The 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 21

For day 21, I have to pick a song that I listen to WHEN I'm happy.  This is not to be confused with day 3, which was a song that MAKES me happy.  Got it?  Moving on:

Well, I usually listen to a lot of Springsteen when I'm happy, so I just grabbed this one at random.  "Blinded by the Light" is a great listen WHEN you are happy: you get to hear Bruce at his youngest and most ambitious, and know that it's just going to get better for this young kid.

So, what Bruce song do you listen to WHEN you are happy?  And don't you dare list a Bruce song that MAKES you happy.  Rules are rules, got it?

The 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 7

Lucky day 7!  Like yesterday, today is another easy choice where the only issue is choosing between dozens of potential songs.  Let's just dive right in:

This was LOS writer Steve's first dance song at his wedding.  In fact, he wrote about choosing the song on this blog.  Steve has been happily married for over six years, and his family has grown (two kids, with a third on the way).  "Happy" was not a Springsteen song I paid much attention to before his wedding, so it has immediate association with this event every time I hear it.

The 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 3

Onto day 3, which is a slam-dunk.  Pretty much any Bruce song makes me happy, even the depressing ones.  I've probably written about this before, but Bruce's music just "centers" me - whenever I'm feeling nervous or overwhelmed, I put on Bruce and it brings me back down to Earth.  So, for today, I'll pick "My Love Will Not Let You Down":

While The Rising was the first Bruce studio album that started my fandom, it truly began with the Live In New York City concert album.  Popping in the CD and being blasted with "My Love Will Not Let You Down" always reminds me of my first foray into Springsteen, and will always make me happy.

Meeting Bruce: The Day I Never Thought Would Happen

Never in my life did I anticipate that I would shake hands, pose for a picture and be greeted by name by Bruce Springsteen. But that's exactly what happened today thanks to his appearance at Books-a-Million in Chicago.

Bruce: Hi, there
Me: Hi, I'm Steve. Nice to meet you
*Pose for picture*
Me: We played "Happy" as our first dance at our wedding
Bruce: Ah, thank you Steve

I waited in line just over 3 1/2 hours for that fleeting exchange. It was well worth it. Many waited longer than me, and in the cold.

In classic Legends of Springsteen fashion, he showed up 30 minutes earlier than advertised and got right to work shaking hands and giving hugs to his fans.

It was a very civilized group, many who had traveled from out of state (Indiana, Michigan and beyond) and embarked in the wee hours of the morning, I heard 4 a.m. departures referenced a few times.

The feeling itself was surreal. I felt compelled to go buy gum before I got to the store. I was envious of the families there together, hopeful that one day my children would be old enough and interested enough to experience something similar with me.

I kept my guard up that at any moment something might go wrong. Perhaps I was tricked by a scam ticket? What if my cell phone suddenly malfunctions? What if I accidentally step out of line or engage in any other general buffoonery? In the end, it was over before I knew it. I stood speechless with my signed book in hand and my photo on my phone, trying to process what had transpired.

It may have been over in the blink of an eye, but I wish every fan could be lucky enough to receive this experience.

And it only happened because of my wife. If she hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known about it. If she hadn't encouraged me, I wouldn't have gone.

Coming Soon: Springsteen & I

The other day I was at my local movie theater seeing Man of Steel and I was delighted to see the above poster hanging in the lobby. It brings me great excitement to see a poster for the feature-length documentary Springsteen & I hanging beside summer blockbusters in AMC theaters.

Springsteen & I is a crowd-sourced documentary that compiles footage submitted by fans across the world explaining what Springsteen means to them. I uploaded a video of my wife and I doing the first dance at our wedding to “Happy” but alas, I don’t think we made the cut. Regardless, I’m extremely excited to see the film.

MCN Fathom Events is bringing the film to a score of theaters across the country on July 22 and July 30. You can visit the official website to see which theater near you will be playing the film and buy your tickets in advance: http://www.springsteenandi.com/

I’ll be seeing the film on July 30 so stay tuned for a review. In the meantime, here’s the trailer…

Hanging Out on E Street - Valentine's Day Edition

A few weeks ago I managed to get on E Street Radio as a listener call-in. I hadn't dialed into a radio station in at least 15 years and I'd forgotten what an ordeal it is. After hours of incurring busy signals, I finally made it through and got my opportunity to dedicate a song. In this day and age, dialing into a radio station is a funny thing. When you can hear virtually any song you want at any moment you like through YouTube, iTunes or other Internet-based properties, the thought of calling into a radio station to request a song seems antiquated and frankly, perverse. But of course, E Street Radio isn't just any radio station. And the opportunity to speak to one of the E Street Radio DJs and know that my voice was being broadcast to legions of other faithful Bruce fans was a thrill. After hours of anticipation, it was all over in a matter of seconds. If it hadn't been for the show replay two days later, I wouldn't have even been sure it really happened. But it did. And I used my iPhone to record my fleeting moment on the airwaves. I took the opportunity on air to dedicate the song "Happy" to my wife, Lisa. Nearly two years ago, "Happy" was our first dance at our wedding and while this Valentine's Day post isn't of the same caliber as her guest post last year, I hope that it does the memory justice.

I'm Happy in a Love Like This

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t be more excited to present a guest post by my beautiful wife Lisa. Here, she reflects on the experience of having Bruce Springsteen’s “Happy” as our first dance on our wedding day (April 30, 2011).



Though it’s up for debate who is “The Boss” in my relationship with Steve, after nearly four years of dating, it was Bruce who came as one of the first signs that Steve was contemplating making me his wife. Steve sent me a YouTube link to the song “Happy” and told me that the song made him think of me and that he’d like to use it as our wedding song one day. Very excitedly, I quickly blurted that I thought it was a great idea and as I listened to the song the first time, I paid no attention to the lyrics or the Gilmore Girls tribute images in the random fan video, as I could only think about walking down the aisle to meet Steve. Though I withheld my initial elation, for the next several months I watched that video multiple times a day. Eventually I could look past Steve’s comment about it as our wedding song and took the time to think about the lyrics. I recognized what a perfect song this was to describe the feelings Steve and I have for each other.

Fast forward two years and Steve and I were in the midst of planning our wedding. Our band was booked and despite their best efforts to convince Steve that they would do an amazing cover of the song, it was decided that we’d rather pay $145 for them to rest for three minutes than to not hear Bruce sing “our song.” We had a blast taking dance lessons, listened to the song while repeating the steps in our head, and moved the furniture around our studio apartment to create enough space to practice. The day before we were to travel to Chicago for our wedding, I decided that I must have Steve’s ring engraved with its lyrics and am forever grateful to the jeweler who I convinced to complete my request faster than he originally quoted.

I’m happy in love like this

Our wedding day really was everything I had ever hoped it would be. Even in my dress, which I was convinced was too long and would cause me to trip, we made it through our first dance just as planned. We may have been a bit off beat and I certainly wasn’t the most graceful. But we nailed the steps and I remembered to let Steve lead as we chatted about the day’s events and quietly whispered some of the lyrics to each other. Though it’s not a song I’m likely to hear in the grocery store or in the car (unless I’m listening to E Street Radio), whenever I do take the time to play it, Bruce’s voice will continue to fill me with a sense of comfort and love each time I hear “Happy.”