Fan Reviews

IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING
 (Words and Music by Rick Springfield)

I look around me
And I see what I wanted and what I settled for
I've got the heart of a Joan of Arc
But the soul of a gigolo
I've been good at snatching defeat
From the jaws of victory
Anytime I stopped to smell the roses
They drew blood from me

Do you know what I mean
You never ever get away clean
Ah, but it's alright
Yeah, touchdown, turn around
Flag on the play

It's always something
You know it is
It's always something
It's always something, everyday
It's always something

When I was a kid
The teachers and the priests said
"Why you let him run around like that?"
My father said, "If the boy wants to play the guitar
I say we let him."
Through the hard years he was my rock
When I just could not win
So it goes ya know my father died
Just before my leaky ship came in

Do you know what I mean
You never ever get away clean
Ah, but it's alright - yeah
Down one, homerun
Your dog steals the ball

It's always something
You know it is
It's always something
It's always something, everyday
It's always something
It's always something

I step up to the table in the middle of my life
And I, I take my cards and I check them twice
I've got a killer hand I'm ready to stake my claim
The cops raid the game

It's always something
It's always something
It's always something, everyday
It's always something

It's always something
You know it is
It's always something
It's always something, everyday
It's always something

(total playing time 3:33)

Rick Says:
About a moment in my life that taught me how life is a balance, Yin Yang type thing. Just as Jessie's Girl finally started to catch fire in 1981, my dad died. - Melodicrock.com
Rick also says:
what can I say about that - it's kind of self-explanatory. It's based again around a lot of stuff, my dad, spiritual things, about his - how he died ... when things finally started to happen back in '81. And you know some thing is never perfect ... it never will be - it's kinda the story of the song. - eiozine.com

Song Facts - This can be found on Karma and Anthology (written in rock)

MORE FAN REVIEWS

I love this song. Its one of my favorites from the cd.  Listening to it, the first thought that came to me was "Ironic" by Alanis Morrisette.  He gives us
personal glimpses into his life, about going to school and his teachers not approving of what he did, and his father standing up for him, and "dog steals
the ball" I had an immediate picture of Scooby doing just that.

Now watching him perform it, there are 3 things I love looking for: the soul of a gigolo, listening to see if he gets the verses in the right order, and the movement he does when he sings "why you let him run around like that?", he sticks his finger out and makes round circles.  I love that and always try
to get a picture of it.

It's a peppy song and rather about singing about how you have all these plans and something comes along and screws them up, this song just goes with things
happen.  It happened, its done, so lets move on.

This is one of my favorite Rick songs. When I was in Vegas last year and bought a guitar and met Rick backstage at EFX, we had him autograph it and write itsalwayssomething on the guitar. :)

I think the appeal of the song starts with its beat and rhythm; it has one of those tunes that makes you want to immediately sing along and then, hum the tune all day long. I noticed the music of the song before the words when I first heard it a few years ago at one of Rick's Westbury concerts.

The words of the song are pretty much a "lets move on" type of song - what life deals we have to deal with. Rick's mention of his Father (as with April 24 and My Father's Chair) is a tribute to his memory and his personal feeling that he wishes his father could have been around to share his successes. Also his mention of roses drawing blood is another theme that has appeared in a few of his songs over the years... as does the gambling reference and, a Scooby reference.

Itsalwayssomething plays on a few repeated themes that we've seen in previous lyrics by Rick, and this time, each of those references specifically state that he's accepting what life has given him and moving on accordingly.

I think this is one of the best uses of Rick's voice with the music. They flow together really well (actually I think that's true for this whole
album).

I've got the heart of a Joan of Arc
But the soul of a gigolo

When I first listened to this album, I don't think I really "got" this line. Obviously after listening to it over time, I understood it.  Nobody could ever accuse Rick of being mundane in his writing..he is always the master of expression.  But I wondered if he really did mean that he has the soul of a
gigolo. Your soul is you, who you are deep down inside. Could this be a description of a younger Rick (under 40)?  Could he be totally fooling me
(living in my bubble) and truly isn't that gentle, kind, loving soul (ala Joan of Arc)? 

Anytime I stopped to smell the roses
They drew blood from me

This really does describe the ups and downs of his career. The late 70's and then again the late 80's were not kind to his career. 

