LOVE IS ALRIGHT TONITE
(words and music by Rick Springfield)
I'm picking up my baby tonite
Tho her daddy's making trouble
It'll be alright
I'm working hard, I don't know why
I'm like a working class dog
And I just get by
Tonite I'm crawling out from in it
And tho we're living on the brink
Second by second by minute by minute
Love is alright tonite
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite
Everyone's saying the sky's gonna fall
Don't know where it's gonna stop
If it stops at all
I know the world's going crazy alright
I hope it holds together for one more night
Tonite I'm crawling out from in it
And tho we're living on the brink
Second by second by minute by minute
Love is alright tonite, baby
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite
Don't worry Daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour
Go to sleep Daddy you won't think about tonite
With the night comes the feeling that I've got this incredible power
Gonna lover her Daddy she'll be feeling it tonite
Alright, it's gonna be alright
It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright
Love is alright tonite, baby
We're gonna be alright
Love is alright
Love is alright tonite
(total playing time 3:25)
Song Facts:
This song has been performed live numerous times, from 1981 when it was first released, through today.
It appears on the following releases:
Working Class Dog, Anthology (import), The Best of Rick Springfield, Rick Springfield Collection:VH1 Behind the Music, The Greatest Hits ALIVE, Best of Rick Springfield (Japan), Rick Springfield's Greatest Hits, Rick Springfield, and Anthology (written in rock), We Are The '80s, Working Class Dog Expanded Edition
Rick says:
Love is Alright tonight is a real atypical pop/rock song. It's like a rock n roll 9 to 5. It's all the things about getting out and having a good time set to a rock n roll beat. This is one of the simpler and one of my favorite songs on that album. - The Hot Ones Radio Show, 1984.
MORE FAN REVIEWS
This song was a little different for me when I first heard it, possibly because I was 23 years old, married and had a child when it came out. The part where he says he's just a working class dog had such meaning for me because that's what I was doing at that time. It just made Rick and his music seem so much more approachable for me. Like his thoughts and feelings were the same as everyman/woman. He says in the song about going out for the night. It's just to get away from the worries and tribulations of regular life for one night. The part where he says "I just get by", Wow, I so identified with that. Even though I had responsibilities, I still appreciated the "Don't worry, Daddy, She'll be feeling it tonight" aspect of this song. I remember thinking what a Bad Boy he was and I must admit I have always had a weakness for them.
I thought the music was so catchy and loved his soaring vocal on it. It's really a feel-good song.
This song brings back such wonderful memories. I received the album, WCD, for Christmas in 1981. I was only 11-years old. The excitement that I felt when I listened to this song back then, is the same feeling I get today.
I used to sit and dream (like most of us did) that Rick was communicating to my dad through this song and telling him it was going to be alright and that he would take care of me. HA! My dad, who was somewhat strict back in the day, would probably have not liked the song, much less a 30-something year old man taking out his 11-year old daughter. But, back then I didn't see it that way.
This song has such energy and you can't help but want to sing along or feel something from it. I don't think any of the other songs would have been a better choice to start the album off than this one.
I love the way the beginning starts out and then changes somewhat. The guitar and the drums are mixed together just right and I just can't explain what it is about it I like so much, because it is so unique. It seems when Rick sings this one 'live' now it is almost slower somewhat, or maybe that is just because in my mind I am trying to slow it down, so it won't end so soon.
My favorite part is when he repeats "It's gonna be alright" a couple times and then there is a pause...... and then it starts back up again as quickly as it stopped.....Gotta love it! Awesome song!
When this song starts, I am instantly 13 again-sitting in front of the record player clutching my Working Class Dog record cover.
I am such a sucker when Rick sings a love song. I love the idea of him working like a "working class dog" and just getting by. Why do I see him doing construction shirtless?
Being a teenager when I first started listening to this song, I love the idea of him telling the dad not to worry. Although I am not sure that my dad would have let me leave with a date that promised that he was going to give it to me and I would be feeling it tonight.
