Bruce Springsteen burst onto the rock music scene releasing his first Album, Greetings, From Asbury Park, N.J., on January 5, 1973, followed by ?a second, The Wild, The Innocent, And The E Street Shuffle, on September 11, 1973.? But if you didn’t live in the New York City to Philadelphia corridor and were listening to local rock radio stations or lucky enough to drop into a local club or bar where the Boss and the band just happened to be playing, you probably didn’t know anything about either album.
Thunder Road, a song from the 1975 album Born To Run, was made into what has been said to be the first music video ever. ?The track is viewed by many as a challenge to get up and follow your heart, an inspiration to do what has to be done, calling you to follow your dreams. With the release of “Born To Run”, the fortunes of Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band took off, building a fan base?that has grown through numerous generations to follow.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where a young Bruce Springsteen’s early career sprouted, it is with great pride and joy that I share this review of the 2013 documentary? Springsteen & I?by British director Ballie Walsh.
The world knows Bruce Springsteen and his impressive body of work now. Using interviews of and concert videos shot by fans of the ?Boss? from all over the world, this well deserved two hour love fest between Bruce Springsteen and his followers is, in this writer’s opinion, well worth a look.? You can catch it now on Showtime.
Fans are asked to use three words to describe what Bruce Springsteen and his music means to them. The love, connection, and deep personal feeling expressed that has developed between Bruce and the public over the years evidences the power of one man with a band to make a difference.? Just ask Governor Chris Christie how he feels about Springsteen.
Which brings me to the first word that I would use to describe Bruce Springsteen and that word is:
?Magnanimous, very generous or forgiving, esp. toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself?
This documentary makes clear what Bruce’s fans know. Bruce Springsteen gives of himself no mater what, no matter where, no matter when, no matter why.? And, as is evident from his recent hug given to Governor Christie during the NBC Hurricane Sandy Relief Telethon on November 2, 2012, ?Springsteen was able to look beyond his differences with the Governor in the course of using his celebrity to do the right thing for others.
And Bruce always is on the right side of history and the issues.
Governor Christie, who claims to have been to 130 Springsteen concerts over 37 years of fandom, admitted in a press briefing that the hug he received from Springsteen during the telethon brought him to tears.
Some years back I heard a story that I must relate. Word had spread around the NYC to Philly area that Bruce and some members of the E Street Band would appear at an Asbury Park, N.J. club, the Stone Pony, to help promote a band being managed by E Street Band mate, Steve Van Zandt.? That Band was Southside Johnny And The Asbury Jukes.? Sure enough, Bruce, Clarence Clemons, and other members of the Band did appear to back up the Jukes.
Once he left the stage, Bruce mingled with the crowd.? Someone came up to Bruce, said hello, and how much he enjoyed the show.? Bruce was pleased but then the fan told Bruce about someone he knew who was going through a really bad time.? He told Bruce how much of a fan the guy was and that he thought it would mean a lot if he would sign an autograph.? Bruce asked for the guy’s name, then addressing it to the guy by name, he wrote:
?Hang in there. Your friend.? Bruce Springsteen.?
Only a handful of people know about this.? But they will always remember the kindness and caring that Bruce Springsteen showed that night.
Yes, magnanimous seems about right.
Which brings me to the second word that I would use to describe Bruce Springsteen and that word is:
?Mainstream, Representing the prevalent attitudes, values, and practices of a society or group?
That’s right, Bruce is just one of us.? And this is a theme that runs through his own music and through the music that he and the band perform with others.? Born in the USA, Death to My Hometown, Growin? Up, Human Touch, and We Take Care of Our Own, along with many other songs appear on the Springsteen albums.? Springsteen always shows us during a concert that he is just one of us, usually inviting someone from the crowd to come join him onstage to in some way participate in the show.
But then there are some of the many artists that he honors and often joins with, making Bruce and his mates one of the best back up bands around. ? From routinely appearing with the legendary American Folk Hero, Pete Seeger, to Tom Morello,to the great Roy Orbison in a rendition of ?Oh,Pretty Woman”, to joining the group to close the 1999 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, Bruce is there to just be part of the crowd.
Which brings me to the third word that I would use to describe Bruce Springsteen and that word is:
?Magnificent, Outstanding of its kind; superlative?
Fittingly, Bono and U2 have performed along with Bruce.? The U2 tune, ?Magnificent?, ?live from Madison Square Garden in 2010, says it all.
Rock and Roll is an American cultural phenomenon with a long and interesting history which I will not go into here and now other than to say, ?American Bandstand“, which was brought to America from Philadelphia, PA, by Dick Clark in 1952.? Dick told us that:
?Music is the soundtrack of our lives?.
Dick Clark was right.? But, rock and roll music can move us politically, move us to celebrate and dance the night away, and move us to the heights of erotica.? And perhaps, nobody does it better?than Bruce Springsteen.
Refuse to open your eyes, you will not see.? Refuse to touch and you will not feel. Refuse to listen and you will not hear.? Refuse to speak and you will not be heard. ?Rock and roll artists, like Bruce Springsteen, lift up our spirits and our society, through their music and their words. They help us to see, to feel, to hear, and to be heard. ?Country rocker, Garth Brooks, implores us to:
Long live rock and roll. ?And thank you Mr. Springsteen for your generosity, for your commonality, for your inspiration, for the memories, and for the fun too.