I love how Rick has once again included his father. It shows that he truly respected his father and his father respected him. 

This is definitely a song one does not skip over and I love hearing Rick sing it live even when he gets a little lost and changes up the versus.   It used to be when something happened I would say "Murphy's Law" but in the past few years it has naturally turned to It's Always Something.

The first time I heard this song was during my re-addiction concert in 1999.  After that show I immediately purchased the Karma CD.  This song has become one of my favorites.  I particularly love the sigh at the beginning of the song (got to figure out how to turn that into a wave). 

This song is so personal to Rick yet it really has universal appeal.  Everyone can relate to feeling like you have all your 'ducks in a row' and something comes along to dampen the moment.

I like the line about 'you know, my father...'  I take that one like he is talking to his fans, saying that he knows we know (make sense??)

Now when I listen to this song I can picture all the movements that Rick does, soul of a gigolo, run around like that..etc

I like the music and the lyrics - Its a keeper for me.

When I bought Karma, I brought it home and listened to it and this was the one (and only at the time) song that I thought "I really want to go back and listen to this again."  Definitely the song I liked the best on the first listen.  I went back and listened to it and then didn't listen to Karma again for almost a year. 

The first line is probably something that Rick has written that has pegged my life more than anything.  I definitely look around me and think "what the hell have I done?".  I so identify with the sentiment of it.  And sometimes all it takes is that one line for you to find the song absolutely brilliant, and that does if for me.  Of course this song has so much more to it than the first line, but this is one of those cases where this song has me at "hello", so to speak.

The heart of a Joan of Arc and the Soul of a gigolo - I actually think that describes Rick better than anything anyone else could come up with.  He has a great heart, but can be a very naughty boy.

"Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" - so funny - it implies not only that he has a way of failing, but that he's the one that causes the failure.  It's not only that things don't work out, it's his own stupid ass fault, sometimes.

One time during a concert, he changed the next line a little to say "anytime I stop to smell the roses - they blew up on me", then of course he did a rose explosion - very effective.  I only heard him do it once, but it really stuck in my mind.

I really don't get the "leaky ship", though.  I think Rick has had a pretty good career, but I do know he's always wanted more (well, I don't really *know* that, but it seems that way), and it probably wasn't quite what he was hoping for.  I think it just goes to show that we often don't see our own situations the way others see it.   I mean, how many times have you had people tell you "you're so lucky", when you feel anything but lucky......

And of course, once again, he pays tribute to his father.  It's not the whole song, but a very important verse, that reminds us of what a force Rick's Dad was in his life, and how much his death still affects him.

Unlike some others, though, I don't see this song as a positive, stuff happens, we must go on song.  I see it more as a "damn it, nothing every goes the way I want it to" song.  More of a "the glass is half empty" kind of thing.    I just don't look at his career and think "itsalwaysomething", I think more like "isn't it great that...."

However, I love the song and I identify with it a lot.

"I look around me, And I see what I wanted and what I settled for" - He has high expectations of himself as a perfectionist, which we already knew.  Unfortunately, from my own experience, this is a good way to set yourself up for major disappointments. 

"I've got the heart of a Joan of Arc, But the soul of a gigolo" - I think we all mean well, but sometimes have a bit of a bad or devilish streak in us.  I know personally that I do. 

"I've been good at snatching defeat, From the jaws of victory?" - "Yeah, touchdown, turn around, Flag on the play" - "Down one, homerun, Your dog steals the ball" - I find his "sports" references interesting, since I did not think he was much into sports. 

"When I was a kid, The teachers and the priests said "Why you let him run around like that?" My father said, "If the boy wants to play the guitar
I say we let him." Through the hard years he was my rock, When I just could not win" - I remember watching this on the Today Show and wondering if he would get through it without totally breaking down.  It still leaves a lump in my throat when I watch it.

"So it goes ya know my father died, Just before my leaky ship came in" - I personally love the "leaky" ship reference.  Most of the time I think of good fortune when I hear someone's ship has come in, but I think "leaky" is perfect when describing life and Rick's in particular - things like the record company going bust, the ATV accident, even his father's death just when he finally reaches success, and probably other incidents that we will never know about.

