Patty's working, but she's watching the clock
She's in the back room counting stock
And down in a warehouse out by the dock
Jessie's lifting crates and breaking rock
But when the whistle blows to end the daily fight
And the working forces turn out the light
Jessie takes that little girl and he holds her tight
As the day fades away he says
We're all that matters tonight

Tonight's the night, I know I'm right
And heart to heart, we'll make it tonight
So hold me tight, and love me right
The world can wait for tomorrow tonight

Patty comes like an angel and takes his hand
Jessie says, "Baby, I've got a plan"
He says, "I wanna get married and make a stand,
But there's just one thing you gotta understand,
Now the pressure of living and the daily fight
Could hurt us in time if our perspective ain't right,
So shut the door and put out the light
And baby be here, because we're all that matters tonight"

Tonight's the night, I know I'm right
And heart to heart, we'll make it tonight
So hold me tight, and love me right
The world can wait for tomorrow tonight

Break your back from nine to five
Sweating blood just to stay alive
Running home to the harbor light
Safe and warm, in love so right, tonight

Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight, Tonight
Tonight

Tonight's the night, I know I'm right
And heart to heart, we'll make it tonight
So hold me tight, and love me right
The world can wait for tomorrow tonight

Tonight's the night, I know I'm right
And heart to heart, we'll make it, tonight
So hold me tight, and love me right
The world can wait for tomorrow tonight

Tonight's the night, I know I'm right
And heart to heart, we'll make it tonight

(total playing time 3:19)

SONG FACTS:

This song appears on the following releases:
Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet and Legendary.

 According to US

Have I mentioned that I love Rick's songs that tell a story? I'm such a sucker for a "story song". I think this fact alone makes this one find a place in my *like* category. The way it starts out, with his voice almost talking rather than singing grabs my attention. The hand claps (are they hand claps? If not, that sound that imitates a clap I guess) also reel me in. 

Rick brings you in to the life of Patty & Jessie right from the beginning of this song. They are a couple of blue-collar kids who are in love. I always felt that when Bon Jovi released "Living on a Prayer" that their song was very similar themed to this song. They just had Tommy working on the docks coming home to Gina who works for her man, bringing home her pay for love. ;-)

In all seriousness, I was very proud of myself for figuring out sitting on the floor in my bedroom listening to this song that Jessie's girl was named Patty. This was huge info! So huge in fact that I happened to be writing an biography report in school on a certain Rick Springfield and included this "late breaking information". I came across that report recently and had a good laugh at myself. I got a B on that paper. I'd like to get a hold of that English teacher now, and show her what I've written about Rick since! LOL I do always think of this as the sequel to Jessie's Girl. More along the lines of what happened to that couple, since it seemed Rick never got the girl. He went on to live a charmed Rock Star life, whereas he condemned her to a middle class life of "break your back from nine to five, sweating blood just to stay alive" 

Back to being serious, since I wasn't really before. I can totally relate to the story in this song. Your life may not be what you want, but if you're in love none of that other "stuff" really matters. "Baby be here, because we're all that matters tonight". My only beef with this song if I must have one, is the repeated use of "tonight" towards the end of this song. It's like Rick had run out of things to say but still wanted to make that 3 minute mark or something. - Michelle P.

This song reminds me a little bit of 'Living on a Prayer' in the way in which Rick tells a story...same kind of thing as 'Jack and Diane'...it seems that was the 'storytelling era' for couples LOL. 

Also strange to hear 'Jessie' in a different context, outside of Jessie's Girl and wait...was 'Patty' not the name sprayed on the brick wall at the beginning of the Jessie's Girl video?? So...if that is the case, is this song then the sequel or follow-up to Jessie's Girl, and could it be somewhat autobiographical? Let's explore this possibility shall we?

In one way, this song can be told (sang) via a 'fly on the wall' perspective. We know from Jessie's Girl that he has watched 'the couple' and it makes him 'jealous'. I wonder if he used some of his visions of his own fantasies when it comes to the behavior of the couple in this song, or if he is just telling the story as he saw it, the way it was between the two of them (Patty and Jessie). Especially for the following lyrics: 

-"As the day fades away he says we're all that matters tonight" -"So shut the door and put out the light. And baby be here because we are all that matters tonight." -"Running home to the harbor light. (where have we heard this before eh?) Safe and warm, in love so right, tonight."

Now...the chorus, it almost sounds like these are his words and not Jessie's words...as if it is conveying his deep desires for how he sees his future with Jessie's Girl:

"Tonight's the night, I know I'm right. And heart to heart, we'll make it tonight. So hold me tight, and love me right. The world can wait for tomorrow, tonight"

Then the subject of marriage arises. Interesting. We know that early in his  life (prior to his 80's success) there was a close brush with marriage. Then he did end up marrying, and today he remains married to the same woman. I am going out on a limb in saying that this song gives us a glimpse at part of his views on marriage an commitment. He knows it is something that he wants to do, yet he knows things can happen, thoughts can be thunk, actions can be done, that can compromise a marriage and its affiliated 'bliss':

"He says, I wanna get married and make a stand. But there's just one thing, you gotta understand. Now the pressure of living, and the daily fight. Could hurt us in time if our perspective ain't right."

Hmmm... and again, we know that in 'real life', 'Patty and Jessie' were indeed going to be married. Until I sat down to review this song, I had never tried to understand the lyrics beyond it being a story. 

