Coheed & Cambria released “Jessie’s Girl 2” a sequel to Rick Springfield’s huge hit and a video in which he appears.
It’s an alternative version to the story of the girl, which looks like a comic book, while at the end the actor who played “Jessie’s Girl” in the original video back in 1981 makes a cameo.
Claudio Sanchez wonders, “Has anyone ever written a sequel to another artist’s song?” He continues: “I don’t think so. As a fan of movies, it just seemed like a really interesting idea.” The song’s concept evolves around the premise that “he got the girl” and asks, “where are they now?” Let’s just say it’s not a fairytale ending, as Sanchez surmises: “It’s kind of like a National Lampoon’s movie meets ‘So I Married An Axe Murderer’.”
The genesis of “Jessie’s Girl 2” dates back to Coheed And Cambria studio sessions from 2019, when the band began riffing on an idea as Sanchez extemporaneously sang the hook from Springfield’s 1981 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash. A germ of an idea was planted as Sanchez pondered, “What if a band created a sequel for a song that wasn’t originally theirs?” After fleshing out new lyrics and tinkering with the concept (even considering a future album of likeminded material called “Sequels”), the band revisited the idea during their time spent at home quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sanchez pitched the idea to Springfield on Instagram Live. As the song started coming together, they sent it off to Springfield and upon hearing it, the legendary singer agreed to pick up where he left off almost 40 years ago, and feature on the song. “Jessie’s Girl 2” looks at what could have been by flipping the timeless anthem of unrequited love on its head, further broadening the legacy of this songbook essential which earned Springfield the 1982 Grammy Award in the category of “Best Rock Male Vocal Performance.”
Pre-orders are available now at www.coheedandcambria.com
