Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl

What this video is

Released in 1981, 'Jessie's Girl' holds a unique dual distinction: it was the No. 1 song in the United States on August 1, 1981, the exact day MTV launched, making its video one of the first pieces of content to define what a music video could be for a mass American audience. Springfield's crossover status as both a soap opera actor on General Hospital and a rock musician gave the video a built-in dramatic…

Why it matters

A foundational artifact of American power-pop and early MTV-era rock, 'Jessie's Girl' demonstrated that guitar-driven rock could compete visually with synth-pop acts on the new medium of music video. Its fast-cut editing, performance-narrative hybrid structure, and emotionally charged iconography…

The director

Rick Springfield (born Richard Lewis Springthorpe, August 23, 1949, Sydney, Australia) is a singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He rose to fame simultaneously as a recording artist with 'Jessie's Girl' (1981) and as an actor on the ABC daytime soap…