AFFAIR OF THE HEART 
Directed By Doug Dowdle

I do not understand the tiger either???  I also checked my bedroom mirror and there is no nightclub on the other side of it and certainly no Rick Springfield singing there either.  I feel kind of cheated.

This video is only a mediocre one for me.  He looks completely handsome in bed, but I bet that was not a total stretch for him.  I really like the parts where he is singing on stage.  The leading woman is, again, just not worthy to be in a video with MR. SPRINGFIELD!  The whole blind-fold section with the creepy voice over (that I still do NOT know the words to, does anyone? All I can think of is a devil's voice when I hear it) gives me an uneasy feeling.  Did I mention he looked really good on the stage?? 

I also think I was a tad let down because I love this song so much, I expected a bit more from the video.  Keep in mind I did not feel this way in 1983, but shallowly I must admit I like the Human Touch video much better.  Better lighting, Rick's hair looked better and we get to see him do ONE dance move.   But that is for another review!!

I like this video, purely on the fact that Rick looks good, he's in it a lot, and he's pretty much just being himself through most of it.   I never one time wondered what the tiger was until someone questioned it earlier.   Now I'm wondering what the tiger was.  My first thought was that it   could be the tiger from "Tiger by the Tail" and that it's an indication that this song is about his wife.  (I know someone says it's about a guitar, but I'm trying to be deep and creative and can't work the guitar theory in right now).  The part I questioned was the old woman with the iron, what was that? 

I love the way he's not looking at the camera, and then he is.  That is so appealing.   He does it 3 times that I count.  Then the part where he blindfolds the girl, I'm wondering if that has any symbolism for if she didn't know how he looked, would she be interested anyway. 

The last thing I find kind of interesting is the way the girl is in the audience (was he having fantasies about his audience members back then?) - I actually don't think so, because I think someone else was coming up with the ideas for the videos, I'm just trying to come up with some different possibilities.

Starting this video with Rick lying in bed, tossing and turning was a good thing and a bad thing. "We" hadn't seen Rick in over a year, he had left GH and SHSMY was the last album (all Dr Noah Drake and regular guy looking and sounding) and it was a drought. Then I waited, practically holding my
breath for this thing to "world premiere" on MTV (I swear I lived my teenage years by that channel) because we were teased with bits and pieces of it for like a week before the whole thing aired. Those little snippets did not do it justice.

The first time I saw it, my mother was in the room so I had to keep the emotions in check. But the glazed over look in my eyes added with the mouth hanging open for the whole 3 to 3 in a half minutes kind of gave me away. The hair! The earring (so visible)! Those looks into the camera... I swear I
developed a stutter.

So here's Rick, writhing around in bed (oops lost my train of thought there again) in an awesome room (which my mother was not going for me adding neon borders to my room after that) presumably having a nightmare. About his life as it was at that moment. Hectic, people always in his face...and always performing. At least this was my perception. How many of you had dreams where you are suddenly somewhere else and it didn't matter how you got there?   Hence walking through the bedroom closet onto a concert stage. I think the tiger represents how Rick felt about certain people at that time, better watch out for them or they will bite your head off if you are caught off guard. The woman in this video makes no sense, but I'm thinking they were going with the general 80's theme that you must have some kind of "chick" in the video. She looks like a vamp. Too old. I wish Rick would have followed in the footsteps of Bryan Adams and kept using the same girl in the videos (from DTTS & WKOFAI) because she looked more appropriate to me as "Rick's girl" than this lady.

Everyone looks marvelous in this video. Rick, the band...all dressed so (80's) cool. Tim in white, Jack in black, Rick donning the comfortable looking yet rock-starish black shirt and pants. And did I mention the hair? Oh, I loved that hair.

It cracks me up that the lady with the iron is the same lady who plays Cyndi Lauper's mother in the "Girls just wanna have fun" video. So I kept still-framing on the other cast of characters to see who else I could find...no one else looks familiar, though I swear the guy with the hat and cigar I've seen somewhere else before too.

Favorite part: (it's a tie!) The scene where we see the silhouetted Rick in the doorway. I love that it pops up again in Souls. I think they stole that shot from my dreams! Also, the scene with the disco ball and faraway shot of  Rick and the chick. When he bends his knees and grabs her...don't know why I love that shot (maybe because she's far away?? LOL) but I do.

Blindfold--> blind faith

Lady w/ iron--> advice from "mom", "it's just physical"

Lady in audience--> of course it's a lady in the audience, gotta give the fans some hope!!! Ditto with the looks at the camera, who doesn't love that in concert?  To have 0.3 seconds of his "undivided attention"? 

I love the fact that this is mostly a concert video.  I wonder though, what's up with the guy w/ the umbrella?

I've wondered if it's just coincidental that in both this video and Human Touch that he starts and ends shut up in a box/small room.  When he's performing, he's free, and when not, he goes back into storage. 

I really liked this vid. Like the beginning scene where he is asleep and then bolts upright in bed on that first big guitar "explosion".   I too am confused by the tiger in the window... In my notes I just have "tiger???" Like the timing on the pushing the mirror wall in to the second big guitar "explosion" and the club scenes. He looked great in this vid.

I love those stare into the camera moments on "make love to you", "played by my hand" and "into your eyes" lines. Hot, Hot, Hot!! He sure did/does know how to work the eye thing!

I like the blindfold transition from crowd scene to just Rick and the girl. I like the way they did that with the spin away.

There is also something strange that I never really noticed before in watching the vid, but right toward the end of the crowd shots there is a guy who puts up an umbrella. They almost make a short point of showing him doing it too. Confused by this and the meaning. I really couldn't relate it to anything else in the vid.....

First of all I have to complain about the redness of the video and all the spotlights. Don't care much for that lighting. But, Rick's hair looks great in this video!

My first question was answered about the girl with the blindfold and all the hands reaching out to her. That is definitely the blind faith part. But the hands?? Is it meant to be like "pick out Rick's hands amongst all these"?? Or how about, "I almost believe you were made to be played by my hands". Confused about that part.

Okay, the part where he's tossing and turning in bed and suddenly wakes up, reminds me of another teen idol's song, "This morning, I woke up with this feeling, I didn't know how to deal with...." So, he wakes up realizing that this isn't just physical, it's an affair of the heart (oh, I think I love you...but what am I so afraid of...").

I think that when he knocks the mirror down at just that moment is so awesome! Don't know why, I just love that part! And my favorite line from the song/video, "the smell of your skin can light up all the fire in me", just too sensual!

I'm just having trouble understanding why he walks by all these women, in different roles, to get to the stage. Could the lady with the iron be the housewife watching GH? And the others be like various fans?? hmm....

Over all, I give this video 2 EFX guitar picks and a strum of the roses on guitar strings!! Excellent!

About that umbrella, I have always thought of the JFK assassination when I see that umbrella. Remember, just before JFK was assassinated, some guy put up a black umbrella that many people thought was a signal and was part of the conspiracy? I don't know why, that's just what I've always thought of.   Perhaps the umbrella in the video is some kind of signal?? Perhaps that world event just had a major impact on him and he incorporated it as part of this dream sequence??. Then again, maybe it doesn't mean anything at all. Maybe it was just raining a lot during the shoot and they thought it was funny. I think that this would be a good chat question except that Rick probably can't remember it. LOL.