Rick Springfield has had a long and successful career — in music and acting. 

The multitalented Australian charted a Top 10 hit in his homeland and four Top 40 hits in the United States before he went on to portray the dreamy Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime soap opera General Hospital, a role that caused many a woman to fall in love with him. 

Their chance to fall in love with him all over again comes when Springfield kicks off the Foellinger Theatre season on Thursday, May 23, for a night of music celebrating an icon in the industry.

Finding success

Debuting with 1972’s Beginnings, Springfield’s biggest commercial success came in the early ’80s with the release of 1981’s Working Class Dog and its immediate follow-up, Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet. 

The popularity of those albums were a bit of a surprise since Springfield had struggled to gain traction in the U.S., releasing four prior albums with only the 1976 release, Wait for Night, charting on The States’ Billboard Top 200, but the world had yet to find out about his love for “Jessie’s Girl.” 

Still a fan-favorite off of Working Class Dog and a staple of classic rock radio, that song was the main force that propelled Springfield onto mainstream radio and into the hearts of millions. The song made him a bona-fide rock star. 

Although it may seem hard to believe given its popularity, “Jessie’s Girl” was not an immediate hit. Instead, it slowly eased its way up the charts, taking an unheard of 19 weeks to reach No. 1. 

The subsequent single, “I’ve Done Everything for You,” was more eagerly received, taking just a few weeks to peak at No. 14. 

“I wrote those songs because I had given up on ever getting another record deal, and L.A. clubs were hot at the time,” Springfield told Billboard in a recent interview. “So I thought I’d write a bunch of short pop songs with catchy hooks that I could play with a three-piece band and go do the L.A. club scene. I was surprised when I got the record deal, (which) didn’t really seem to be in the cards for me.”

Looking to capitalize on the momentum, Springfield released Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet a year later, charting three more singles, “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “What Kind of Fool Am I,” and “I Get Excited.” The album was filled with a heavy dose of those short, catchy pop songs and solidified Springfield as a headliner, paving the way for a five-decade career that boasts 22 studio albums, including the most recent being 2023’s Automatic.

Deeper territory

While some fans continue to look for Springfield to write the next “Jessie’s Girl,” Automatic shows a mature songwriter.

Instead of singing about pining for his friend’s girl, on Automatic he delves into recent personal loss in “She Walks with the Angels,” questions his spirituality in “We Are Eternal,” and opens up about his long struggle with depression in “When God Forgets My Name.” Heavy stuff to digest, for sure, but representative of where Springfield is as an artist now. 

“I don’t think about people judging (my songs) when I’m writing,” he told USA Today. “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.”

Automatic is a very organic album. Springfield recorded the new songs as he finished them, instead of waiting to find a studio and recording them in bunches as he had done in the past. 

He admitted at the time of its release, “There was no plan. There was no deadline and no one 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.” 

Show you won’t forget

As for the show itself, those unfamiliar with Springfield’s newer songs need not worry as the setlist usually consists of the hits we all know from the aforementioned chart toppers to “Affair of the Heart,” “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” “Love Somebody,” and “Human Touch.” You might even see some highlights from his on-screen career flash behind him periodically during the show, including scenes from General Hospital, Hard To Hold, and maybe, if we are lucky, Ricki and The Flash. 

All of which adds up to an evening of great music and entertainment for longtime and new fans alike, serving notice that even at 74 years old, Springfield is still a force.

This show kicks off a busy year at Foellinger Theatre, with a slate of shows that includes Blues Traveler and Big Head Todd & The Monsters, Lee Brice, Tesla, and Slaughter with Great White and Vixen. 

“Even though Rick Springfield has performed solo in Fort Wayne in the past, on May 23, he will be performing with his Full Band Electric, which means something unique and a first for some of his fans,” Theatre Manager Rick Kinney said in a recent interview. “Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation is honored to have Rick and his band grace our stage as we celebrate 75 years of live performances at the Foellinger Theatre.”