I can't help but think this song is one of those ones that talks about the feeling of getting ready to go out on a Friday night after a tough week. Only for him, he has had a tough few years since moving to the USA. It is interesting that no matter how crappy your day, week, or year can be, he brings to light the fact that spending time with a special someone of the opposite sex can make things feel 'alright'. And, with all the challenges he has gone through, it appears that the smallest one he thinks he needs to worry about is her daddy, now that is a confident man!
"Tonite I'm crawling out from in it" He probably feels he is in deep, trying to make it as a musician, never knowing where your next dollar or break will come from. The next minute, the next second it can make you or break you but that feeling of anxiety goes away for a few hours starting from the time he anticipates his evening...
"Alright, it's gonna be alright; It's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright" Like so many who heard this song when it first came out, I caught the more mature message as I aged and discovered more about myself and my own sexuality. When he merely sings the line "Gonna love her daddy she'll be feeling it tonite," my body physically reacts to it!! It doesn't matter if I hear him sing it live or via my cd player, I get that naughty tingly feeling!
"Love is alright tonite" Interesting that he is a Rock Star with a long career and a huge vault of songs, and still claims 'This is the only party song I ever wrote', and it is still a part of his live set lists!
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I first liked the song because of the beat. I thought the song was about a guy who wanted to go out with a girl whose father was being overly protective about her dating activities. I didn't know what "she'll be feeling it tonite" meant. But, it did sound like they were going to have fun. All I knew was that it was Rick singing and that I liked to play this song loud and dance around my room.
Now...years later....when I listen to the lyrics... some of them make me think this song is not just about a night of love. Some of the lyrics may refer to the difficult times Rick might have been going through when he wrote this song. "I'm working hard, I don't know why I'm like a working class dog And I just get by." Rick hadn't realized his dream of musical success in the US yet and was probably financially and emotionally just getting by. He was probably living "minute by minute" and wondering how things were going to turn out...would the sky fall down on his dream and musical career.
"Tonite I'm crawling out from in it"....a chance to have a "feeling of incredible power" or control over his life for one night and close off any worries in his mind. (We all know we would have been happy to be that girl and be under his "incredible power"! LOL) Connection with another person....even if was only physical and only for one night...made the world "alright" for that one night. It gave him the physical and emotional energy to continue (physical activity gets those endorphins flowing!).
Maybe that night would give him the feeling that "It's gonna be alright"......to face tomorrow and continue working toward that dream.
Isn't it interesting that the term "working class dog" wasn't even in the demo version, and ended up being the title of his album?
"I'm picking' up my baby tonight, tho daddy's making trouble it'll be alright". Rick, you sure do know how to speak my language. I'm thirteen, right. I'd looove to have a guy who drives, pick me up for a date. And since I'm thirteen, I know why daddy's making trouble.
Now this was/is a cool song to sing along to. I've always loved it, right from the beginning. Bought WCD because of JG, but hey - this one's a toe tapper if not anything else.
"I'm working hard, I don't know why - I'm like a Working Class Dog and I don't know why". Hey! there's the album title. I was always so proud of myself noticing that. Now that I've matured (at least that's what others in the real world think, who am I to argue) I know what Rick was referring to about working hard. Ten years here in America, and still no hit song? I thank the gods or whomever told Rick to stick with it. Who knows what in the heck my life would be like without Rick Springfield in it??
I just listened to this one today, on my way home from work. This song is totally 80s, which is probably another reason why I love it. Happy about life, happy to be alive, love IS alright tonite. Let's jam!
Side note: Rick wrote this song while he was writing JG. I've got half of it on my lyrics (see previous JG review). This will be my last boasting reference about "the lyrics" :o)
I'd love to know which one came first (no, not the chicken or the egg) JG or LIAT. For the record, JG is at the top of the page.
This song is definitely a "time-warp" song for me. It completelytakes me back to when I was 13, and falling madly in love with Rick Springfield (who, like 1,000's of other young girls and women, I thought I'd marry!). That being said, this song is a great party song, and a feel good type of tune. The beat and guitars are in perfect sync with the lyrics and each other. It is also one of those catchy tunes that Rick is so notorious for. I cannot get this tune out of my head once it starts.