So with Jessie's Girl being on his first 'hit' record (WCD) could this be the sequel on his second one (SHSMY)? What would Rick say? - Kat Mendelin

Out of the handful of songs on the CD that I consider favorites, this is one of them. I have always felt such a connection to this song. As a teen who was totally unaware of what it was to really struggle, (as I had a comfy home life) I was still drawn to this song. I remember how I would lie around listening to SHSMY, and this was one of the songs on the album that always brought a tear to my eye and made my heart swell. I think it's a beautiful testament to a love that's pure and true, without any of the 'material' things standing in the way of the relationship. I listened to this song so often as a young girl, and little did I know that *I* was soon to be in this very situation myself. I married at 19 and we literally started out with nothing (but love). We live in a small town where people have to hang on to the jobs they have, no matter whether you like the job or not, as jobs are hard to come by. So here we were, working hard for what little money we made, in factories and wherever someone was hiring, and totally living on love, faith and hope for a better future. At this time I was still listening to Rick on a constant basis, and he and I used to listen to this `tape' together in the car. It really hit home for us back then. We knew we were totally living on love and blind faith at the time, just praying nothing would come between us, as it was all we had. What is really ironic for me now when I hear this song is that my husband actually DOES `break' rock in his profession. He uses equipment to mine building stone! He didn't at the time, when we were young and struggling to make ends meet, but he does now. In fact, the `breaking rock' profession is a big part of what saved us financially!

I think it's incredible that Rick put this type of story (a common story really) into words the way he did. He created a sweet song out of the everyday struggles that a young couple experiences. I thought it was interesting how he used the name "Jessie" once again. I always wondered who Patty was. Were these real names of people Rick knew? Was Patty the name of Jessie's girl? I think not, as I had heard at that time that Rick changed the names of people he wrote about. But still…my mind couldn't help but wonder. And now he says that he has no clue what Jessie's girl's name really was. He can't remember!

Back to the story/song…Rick is such a master at writing songs that tell a story. I don't know how he can capture a `long' story in a 3 minute song. That is genius writing, in my opinion! My favorite part is when he says, "But when the whistle blows to end the daily fight, and the working forces turn out the light. Jessie takes that little girl and he holds her tight. As the day fades away he says `we're all that matters tonight.'" What a beautiful visual that line creates! It has such a comforting feeling about it. He is holding her and telling her it will be okay, that they will make it so long as they have each other. What a great love story. It also has a lot of `courage' woven into it…courage to keep pushing on and believing in what is real in your life. I love how Rick pronounces the one line when he says, "so shut the door and put out the light. And baby be here because we're all that matters tonight." When you are strapped financially and exposed to these types of pressures, what could be better than shutting out the world each night and just being with the one you love? Really, the `world can wait for tomorrow tonight.' It's not going anywhere. And it's a mental and emotional relief when your troubles can fade away, even if it's only temporary. 

Rick's voice sounds incredible in this song. It's so clear and passionate throughout. It was like he was really `feeling' this one when he recorded it. But then, he sounds passionate and involved in all of his vocals, on every album he's ever done. This song is no different in that respect. I think the music and the beat are perfect with what he's saying here. The handclapping sounds near the beginning are really cool too! I like how Rick uses the handclapping sound in a lot of his work.

That last verse is great too: "running home to the harbor light. Safe and warm in love so right, tonight." I recall thinking when I heard this that Rick had a love for the word `harbor' and what it can mean, depending on how it's used in the song. This line almost reminds me of the last verse in Inside Silvia when he says, "there's still one harbor where I'm safe and warm." He even uses some of the same words, with `safe' and `warm.' Maybe it's just me and I'm a real sucker for a sweet love song, but the words `safe,' `warm' and `harbor' all combined into one verse has a tender feeling about it. It gives you a sense of security when you hear it. I think that is what he was aiming for here, and he certainly achieved it. 

I don't know if the story in this song helped to `shape' me, as it stayed on my mind even after I put SHSMY away after 7 years of warping my tape from listening to it so much. I had to let the songs rest for a couple of years. But I think it might have given me hope to carry on during those tough years. It has such a powerful message for me. I can remember always feeling like `we' would make it, because we had the most important thing of all in our relationship…love. It might sound funny to some to hear people say that Rick's words have such an impact on our psyche and are etched in our hearts forever, but he truly does have that affect if you just listen closely to what he's saying. This song is so well written in my opinion, and it will always hold a special place in my heart! - Kelley Pearson

Everyone had so much to say about this song, and honestly I can't seem to come up with that much to say. The beginning with the clap sounds turn me off from the get-go, but then once we get to 'rockin' I can deal with it a little better. Then, once again, as we head to the ending, and we have all that 'tonite, tonite, tonite'.....I start to get a nerve stepped on, but then again, I recuperate once we get past that point. Overall, I can listen to it, but I don't usually........this is one I tend to skip frequently. - 
Amy L.

This is one of those great little story songs. I've always had a weakness for the story song. Patty and Jesse are young lovers, working hard and trying to build a life. They want to get married and be together forever. It's the age old story that's been told so many times before. Rick did it so well when it was his turn. This was one of the songs that really hooked me when I bought this album. Maybe it was the place I was at in my own life. Married for a couple years, one child, working and trying to make it all work. I love the music. It just matches the lyrics so well. I even like the hand claps, I think they belong here. I would love to hear him sing this in concert. I think Matt would be great singing back up on this, too. Elizabeth S.