THE LIGHT OF LOVE
(words and music by Rick Springfield) 

   
Standing at the terminal I can almost hear the music 
Coming from the cold and chilly L.A. night 
And when we get to the gate, baby 
All of the things that were said 
Will they turn you 'round and bring you back
Will they bring you back
Will you come back home 'cause you know I'm waiting

The Light Of Love is always on 
You know my love is getting stronger and stronger 
The Light Of Love is always on 
Keeping the night watch

Baby, are you lonely, Don't Talk To Strangers 
I'm trying to tell myself you won't be gone for long 
And when we get to the part baby, where all of the tears start to come 
Will you turn around, get on the plane
Will it bring you back, will you come back home
'Cause you know I'm waiting

The Light Of Love is always on 
You know my love is getting stronger and stronger 
The Light Of Love is always on 
Keeping the night watch…

The Light Of Love is always on 
You know my love is getting stronger and stronger 
The Light Of Love is always on 
Keeping the night watch 
The Light Of Love is always on

You know my love is getting stronger and stronger 
The Light Of Love is always on 
Keeping the night watch 
Keeping the night watch 
Keeping the night watch

(total playing time: 2:42)

SONG FACTS:

Rick performed this song during the Live and Kickin Special.

It appears on the following releases:
Working Class Dog, Calling All Girls, Legendary,  Anthology (written in rock) and Working Class Dog expanded edition.

Footnote - photo on this page was taken in Phoenix, AZ 9/08/02.

According to US

This is one of those songs that even though the lyrics aren't so stellar, I like it anyway. Although I think my like-ness of this song improved after seeing Rick perform it on Live & Kickin'. Now every time I hear this one, I still picture that performance. Not that that is a bad thing, mind you. It just makes me want to pull that DVD out though and watch it again, and there goes my day -ya know?

So we're back to Rick's lady leaving him -again. I just don't understand all these women that he meets that can't stick around. I think they should be all lined up and shot. But enough personal feelings here, let's get back to the song. So they're saying good-bye at some terminal, he's begging her to stay and promises he'll leave a light on for her (kind of like Motel 6, but better).

As I said earlier, the lyrics aren't much to write home about. Not only am I not understanding why she's leaving, but why does his love get "stronger and stronger" the longer the song goes on? Wouldn't the light get dimmer and dimmer since it's always on? I get the feeling Rick wrote this chorus, filled in a few words and called it a song.  - Michelle P.

This song....this song, it's...well...I love it and then I dont, and here is why:

I can really related to the lyrics, as it reminds me of my Buster, and all of our airport goodbyes. He was so patient with me. Rick's lyrics really strike a nerve in a sentimental way. You can hear the hope and worry and angst. That pretty much sums up the two verses. The music that accompanies the verses reminds me of that anxious feeling your get inside you, and it almost mimcs a beating heart...especially during all of the lines that begin with 'Will'. You know...the kind of beating when you are anxious or worried, the kind of beating that you can almost hear outload.

The lyrics in the chorus are 'sweet and tender' and full of hope. This being said, I really do not care for the music that goes  with them. I cant really say why, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I'm not a fan of songs where most of it is a repeated chorus, especially a chorus that I cant get into.

Not my favorite song, but I really can appreciate the airport scene, and the goodbyes. - Kat Mendelin

This has to be one of my least favorites from the WCD album. I DO like it, but I don't love it. I have such mixed feelings about it, it's hard to come to a compromise. I love some parts and I hate others. I guess you could say it's a 50/50 split....which probably doesn't make much sense, but I find this is the only way that I can explain it. 
I love the guitar in the beginning, but then the song takes a drastic turn to worse and then goes back to an enjoyable song again. As far as a being a song to sing along to, it's great and the lyrics are catchy and easy to remember. That is probably the thing I like most about it. Again, Rick did an awesome job in describing his love for someone that he may be losing and relaying that message wonderfully in a song. I love that about his music because even if the song is not all it could be for me, the lyrics and the message are always great. Maybe if this song would have been done as a ballad, I would have enjoyed it a little more. - Amy L.

