“I miss being young!” Jessie’s Girl singer Rick Springfield shares plans for his 74th birthday

Rick Springfield “misses” being young.

The 73-year-old rock star, best known for his 1981 chart hit “Jessie’s Girl,” said he had a “great time” growing up and that the best way to continue his career is to make an effort to stay healthy.

He told ETCanada: “It was a great time to be young. I miss it. But I try to stay healthy because when I’m healthy I can keep playing and do whatever I want.”

“Health has always been my number one priority. I work out every day, I try to eat healthy and most of all I try to stay as positive as possible. You know, I have depression, I have to deal with it, but yeah, I just love what I do. You know, and that’s part of staying alive, healthy and connected: loving what you do.”

The Grammy Award winner celebrates his birthday at the end of August and wants to celebrate this special occasion while on tour with his latest series of shows.

He added: “I’ll be on the road (on my birthday). I’m not quite sure where, but yes, I’ll be on the road playing, which I love to do, you know, because I love when the crowd sings ‘Happy Birthday.’ We all love our birthdays, you know?

“I still like ‘Jessie’s Girl’ because it’s not about playing the song itself, it’s about the energy it creates in the crowd, in the audience. That’s where I get my feedback and the energy for my performance, seeing how they react to the different songs they know.

“Yes, that’s where the energy comes from and that’s why it’s possible to play this song 30,000 times and still give it energy.”