“Jessie”s Girl” is one of the iconic songs of the 1980s. The tune from rocker/actor Rick Springfield topped the charts in 1981, and VH1 named it one of the 100 best songs of the decade. And now, thanks to Jimmy Kimmel, we know the origin of the song.
During the July 29 episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Springfield joins a sketch, where he goes back in time to an old recording session. It”s here that he”s joined by his drummer… Jesse. And his girlfriend. The leggy blonde smiles adoringly at Rick as he flirts with her. Things soon go haywire when Rick begins to sing.
“Jessie's got himself a girl and I want to make her mine,” the Aussie belts out. This causes Jessie to throw down his drum sticks in protest, and it only gets more awkward from there.
Springfield is hitting the big screen in the upcoming film “Ricki and the Flash” alongside Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. The movie, written by Oscar winner Diablo Cody, hits theaters August 7.