The 30 Day Song Challenge, Day 6

Day 6 Day 6 Day 6!  Yes, I've ran out of introductions to this.  24 more, folks.

Today is another easy day where the only question is which song to choose.  While a sense of location plays a part in a lot of music, Springsteen has excelled in using his music to create vivid environments, not just about New Jersey but from coast to coast and the flyover country in between.  However, being a Jersey boy, I'll just take the easy choice:

While specifically calling out Asbury Park, I think "Sandy" is the perfect soundtrack for any Jersey Shore town (Point Pleasant, Seaside Heights, etc.), capturing that lazy, carefree atmosphere of the perfect summer night.

Song Spotlight - "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"

Much like in 2012, Independence Day has fallen in sync with our posting schedule.  Rather than spotlight "Independence Day", a somber tune about leaving home, I figured I'd double-dip and go take yet another look at "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".  When I previously discussed "No Surrender", I praised the lyrics for their ability to paint specific images in my head.  In "4th of July", Bruce nails the feeling of youthful adventure you'd have on the boardwalks of South Jersey.  Springsteen is able to capture all the highlights of a trip to the boardwalk: the old arcades, the fortune tellers hustling for a buck, and, finally, to the fireworks that cap the weekend nights.  Listening to this song, you can practically feel the ocean wind blowing sand in your face.  It takes a lot of guts to name a song for a specific time and place, but this song lives up to its own billing with a perfect encapsulation of the moment.

Under The Influence of Springsteen: Kiss - "Shandi"

Friends who know me know I am an absolute Kiss fanatic.  Granted, no one will ever top Bruce, and Kiss isn't even my second or third favorite.  I don't know where they land on the list of my top ten bands, but they are definitely on there.  But because of their cartoonish makeup and Gene Simmons' awful reputation as someone who is just in it for the money, Kiss is usually the band I spend the most time defending.

All my other favorite bands need no defense.  Bruce has a 40+ year career that speaks for itself, Guns N' Roses have the greatest debut album of all-time, Metallica, AC/DC, and Ozzy Osbourne are all heavy metal icons that are well respected outside of their genre for their longevity and worshiped in the heavy metal community.

But Kiss fans only have each other.  The Kiss Army was really born out of necessity more than any other reason.  Rock and roll purists disregard Kiss as a novelty act never to be taken seriously, while heavy metal fans see them as soft and phonies.  Pardon the pretentiousness, but it really takes something special for Kiss fans to realize that not only is the band not a novelty act, the band is beyond talented, but the music really is something special.  Author and essayist, and fellow Kiss Army Member, Chuck Klosterman, put it much better, and more detailed, than I ever could.

But this past year, Kiss was vindicated by taking their rightful, long-overdue spot in the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame alongside the E Street Band in the class of 2014.  I thought that would be where the similarities between the two bands ended, but I recently read in an interview with Paul Stanley that their 1980 hit "Shandi" from their album Unmasked was heavily influenced by "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle.

I can't believe I never noticed this before, as one listen of the chorus to "Shandi" and it sounds practically identical to "Sandy".  Also, "Sandy" and "Shandi"?  Come on, it's basically the same name.  And for the record, outside of the Kiss song, I have never heard the name "Shandi" before or since.  Except of course for the delightful Summer Shandy beer.  So crack open a Shandy, pump some "Shandi" and compare it to "Sandy".

Springsteen Video Of The Week: "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"

"Oh Sandy" - "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"

I hope this post doesn't come off as too dismissive and insensitive.  I want to start off by saying I have absolutely no intent of making jokes or light of the situation.  But for those of us on the East Coast the only story this week has been Hurricane Sandy and the damage caused.   And even last night, Bruce had to postpone his show in Rochester, NY.  I hope everyone who is reading this is safe. I know it seems inappropriate to be thinking of Bruce in times of such tragedy. But right now, I can tell you that I'm doing fine and have been very lucky throughout the storm and its aftermath.  Other's haven't been, and New Jersey seems to have taken a particularly bad beating.  

I chose this as the lyrics of the week just because this song is so identified with Bruce and the Jersey shore, which has been absolutely demolished.  I can't imagine anyone from that area, hearing this song and not associating "Sandy" the song with Hurricane Sandy.  People lost their property, their businesses and homes.  And even some lost their lives.  It may seem trivial to consider Bruce in a time like this, but for those of who are lucky enough to come out of this unscathed, listening to Bruce has actually been a great distraction and comfort to the anarchy outside.

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

Sandy
The fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight...
- "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle


Well, the choice was obvious, but in keeping with the theme of this week, I'll spotlight Bruce's classic summer song, "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)".  While the lyrics are very sad, yearning for a more innocent time, the song's imagery and tone creates an aged photograph of the perfect summer day.  So, go out there, check out the girls in their summer clothes, drink warm beer in the soft summer rain, and dance with your shirt open!