Jessie's Girl

"Jessie's Girl"
Song
B-side	"Carry Me Away"

"Jessie's Girl" is a Grammy Award-winning rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog. The song is about unrequited love, and centers around a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend (see below for story behind the song).

Upon its release in 1981 the song became an instant hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and later won Springfield a Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. The song was at #1 when MTV launched on August 1, 1981.

Story behind the song

Springfield was taking a stained glass class along with his friend Gary and Gary's girlfriend. He initially wanted to use the actual name of the friend he was singing about, but instead decided to go with a different name — "Jessie". He happened to see a girl in a softball jersey with the name "Jessie" on it and changed the name from Gary to Jessie, then recorded the song. Springfield says that he does not remember the name of the girlfriend, and believes that the real woman who inspired the song has no idea that she was "Jessie's Girl", telling Oprah Winfrey, "I was never really introduced to her. It was always just, like, panting from afar."

This song was featured in the 1997 film Boogie Nights. It was also featured in the 2004 film 13 Going on 30. Jessie's Girl remains a staple of "retro" FM radio stations, and has gained further popularity on the back of the recent "eighties revival" trend.

Credits

• Produced by Keith Olsen
• Engineered by Chris Minto at Sound City
• Mastered by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan Sound Recorders

Covers

• It was covered by The Chipmunks on their 17th album Chipmunk Rock, six months after the release of Springfield’s version and using the same instrumental backing track.
• In 2004, it was remade by the band Frickin' A, on their debut album Big Egos...No Ideas. In a twist, Rick Springfield made a cameo appearance as a psychiatrist in their music video.
• Everclear have also paid tribute to the longevity of the song's popularity by recording a live cover version of the song.
• Korea Girl have covered this song as a hidden track at the end of the Japanese release of their self titled album.
• Main characters, Shawn and Gus of USA Network's Psych, played by James Roday and Dulé Hill respectively, sing Jesse's Girl, complete with air guitars during the end credits of the episode of "Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece."
• During the Venture Bros. episode, Showdown at Cremation Creek Pt. 1, Dr. Venture starts reciting lines from the song as Dr. Girlfriend walks down the aisle, to which the Monarch asks, "...Are you reciting Jessie's Girl?"