Don't Talk to Strangers (Rick Springfield song)

"Don't Talk to Strangers"
"Don't Talk to Strangers"
Single by Rick Springfield
from the album Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet
B-side	"Tonight"
Released	March 1982
Genre	Power pop
Length	2:59
Label	RCA
Songwriter	Rick Springfield
Producer	Keith Olsen
Rick Springfield singles chronology

"Don't Talk to Strangers" is a song written and performed by Australian musician Rick Springfield. It was released as a single in 1982, from the album Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet. The song reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, making it his second biggest hit in the US after the number-one hit, "Jessie's Girl". It was kept off the top spot by "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Springfield was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance with the song in 1983.

Background

The music was based on an earlier Springfield song titled "Spanish Eyes", and released on the Sound City recordings from 1978. The song lyrics were changed and were written to Springfield's then-girlfriend Barbara Porter (later his wife), whom he was worried was involved with other people while they were apart. Springfield recalled, "Back then, I was scared that she was screwing around because I was doing the same thing."^[3]

Reception

Billboard said that it has "irresistible hooks interspersed throughout."^[4] Record World said it has "a snappy rock beat and sharp chorus hook."^[5]

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	10
Canada RPM Top Singles	3
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary	3
South Africa (Springbok)^[7]	19
US Billboard Hot 100^[8]	2
US Top Rock Tracks	11
US Cash Box Top 100^[9]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1982-1983)	Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	73
Canada RPM Top Singles^[10]	33
US Billboard Hot 100^[11]	20
US Cash Box Top 100^[12]	17

References

^ Leroy, Dan (13 July 2005). "Springfield's New "Day"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 2014-08-16.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Rolling Stone.
^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982): Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
^ "Rick Springfield: The Stories Behind the Music". variety.com. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. March 6, 1982. p. 75. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 6, 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
^ ^a ^b "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.
^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
^ "Rick Springfield - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 29, 1982". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
^ Musicoutfitters.com
^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982". Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

[1] Leroy, Dan (13 July 2005). "Springfield's New "Day"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 5 April 2010. Retrieved 2014-08-16.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Rolling Stone.

[AllMusic-2] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982): Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2024.

[3] "Rick Springfield: The Stories Behind the Music". variety.com. Retrieved April 20, 2016.

[4] "Top Single Picks". Billboard. March 6, 1982. p. 75. Retrieved 2023-01-21.

[rw-5] "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 6, 1982. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-03-02.

[aus82-6] "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.

[7] "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.

[8] "Rick Springfield - Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2016.

[9] "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 29, 1982". Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

[10] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2017-04-20.

[11] Musicoutfitters.com

[12] "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982". Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2017.

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v t e Rick Springfield
Studio albums	Beginnings (1972) Comic Book Heroes (1973) Wait for Night (1976) Working Class Dog (1981) Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982) Living in Oz (1983) Beautiful Feelings (1984) Tao (1985) Rock of Life (1988) Karma (1999) Shock/Denial/Anger/Acceptance (2004) The Day After Yesterday (2005) Christmas with You (2007) Venus in Overdrive (2008) My Precious Little One: Lullabies for a New Generation (2009) Songs for the End of the World (2012) Rocket Science (2016) The Snake King (2018)
Soundtrack albums	Mission: Magic! (1974) Hard to Hold (1984)
Live albums	Stripped Down (2015)
Compilation albums	Playlist: The Very Best of Rick Springfield (2008)
Singles	"Speak to the Sky" "Jessie's Girl" "I've Done Everything for You" "Love Is Alright Tonite" "Don't Talk to Strangers" "What Kind of Fool Am I" "Affair of the Heart" "Human Touch" "Love Somebody" "Bruce" "State of the Heart"
Related articles	Discography The Red Locusts Zoot Mission: Magic! TV series (1973) The Morris Springfield Project

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