This was my first favorite song from this CD.  Way before I heard this song, I always said "It's always something."  I think it actually started with one of Gilda Radner's characters on Saturday Night Live - but it escapes me right now.  My license plate frame says "It's Always Something." 

Life is not perfect. You're going along, doing your own thing and life interferes - it's always something.  My favorite line is "I look around me and I see what I wanted and what I settled for."  But when he's singing it in concert, my favorite line is, " My father said, "If the boy wants to play the guitar, I say we let him."   such a good crowd response line!

It'salwayssomething...  Indeed!!  Rick hit the nail on the head when he wrote these lyrics.  Of course I had already heard the phrase of "it's always something"  but it wasn't until I heard the song repeatedly at concerts that I really started to actually hear the phrase.  It's amazing the amount of crap that we all have to deal with in our day to day life. 

The early reference to the roses always makes me think of Rick's concert rose explosions.   Even though he is actually referring to stopping, smelling the roses and getting cut by their thorns. 

I love the lines of Rick admitting that he has the heart of Joan of Arc (yup, I agree) as well as the soul of a gigolo.  Of course with the latter, I always visualize him now with his hand grabbing something under his guitar.  Ahem!  <blushing!>   :)

Things seldom go smoothly and the song is most lovingly illustrated with Rick own life's experience.  How wonderful it would have been for Rick's father to have been able to see his son win his Grammy.  Especially after all the support that he had given Rick as he was growing up, despite outside influences.  I love that Rick refers to his father as his Rock.  The lyrics about Rick's Dad always make me tear up especially when Rick is tired and his voice cracks with even more raw emotion.  It's heart-wrenching.  Life definitely is not fair but we press on.

The stories about the dog stealing the ball after a homerun was hit and the cops raiding the illegal card game as the player has a killer hand are very cute stories.  They are easily visualized and they help lighten the mood of the song.

I can't tell you how often I hear someone saying that it's always something.  It causes me to smile to myself as I often think of Rick.  Whenever life gets a little tough, I just mutter IAS to myself and wait for the moment or event to pass.  It's alright, indeed.  :)

Whenever I hear this song now, I always picture Rick performing on The Today show with that stiff hair of his that day!! I think they had used the whole can of hair spray on him!! lol  And I always loved how when he first started singing this one, that he would forget or get the verses mixed up on "touchdown---" and "down one---". This is just such a great song to me--one that everyone can relate too. He again shows us how he depended on and is still looking back on how
much his father actually meant to him, saying his father was "his rock" and how his father takes up for him during his "hard times".

I'm not real sure what he means when he sings he "has the heart of a Joan of Arc, but the soul of a gigolo". I'm assuming he is talking about what he sees as all his shortcomings. But my favorite part
is "I've been good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.- Anytime I stopped to smell the roses, they drew blood from me" this just describes how life is to me especially if you are a true optimist, life will sometimes beat you down no matter how hard you try.  I really think if this song could have gotten more airplay, it might have taken off.

I've been experiencing this very song for the past week. 

This song is pretty self-explanatory.  And I love the informal style of the lyrics and music.  It is probably one of the best written of the songs from "Karma".  Although, I would name about 4 more with that group...LOL!  It's therapeutic to sing this song really loud in the car when you are feeling frustrated with the little obstacles that keep popping up in your way.

This is the only song Rick has ever done in his entire career that my husband likes.  My husband doesn't have the attitude of some husband's toward Rick, he always encouraged me to go to shows, etc., and he kind of LIKES him.  If someone at work or somewhere asks him what he thinks of Rick, he'll say something like "he seems to be a really good guy" or "he's been really nice to my daughter."  He just doesn't like his music.  Any of it.  Except this song.  He's got this song on two tapes he carries in his car, and his only explanation is "I like the way he worked his dad in there."

The funny thing about this song to me, is that it's the LEAST different.  On Karma, it's the song that sounds the most "like Rick" to me.  It was the song I heard on the radio and recognized, in 1999.  Coming down the hall into the living room on a weekend afternoon, the stereo on, some cloth in my hand, laundry or a dish towel (isn't it funny what you remember?) and I stopped in the living room and said, "This is a Rick Springfield song I don't know."

My husband then, amusingly enough, said yes, it was, that he'd heard it quite a few times on the Rockford station because Rick was at that time booked to play the Metro Center, though it ended up being canceled.

