'd spout off: "Bruce Springsteen didn't sing it because it's not his song; Rick Springfield sings Jessie's Girl". After that approach didn't win me any friends, I'd just state that the Springsteen concert was amazing but Rick Springfield sings that "awesome" song Jessie's Girl.

I thought of that story because my brand new ward had a social so that members of the previously three different wards could get to know each other better. We got asked different questions and I was asked was to name a musical artist that was influential to me personally and I responed: Bruce Springsteen. The guy next to me says, "I really liked Springsteen, too" and starts trying to rattle off the lyrics to Jessie's Girl. No, we didn't attend high school together.