By Mario Tarradell
The Dallas Morning News
September 21, 2006

Rick Springfield happily embraces the '80s, the spandex decade that made him a star. He uses it as his calling card, even while he continues to make new music. When headlining the current We Are the '80s tour, which also features Loverboy, Eddie Money and Scandal, the Australian singer-songwriter makes sure to highlight the breadth of his ongoing recording career."We do new songs in the set," says Springfield, 56. "We do a song that hasn't been recorded yet, as well as all the hits. I wouldn't distance myself from the '80s. It's not what I try to do."

Not that he could. Jessie's Girl, his No.1 smash from 1981, remains his signature tune, an enduring signpost of a musical era that's back in vogue."I'm very proud of what I did in the '80s, certainly the legs of Jessie's Girl. When I was a kid, I always wanted to write songs that had legs. So I don't have anything to complain about regarding what happened in the '80s. But in general, I always look forward to the next record. When a record is done, it's done."

Since his '80s heyday, which ended with 1988's Rock of Life, Springfield has released three studio albums: 1999's Karma, 2004's Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance and his latest effort, 2005's The Day After Yesterday. For the latter, he turned to covers, mostly '80s songs, but with a decidedly subdued, almost melancholy tinge. Leading with 10cc's I'm Not in Love and featuring the Church's Under the Milky Way, the Human League's Human, Foreigner's Waiting for a Girl Like You and the Dream Academy's Life in a Northern Town, The Day After Yesterday plays like the flip side of the hard-driving, angry-rocking Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance.

"I wanted to take a break from all that energy," he says of recording The Day After Yesterday. "I went the opposite way, did a bunch of people's songs and a mellow record. I basically used I'm Not in Love as a blueprint of what I wanted it to sound like, that kind of atmospheric, moody thing."

While he's been offering some of the covers on the We Are the '80s tour, he knows people want to hear Jessie's Girl, I've Done Everything for You, Don't Talk to Strangers, Love Somebody and Affair of the Heart.

The '80s keep popping back into Springfield's life. His breakthrough album, 1981's Working Class Dog, was recently remastered and reissued with bonus tracks. A new compilation of hits, also titled We Are the '80s, is in stores now. And, lo and behold, he's back on General Hospital, as Dr. Noah Drake.

One thing he doesn't miss from the '80s is the teen idol tag. Despite being an accomplished guitarist and writing most of his power-pop hits, Springfield found himself lumped in with the likesof Tiger Beat heartthrobs Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett and Andy Gibb."I've always fought that," he says. "I've been fighting it since I first got into bands. I ended up just giving up and saying, `Whatever.' I'm just going to write the music. But there is awareness that there is more to it. People are always surprised when I play live that I can play guitar. `How do you play guitar like that?' Well, I've been playing for 35 years."