Don't Talk to Strangers (Rick Springfield song) explained

Don't Talk to Strangers
Cover:	Don't_Talk_to_Strangers_-_Rick_Springfield.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Rick Springfield
Album:	Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet
B-Side:	Tonight
Released:	March 1982
Genre:	Power pop^[1]
Length:	2:59
Label:	RCA
Producer:	Keith Olsen
Prev Title:	Love Is Alright Tonite
Prev Year:	1981
Next Title:	What Kind of Fool Am I
Next Year:	1982

"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."^[2]

Reception

Billboard said that it has "irresistible hooks interspersed throughout."^[3] Record World said it has "a snappy rock beat and sharp chorus hook."^[4]

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1982)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[5]	10
Canada RPM Top Singles	3
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary	3
South Africa (Springbok)^[6]	19
US Billboard Hot 100^[7]	2
US Top Rock Tracks	11
US Cash Box Top 100^[8]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (1982-1983)	Rank
Australia (Kent Music Report)	73
Canada RPM Top Singles^[9]	33
US Billboard Hot 100^[10]	20
US Cash Box Top 100^[11]	17

Notes and References

Leroy, Dan (13 July 2005). Springfield's New "Day" . . 2014-08-16 . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20100405144812/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rickspringfield/articles/story/7484608/springfields_new_day . 5 April 2010 . . Rolling Stone.
Web site: Rick Springfield: The Stories Behind the Music . variety.com . April 20, 2016 .
Billboard. March 6, 1982. 2023-01-21. 75. Top Single Picks.
Record World. March 6, 1982. 1. 2023-03-02. Hits of the Week.
Web site: National Top 100 Singles for 1982 . . . 445 . 3 January 1983 . 22 January 2023 .
Web site: SA Charts 1965–March 1989 . 5 September 2018.
Rick Springfield - Chart History. . April 20, 2016.
Web site: Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 29, 1982 . April 7, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150603094127/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/19820529.html . June 3, 2015 . dead .
Web site: Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . 2017-04-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160811145442/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.6167&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 . 2016-08-11 . dead .
http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1982.htm Musicoutfitters.com
Web site: Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 25, 1982 . April 7, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180711062300/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/80s_files/1982YESP.html . July 11, 2018 . dead .