EVERYBODY'S GIRL
(words and music by Rick Springfield) 

   
Well, who'd have believed this seasoned connoisseur lady-killer like me 
Would get hurt by a girl like you
And they got names for dirty little girls like you, honey 
It ain't nice though, but they call you Everybody's Girl

And they say, "Here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes" 
And they say, " Here she comes, here she comes, here she comes, here she comes"
There goes Everybody's Girl
Everybody's Girl, Everybody's Girl, Everybody's Girl"

You might say I was blind for a while 
I fell asleep at the driving wheel 
You sure woke me up in a hurry, honey 
And I can't blame anyone but me I know 
Well, it's my fault for falling for Everybody's Girl

And they say, "He's the one, he's the one, he's the one, he's the one" 
And they say, "He's the one, he's the one, he's the one, he's the one"

He got screwed by Everybody's Girl
Everybody's Girl, Everybody's Girl, Everybody's Girl

You got no apparent sensitivity 
You're cut deep with self-destructivity 
Your mind's made up, you're heading for the time 
When you'll shake and your heart breaks 
It's gonna come… 

Everybody's Girl, Everybody's Girl
Everybody's Girl, Everybody's Girl
Everybody's Girl , you know the time's gonna come 
Everybody's Girl, you can't keep doing this forever 
Everybody's Girl, you're  gonna take it on the chin 
Everybody's Girl, you're gonna get it!

(total playing time: 2:58)

SONG FACTS:

Rick performed this song during Live and Kickin' and also performed it  as part of a Medley at some of his concerts (the original Medley). He also performed a part of this song, alone and not part of the Medley during the acoustic show he did in Cleveland on 8/11/00.

It appears on the following releases:
Working Class Dog, Calling All Girls, Alive - Greatest Hits (as part of a Medley), Legendary,  Anthology (written in rock) and Working Class Dog expanded edition

Footnote - background photo courtesy of Keith Eberhardt from the Myrtle Beach, SC show on June 2, 2001, during the Everybody's Girl portion of The Medley

According to US

The tone of this song reminds me of Daddy's Pearl...well, maybe it is the sequel to Daddy's Pearl,
the post-dumping stage.

I find the music itself sultry, sexy, and then abrasive, in a good way, once he starts singing the chorus
as this is where his bitterness comes out. 

I think it is very typical of Rick's 80's larger than life ego (this seasoned connoisseur lady killer)...does that not sound really 'Hard-to-Hold-ish??. Poor guy (stud), being the one who fell for and was hurt by a chick (slut). The double standard here is quite evident. Chicks cant be 'players'. I do love though, his voice when he sings the line 'And they got names for dirty little girls like you, honey'. I think it is just hearing him say 'dirty little girls' (just like how I enjoy hearing him say 'porno site' in Wasted), I enjoy listening to him sing taboo words or phrases.

I don't have a lot to say about this song. I enjoy the music. The lyrics really remind me of  something that 'Rock Star Jamie' from 'Hard to Hold' would sing. I don't wish a broken heart on anyone, but in this song, I feel less bad for the stud having a broken heart, simply because he was okay with her until he was dumped...then she earns the public title of 'everybody's girl'.

He ends the song with 'You're gonna get it'...did she ever 'get it' and if so, what 'was it'? - Kat Mendelin

I love this song! I love the opening line, because he seems to be saying it so tongue in cheek, yet it does describe him, or at least the perception of who he is. 

Again, another heartbreak song. I like this one better than the others on this album. It's not so woe is me, it's got a little more sense of "fight" in it. And the song doesn't leave me wondering about anything, it's very clear why he feels the way he does. Great lines and great use of words.
I'm impressed with the "sensitivity" vs "destructivity"...very nice! - rlh

I have always enjoyed this song from the first time I heard it. Granted, I did not have a clue what the song actually meant then, it makes perfect sense now. I love the music and the excitement and happiness that it makes you feel when it's on. Even though the message that Rick is trying to get across here is not a very positive one, it's still an upbeat, feel-good song for me. The repetitive lyrics get to be a much at times, but other than that it's very well written and the music is awesome. This one is almost a sexy-like song, especially when he performs it live and runs his hands through his hair at the part of "seasoned connoisseur lady-killer like me". That is the melting point for me and the song has only just begun at that phrase. I guess the phrase "everybody's girl" is supposed to be a nicer way of saying the girl is a slut...LOL! I am sure Rick has had his run-ins with those way back in his younger days, so this probably wasn't a hard song to write.  - Amy L.

This is another song in a long line of RS tunes that Rick was singing words that I had no clue what was actually being said. For the first line, "Well who'd have believed this seasoned connoisseur lady-killer like me" I had always sung as "Well who'd have believed this season's number one lady killer liked me." Again, shows you what I know about song lyrics, because that makes no sense with the second line of "would get hurt by a girl like you" (of which I did sing properly). This is why I'm such a champion for putting those lyrics in the liner notes! I could make my own website of mis-heard Springfield lyrics, I swear.

I love this song. I always have, probably from the first time I heard it. I love tunes with catchy choruses and boy does this one have it. In between the "he's the one"s and "here she comes" it is real easy to sing along with this one. I really enjoy the way he seems to talk through this one quite a bit as well, as opposed to totally singing it. 

I don't believe I've ever seen this one done live by Rick as my most usual memory of this song takes me to the Live & Kickin performance. (maybe when I saw him the first time in '82 it was possible - but if I did, it didn't stand out in my mind) I just love watching how animated his face is in this song, his little hand gestures, and of course the big ol' Italian style flip-off when he sings, "He got screwed by Everybody's Girl".