This song, ahh…. this song… I do not hate this song as I do not skip it but to me this song just embodies 80’s cheesiness. First I have never been able to reconcile if the girl in the song is flying away for good or just going on a trip. In many ways it seems like he’s trying to convince her not to leave him but yet it also seems like he’s blowing this out of proportion and being overly emotional about a short little trip. I have known guys that would seem lost or miserable if their significant other was gone for more than a day and for some reason that always pops up in my mind when I hear this song. The other issue I have is how he drags out some of the words, as in “Standing at the terminaaaaaal I can almost hear the muuuuuusic / Coming in from the cold and chilly L.A. niiiiiight” – just weird emphasis there. And then finally, the ‘light of love’ as if it was a beacon in the dark – cute, yet cheesy and brings up images of E.T.’s chest. So I like the music and I can listen to this song and enjoy it if I keep my focus away from the lyrics. ~Jen H.

I keep giving really good reviews for all the songs on WCD, but it's because there is not one song from the collection that I don't like. I like this song a lot and the "good feelings" I get when I hear it. I found it interesting when I read the liner notes to the WCD remastered CD, that Rick wrote this song because of a personal ad he read in the paper, and also that some of it (the solo), is like his dad's favorite song "Begin the Beguine." 

What is amazing for me about this song …the lyrics are saying one thing, but the sound is saying something else. It one sense, it's a sad song about the one he loved leaving him and flying off somewhere away from him, and he didn't know if she'd come home. But it also has an underlying hope to it. The chorus is what makes up for the sadness I think. I love the whole concept of the chorus, "the light of love is always on…you know my love's getting stronger and stronger. The light of love is always on, keeping a night watch." That is very sweet to me. He is willing to wait for her, until she decides which way to go with the relationship. He is saying that his love will not die, even in the midst of her indecisiveness. But as always, Rick's insecure and jealous nature rears it's head…"baby are you lonely, don't talk to strangers." I think he must have stayed in constant fear (and maybe still does!) that his love will look to another. Pretty cool how that phrase "don't talk to strangers" comes up in this song, and then reappears in his next album as a whole song. 

The music is very upbeat, and again…it has a hopeful sound to it. I like the keyboards in the beginning and throughout. The guitar solo is also cool and has a happy feel to it. Rick's voice sounds amazing here….very crisp, clear and smooth, as it does in all the songs from WCD. I thought that was a great effect in the part where the guitars and music stop and you hear just his voice alone saying, "the light of love is always on" and then the music begins again. It adds a sort of confirmation & truth to what he's trying to say. 

For some reason, and I think it may be the way the words flow together here, and how he says so much in just a few seconds, my favorite part of the whole song is when he says, "And when we get to the part baby, where all of the tears start to come 
Will you turn around, get on the plane
Will it bring you back, will you come back home
'Cause you know I'm waiting." He crammed a lot into that one line, but it sounds perfect to me. It just flows. I like how he's questioning her final decision, and hoping that the tears and the thoughts of their relationship and what they've had will bring her back where she belongs. 

All in all, this is a one of those songs I never get sick of hearing. For me this song hits on a positive note, even if there was a lot of pain and insecurity involved when he wrote it.  - Kelley Pearson

I love the guitar solo on this song. I remember Rick saying one time somewhere that it is part of a song his Dad loved. I think that's really cool, sort of a way of paying homage to his Dad, although I understand his Dad was still around at the time that he wrote this song. He obviously was a very big influence on him. I can appreciate that, my Dad is my Hero. This song is actually somewhat clear to me, unlike many of Rick's songs with their double meanings. He almost seems to try to cover up what he really wants to say at times. Someone he loves is leaving (on a trip?) or (because of an argument?) and he's telling them that it's all okay, you can come back. I will still be here and still love you. This song was never one of my favorites on Working Class Dog, other than the guitar solo. I don't really like his vocal on it, but I can't really put my finger on it. It's almost like some of what he was trying to say became lost in the urgency of the music. Maybe if it had been slowed down just a little. - Elizabeth S.

I like the words in this song more than the music. The music drags a little for me.
Again, Rick doesn't seem to be the one in control of this relationship, he seems to be unsure of her commitment. 
We get an early taste of "Don't Talk to Strangers". Rick has admitted that he can be very jealous, so it seems he didn't want any of his girlfriends to talk to other guys. - rlh