At the time when I first got the WCD album, I was too young and mostly innocent to totally grasp the deeper meaning in the lyrics, but over the course of that year, I quickly began to understand more. The lyrics are seductive, but kind of "disturbing" for me, even now. As much as I love what he's saying here, I can't help but remember that uneasy feeling I had when I was a young girl at home (only child, daddy's girl) and how I KNEW it would tick my dad off to hear my hero singing this song. OR for any guy I wanted to "date" to talk this way. Thank God he never tuned into my music!
All of this comes from the lines, "don't worry daddy I'll have her home at a respectable hour; Go to sleep daddy you won't think about tonight" In my case, all I could think was "yes, he would think about tonight, no matter what you say Rick. He`d be waiting up for me in fact!
"gonna love her daddy she'll be feeling it tonight, alright, it's gonna be alright." Now that last line holds a powerful punch! Not only was it an exciting thought, but it also has an "every mother's nightmare" feel to it (and father's in this case), but I LOVED it anyway. I just wanted him to carry me away against daddy's wishes!
At this point in my life, as a mom of a 12-year old girl, I still adore this song but I have some new thoughts when I hear it. This is now my Rick-you-NEEDED-a-daughter-song. EVERY time I hear it, that thought crosses my mind. God really should have blessed him with another child...a girl. Then he might squirm a bit too when he hears this. I know how protective my dad was, and now my daughter's dad is the same way!! There are not many daddy's who like the thought of an older guy wanting his little girl to "be feeling it tonight."
In fact I try not to drill this particular Rick song into my daughter's head, (ok, I'm a bit overprotective too!) simply because I know how thought-provoking it was for myself at her tender age. From the perspective of the inexperienced girl, it's a scary but very sweet thought.
I love how he added the line "I'm working hard, I don't know why I'm like a working class dog and I just get by" That is a classic line for me! He truly was that kind of guy and still is, even now. He has had to work for it all, and knows the struggle. Then to name the album WCD, and to feature his actual dog on the cover AND to have his dog in a shirt and tie like a man going to work, perfect! What a cool way to tie that all together. I wonder what came first, that lyric or the name of the album?
I also like the longing in Rick's voice and the need for some love and escape from the hassles of everyday life.
Oh yes, love is definitely alright tonight. I say it's
now or never, in a world where there is too much junk, and so often a lack of love. For me, this will go down as one of those amazing, all encompassing songs that can whisk me back to a time of youth, or as a song for living in the moment and just having a great time.
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Fan Reviews Revisited
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Here's what I wrote before:
"I'm picking' up my baby tonight, tho daddy's making trouble it'll be alright". Rick, you sure do know how to speak my language. I'm thirteen, right. I'd looove to have a guy who drives, pick me up for a date. And since I'm thirteen, I know why daddy's making trouble.
Now this was/is a cool song to sing along to. I've always loved it, right from the beginning. Bought WCD because of JG, but hey - this one's a toe tapper if not anything else.
"I'm working hard, I don't know why - I'm like a Working Class Dog and I don't know why". Hey! there's the album title. I was always so proud of myself noticing that. Now that I've matured (at least that's what others in the real world think, who am I to argue) I know what Rick was referring to about working hard. Ten years here in America, and still no hit song? I thank the gods or whomever told Rick to stick with it. Who knows what in the heck my life would be like without Rick Springfield in it??
I just listened to this one today, on my way home from work. This song is totally 80s, which is probably another reason why I love it. Happy about life, happy to be alive, love IS alright tonite. Let's jam!"
With all the press this week about MTV's 25th anniversary, I'm feeling so nostalgic it's pathetic. I was a year off on the age for this song, I was 11 going on 12. Not that there's that much difference in those ages, but YIKES! I can't believe I can say "25 years ago...."<shudder>
This song still makes me feel 13. I don't know what it is about it that makes me feel that way, but I love it for that. I also wonder why Rick calls this his only party song. I've found myself partying pretty hard throughout the 80's to various RS 'classics'. Maybe he should refer to it as his *first* party song?
Being the mother of a teenaged son, I guess I'm not feeling that sensitive to the lyrics as if he were a girl. Actually, I'd probably feel more understanding if he were female, I mean....I've seen Rick Springfield :-) Seriously though, it's so hard to take this song seriously. I guess that's why it's been dubbed a party song.
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