I’ve always wondered about people who didn’t like Bruce Springsteen. I realize that each person has their own taste, but, I’ve never been able to figure out how I can feel his songs so deeply, and, I’m just one of many people who can say that, while others shrug him off completely as a mainstream rocker, kinda like Bon Jovi. Actually, one girl told me once that he reminded her of Bon Jovi, “but he wasn’t as cute.” I always thought she was kind of dumb, you know, like Miss Teen South Carolina. But not as cute.
For those of us who love Springsteen, what I’m about to say is obvious and cliché. For those who don’t, listen up: he’s more than just some rocker, and if you have spent the last thirty years wondering what the fuss is about, pause Beyonce on your iPod and read this article NY Times. Maybe it will clarify some things. It’s not the best article ever written on Springsteen, but it’s pretty darn good.
Bruce’s new album “Magic” is out this week, and while I have only heard “Radio Nowhere,” I’m looking forward to not just hearing the music, but listening to the lyrics. After all, this is the man who wrote lines like, “For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside, that it ain’t no sin to be glad your alive,” as well as, “roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair . . . the nights busting open and these two lanes can take us anywhere.” If those lyrics don’t touch you in some way, then maybe you’ve never longed for something--other than Prada. Okay, to be fair I long for Prada a lot, but there are other things I’ve wanted, too, like the strong desire to bust out of a dusty small town growing up, and see the world. I was the kind of person Bruce wrote songs for, and all these years later, as I’ve grown older, and had a career, and a marriage, and this thing called an adult life, Bruce has somehow managed to continue to provide a soundtrack, like the words from this great middle-age lament:
Well my soul checked out missing as I sat listening
To the hours and minutes tickin' away
Yeah, just sittin' around waitin' for my life to begin
While it was all just slippin' away.
I'm tired of waitin' for tomorrow to come
Early on, Bruce’s songs inspired me “to take a right at the light and head out straight onto night,” and I did. Last night, I traveled 20 + hours door-to door from my fourth trip to Hong Kong. I’ve seen a lot of the world, not all of it. I’ve tried to live my dreams, writing, a fun career, and again, I was spurred on to do this in part by Springsteen’s music. All these years later, after I’ve first heard “Born to Run,” I’ve realized something. Seeing the world is great, and chasing your dreams is a worthwhile pursuit, but let’s face it, and if you are a Springsteen fan, you know what I mean: nothing beats dancing to a good song by our guy. That’s why he’s The Boss.