I don't think if I had heard anything else from Karma totally cold that way that I would have known immediately that it was Rick.

I love this song, but I still feel that it only fits on Karma by the skin of it's teeth.  To me, everything on this album fits together like one piece and this is the only one that's arguably just a little out of synch.  I've wondered about the decision to make it the first song on the CD...it is probably simply because it does talk about his dad and therefore fits after His Last Words, but it's always seemed to me appropriate that it was first because it almost plays to me like a transition between 80s Rick and Karma, like a little bridge to take us from the Rick we knew and loved to the new stuff.

This song carries a lot of meaning for me.   Whenever I hear it, I associate it with several things -and they are all good.   This song was released right at the time I had gone to Tucson, AZ for the second year in a row to attend the celebrity charity event/fan club gathering that Rick was hosting.   All the wonderfulness that was that weekend comes back to me because this song was constantly being played everywhere we (the fans)  went.   It was so exciting to see and hear Rick talk about a new album being released with the press and other celebrities in attendance.  You could hear the pride in his voice, you could feel the excitement from the fans in the air.  Ok, maybe the excitement was from actually having Rick there -but I'd like to think it had an extra kick due to Karma's release, and this song being the first single.

The Saturday after I returned from that crazy weekend, my brother was married on April 24, 1999.  The significance of the date was not lost on me, but I still haven't filled my brother in on that one.  Basically because his wedding was pushed back a week because I was going to be  in Tucson, and he griped for a good two months that he had suffered his whole life with his sister's "Rick Springfield thing" and that it still was affecting him.  Anyway, in the car on the way to his wedding I heard IAS on the radio for the first time.  The first new music from Rick on the radio in 10 years!   I blasted the volume, rolled the windows down and woo-hooed and sang my heart out  into the chapel parking lot.  My husband and kids were just not as thrilled. :-)  I did turn to my husband and say that I would remember that moment forever because it was Matthew's wedding day.

I love everything about this song.  The way the music kicks in with the drums coming in first, it makes you tap your toes or move your head if you're sitting.  I find that if I'm standing or walking, I'll get a little spring in my step when this one starts up.   That breath, oh that marvelous sigh at the beginning - it's enough to give ya goosebumps.  I too, was always confused by the "heart of Joan of Arc but the soul of a gigolo" line and I still don't see what that's got to do with the Michael Jackson move he makes when he does this live, but it gets a reaction out of the crowd and I know that ultimately that's what Rick is going for.    Rick's  little tweak on the Wide World of Sports slogan "snatching victory from the jaws of defeat" changing it to "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" is quite catchy the way he sings "victory".  The next part after the chorus where Rick goes into singing about his Dad is very touching, and when Rick is tired; singing this part almost always chokes him up.  I don't think he knew when he was writing it that the phrase "If the boy wants to play the guitar I say we let him" would turn into the anthem it is for RS fans today. 

This is the song that I'm caught dancing to by myself in my living room.   This song always makes me feel good whenever I listen to it.  It will always make me smile. 

I cannot remember specifically if I used the phrase "It's Always Something" prior to me knowing this song.  Maybe I did or I didn't, but I do know that I certainly use it a lot now.   I am also quite aware of when other people use it, even strangers overheard in a store or something - and it makes me think of Rick.  It's a shame it didn't get much airplay on the radio stations, and I really wished some product would have picked this one up to use in their advertising slogans.  I can so see this song selling up some kind of insurance or some kind of protective equipment, can't you?

I first heard this song on the Alive CD, so the live version will always be my preference, but I LOVE the sigh at the beginning of this song on the Karma cd.    (And it's one of the many reasons I prefer to listen to Karma with my headphones on.)  I fell in love with this song on the first listen... I've never heard anything else so perfectly describe the way I've felt about all the little disappointments and obstacles life throws your way from time to time.  (And it's definitely the first song I think of to listen to when I'm having a day like that.)   Just when you think everything is great and nothing can possibly happen to mess it up/make you unhappy... you find out just how wrong you are.

My favorite part of the song (aside from the gigolo line) is probably this part:

I've been good at snatching defeat
From the jaws of victory
Anytime I stopped to smell the roses
They drew blood from me