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!

Springsteen Video of The Week- "This Land is Your Land"

With 4th of July coming up this week, I thought this would be a good video.  It's ironically patriotic in it's questioning of blind patriotism.  And really only Bruce Springsteen can take a song I used to sing as kid in 1st grade and make it cool.

Counting with Bruce Springsteen

As this blog continues its quest to cover all Springsteen minutiae, we'll turn now to the particular way Bruce starts his songs.  Take a listen to this:



Did you notice it?  It begins with Bruce's classic count-off to four.  While it is rare that his count-offs make it onto a studio track, like in "Bobby Jean", it is a staple of Bruce's concerts.  A quick burst of syllables that sound like numbers, and you know you are in for an epic song.  While it didn't make it on to a studio cut, I'll always believe "Badlands" starts with a resounding "ONE TWO!"



Bruce is not just a one trick pony with his counting.  He will sometimes use this trick to bring it down a little, as seen in more somber songs like "The Wrestler" and "All I'm Thinking About Is You":



It may seem like we're digging a little too deep here, but Bruce's countdowns have been noticed in other segments of pop-culture.  For example, Bruce was a fan of the 70s punk rock band called The Dictators.  In 1978, as Bruce's popularity was rising, he took time to make a guest appearance, providing his classic countdown for the opening track of their album Bloodbrothers:



And finally, this post wouldn't be complete without another nod to the inspiration for this blog.  A true fan knew from the beginning how we'd be ending this post.  Ladies and gentlemen, here is "Counting With Bruce Springsteen":

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - Land of Hope and Dreams

This train....
Carries saints and sinners
This train....
Carries losers and winners
This train....
Carries whore and gamblers
- "Land of Hope and Dreams", from Wrecking Ball

Even before Wrecking Ball, I loved the live version of "Land of Hope and Dreams", especially his listing of the passengers on the train.  The extra emphasis on the "whores" always stood out to me.  Upon re-examination, this is an interesting listing, as the first two sets of passengers are diametric opposites, whereas whores and gamblers seem like two peas in a pod.  I believe Bruce is linking these two together to highlight that neither "sin" is completely black-and-white, as the gamblers and whores fall into a gray area.  

He hasn't shied away from either subject in the past, with songs like "Reno" and "Lucky Man" portraying depictions of both lifestyles.  Pulling from my own life, I do love to gamble, and, while I have no desire to use the services of a lady of the night, I recently read a graphic novel called "Paying For It" by Chester Brown which explored the world of prostitution and raised many interesting points that may make people question their stance on the issue.  Regardless, the overall message of the song is that there is room for everyone upon this "train", and we should leave our judgments aside to better help everyone improve their worlds.

Springsteen Video Of The Week- "It's Been A Long Time"

"It's Been A Long Time"- Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes (Featuring Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Van Zandt)

Ah Southside Johnny, the other guy who made Asbury Park famous.  In a more perfect world, Southside Johnny would be much more famous, but unfortunately that's just not the case.  Southside Johnny was a major influence on Bruce and Bon Jovi and is barely known outside of South Jersey, while Bruce and Jon tour the world playing major stadiums.  However even though he's a fraction as popular as Springsteen and Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes have legions of their own fans and they're as hardcore about him, as we are about Bruce.  And it doesn't hurt to have Bruce Springsteen as one of your biggest fans.

It was actually this song that introduced me to Southside Johnny.  I had heard his name mentioned before, however didn't know much about him.  But I came across this video a few years back on YouTube, and liked it so much that I immediately bought Southside's Better Days album, which featured this song.  And ever since then, I have called myself a fan of Southside Johnny.

First Drafts - Spanish Eyes (I'm On Fire)

A couple weeks ago, we examined "Wings for Wheels", Bruce's early version of "Thunder Road".  In that version, both the music and lyrics were about 75% of the way to the classic that everyone knows.  Here, in "Spanish Eyes", a cut from 2010's The Promise, we see very familiar lyrics in a completely unfamiliar setting.

In Pitchfork's review of the album, they state, "The Promise ultimately confirms that Springsteen is a brilliant editor of his own material."  Listening to this song, I couldn't agree more.  While some may classify this under the genre of "Beautiful Bruce", the song is overly sappy.  With soft piano music and lines about kissing his lover's eyes (which sounds quite off-putting), this song tries to hard to create a romantic atmosphere in a time when Bruce was writing about sad, desperate lovers.  It isn't surprising that most of this song ended up on the cutting floor.  But that's the key word, isn't it?  "Most".

The first two lines, not particularly strongly delivered in this version, ended up being reused as the iconic opening of one of Bruce's greatest songs.  A third line ("Can he do the things that I'll do for you?") is slightly tweaked and included as well.  This is another example of Bruce saving a few lines from an otherwise forgettable song until the right time comes along.  The "Spanish Eyes"/"I'm On Fire" reworking is my personal favorite, but if you listen to Tracks and The Promise, you'll find more lines here and there that were included in later hits.

Springsteen Lyrics of the Week - I Wanna Be With You

Well I lost my job at the Texaco station
Instead of pumpin' gas I dreamed of you
I got thrown out of my house
I got such a bad reputation
'cause all I wanna do is be seen with you
- Tracks (Disc 2)

A leftover from The River, “I Wanna Be with you is one of Bruce's more aggressive love songs. On the surface, his love is passionate, driven home by the repeated proclamations of “I Wanna Be With You” in the chorus. But closer inspection reveals lyrics that indicate obsession rather than ardor. While this single-minded devotion to another person is romantic, Bruce uses lyrics like the ones above to suggest there can also be something unhealthy and self-destructive about loving someone too much.

New Bruce iPad App!

Uncut launches Bruce Springsteen iPad Application!


We here at LOS just found out about this new Bruce App that sounds like its really cool and a must have for Bruce fans!