I always wondered why in VH1's Behind the Music, this tune is playing when the narrator is talking about Rick meeting and marrying Barbara. Subliminal message, or just stupidity on the producer's part? - Michelle P.

The first time I heard this song, I instantly didn't like it. I mean I knew what he was saying right away when I heard it. It's not the music, I think that's okay. It's the whole message. He obviously didn't think of her as "Everybody's Girl" when things were going well, right? I'm not even sure if this song is actually from a personal experience or if it was Rick observing someone who followed the band around (a Groupie) and like he was just thinking what that was like and what effects it would have on someone after a while. I think what bothers me is, like someone else said in their review, the whole double standard thing. I guess I was maybe disappointed in Rick for writing something from that male perspective so many men have about sexuality. My fault, I tend to put him on a pedestal and forget that he is just a person like us. Elizabeth S.

Yet another song where the analytical and emotional sides of my brain come to different conclusions. I've always really liked this song, before I even knew exactly what the term 'Everybody's Girl' meant. Now that I know what it means I see the derogatory angle of the term and how it casts a negative light over the song. The song, while playful, also seems bitter. Obviously the guy was spurned by the girl and in response he is acting out and calling her names. However he is also throwing himself down in gutter which helps me redeem the song in the end. Granted he does not rail on himself as much as he does on her but he calls himself a 'seasoned connoisseur lady-killer' and then admits that he 'fell asleep at the driving wheel' and fell for someone he apparently did not have a high opinion of to start with. Then, after it did not work out, not only was he apparently 'screwed' he was labeled as Everybody’s Girl's Guy which is likely where the bitterness stems from. It is one thing to be dumped, another to be laughed at for it! So in the end he believes (or hopes) that she will be duped or dumped too. 

Apparently if I like a song I can rationalize anything, right? It’s a high energy and fun to sing-along-to song and I love to listen to it. Even the opening beats fit so well (they return again in the song too) - they sound almost like what a girl sauntering down the street would sound like to me. And, in the end, all wrapped up in the excitement and pace of the song Rick makes it seem like a fun goal – to be Everybody's Girl, go figure! 
~Jen H.

I like this song when I don't think about the words. It's catchy, has a happy, almost Caribbean sound to it. That said, it's yet another breakup song, and he's angry and insulting. 

And they got names for dirty little girls like you, honey 
It ain't nice though, but they call you Everybody's Girl
Ah, the old double standard. stud v. slut. but hey, his macho ego has been hurt. All's fair in love and war. and he's sure that she'll get what's coming to her someday.

You might say I was blind for a while 
I fell asleep at the driving wheel 

I'm glad that he refined this line for "Love Somebody" (you thought I was sleeping at the wheel, I thought that you were driving)

And they say, "He's the one, he's the one, he's the one, he's the one"
He got screwed by Everybody's Girl

Again, the ego. Everyone's talking about him. Sure they are. So what's worse, everyone knowing your heart's been broken, or NO ONE noticing that your heart's been broken? - sgeorge

I like this song from the first line! I've always thought of Rick saying "seasoned connoisseur like me" as a sarcastic remark. It just rolls off his tongue so well, and it flows, creating the whole feeling for what's to come. I find it funny and tongue-in-cheek the way he puts it! What an odd word combination to use in one sentence! Leave it to Rick. LOL On the surface it sounds almost cocky, but when listened to with the rest of the song, it is perfectly stated and in context. I think it is his way of "proving" what an "everybody's girl" she really is. It strengthens and confirms the whole concept of the song for me. I think he kind of believes what he's saying, but not really. He is obviously hurt from being used by this girl. That is just a classic lyric to me, and one I can't resist singing along loudly to. Then to top it off, he goes from smooth and low and sexy with his voice, to a tone that's higher pitched and sounds like he's right on the verge of bursting out in anger at her. I'm a sucker for angst in music, so this whole song hits a great chord with me. It is by far in my top favorites from WCD. I actually crave hearing this song when I think of playing WCD, as with some of the others on the album.

Everybody's Girl revelation: I have never even once thought of this song as sounding a bit Reggae until Rick mentioned it in the new liner notes. Wow. But after he said it, I can totally hear it now. I had never put a word to the sound, since at the time I discovered this song, I had no idea what Reggae music was. So it's been embedded in my brain as simply---just Rick. He is so varied in his many sounds, which may be why he is loved by many different cultures of people. That is just cool! I do love the beat and then how it kicks into the guitars. That seems like a style he creates a lot in his music (going from one extreme to another). It's kind of groovy, then it's in your face. 

I just love the anger with "he got screwed by everybody's girl!" I tend to get really excited with the Rick songs where he is lashing back and maybe saying a few things he shouldn't (although I like nearly all his music anyway!) He is taking charge. He is really getting on to this girl with the line, "and they got names for dirty little girls like you honey, it ain't nice no but they call ya everybody's girl." Get her Rick!!! LOL I love that line as well. He's been dumped on and hurt one too many times, and even now with the run-around girl. So he is basically telling her off. I think he deserved to be a little bit "cocky" in this one. He couldn't see it in her at first. I guess he was either blinded by love or beauty. Now he is labeled as her next victim. 

This song is a perfect fit on the WCD "album!" It adds a lot of balance to the other tracks. I love this song live also, like on the Live and Kickin' DVD. Rick's eyes and face are so expressive, and you can tell he's "feeling" this one. I would love to see it performed live now!! - Kelley Pearson