Unfortunately, the end of the great part of his career is almost half that old now.

Born to Run is the national anthem of New Jersey.

When you move here, they give you a copy of the CD and an Italian horn necklace.

Tramps like us, baby we were born to run - Bruce Springsteen is 59 today still an asshole

FTFY

Earguy: Born to Run is the national anthem of New Jersey.


Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It's a death trap, it's a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we're young
One could not think of a more appropriate anthem for Jersey

Earguy: Born to Run is the national anthem of New Jersey.

When you move here, they give you a copy of the CD and an Italian horn necklace.

I've heard that if you live in Jersey and don't listen to Springsteen, they raise your taxes.

baked beans: Tramps like us, baby we were born to run - Bruce Springsteen is 59 today still an asshole

FTFY

(checks profile)

My lawn, kindly remove yourself from it. Bruce lives in my hometown and I've run into him on a few occasions when I've gone back for visits. Very nice guy, very down-to-earth, and totally doesn't act like a rock star. I'm not a super-huge fan of his music but he's a good songwriter and puts on a great live show. If you want an asshole rock star from New Jersey I suggest you look in Jon Bon Jovi's direction, I think you'll find what you're looking for.

Wow, he is 59? That is farking amazing!

Saw him earlier this year in his stadium tour and not only does he look amazing (from a distance granted) but he was also throwing himself around the stage with seemingly boundless energy. Sliding across the stage on his knees, and doing all kinds of rock star moves. He must have very strong bones or a very high pain threshold.......

The only good Springsteen album is "Tunnel of Love" because it's the first without the E Street Band who were terrible considering the lofty height they reached and the first album without a song that mentions some combination of a car, a street, a big block Chevy, a pregnant girlfriend or a need to "get outta this town."

Bruce sucks.
And I live in South Jersey. Every bad stereotype of New Joisey (nobody actually says that) is because of North Jersey. The South will rise again...or something...

Mega_Doof: The only good Springsteen album is "Tunnel of Love"

I don't know about only, but it's hugely underrated and "All That Heaven Will Allow" should have been a monster hit.

Tramps like us, baby we were born to run he still sucks - Bruce Springsteen is 59 today

FTFY

VimFuego: Bruce sucks.
And I live in South Jersey. Every bad stereotype of New Joisey (nobody actually says that) is because of North Jersey. The South will rise again...or something...

I have to agree, being a NNJ resident for all of my 21 years, Bruce isn't as loved in NJ as most people would think. If anything Bon Jovi (ugh) is the more popular "hometown hero".

Personally I don't really care for either, though I dont have as much of a burning hatred for Bruce as I do for Bon Jovi.

/wishes he would "runaway"

You Bruce haters can have your fun, but I will point out that

- Bruce is a guy who still works hard to give his fans their money's worth.
- He's artistically and socially principled.
- He's a good guy. I challenge you to find one story of him being an asshole to a fan, waitress, journalist, or any other being, after 30+ years in the spotlight. You'll find plenty of stories of him being great, as Miss Rumson above notes.
- He supports other musicians, young and old, by going to their shows, helping them out, offering advice
- He does more for charities than any other musician I can think of
- Last but not least; love it or hate it, a Springsteen show is a singular event

You don't have to like Bruce's music. Not all of it is great -- like all artists some is just mediocre. And personally I hate max Weinberg's drumming (you don't have to hit them all, Max). And even I will admit his fans can be the most insufferable jagoffs in the universe.

But as giant performers go, it'd be hard for someone to try do it better than Bruce Springsteen.

Wow---lots of hate here. Guess I should expect that from Fark where the majority seem to worship at the altar of Rush. Now THERE'S a crappy band.

Happy Birthday Bruce

The thing that I've always admired about Bruce is how much charity stuff he does without publicity. I remember reading about he spent a month or so working at a food bank in NJ. Bruce would quietly go about his job, I think he was directing trucks and load and unloading them. If someone came up to him he would acknowledge that was indeed Bruce. But until he left there was no press release about it. Compare that to Bono who can't pick up a piece of litter without holding a press conference and writing a song about it.

baked beans: Tramps like us, baby we were born to run - Bruce Springsteen is 59 today still an asshole

FTFY

WINNAR!

jj325: Wow---lots of hate here. Guess I should expect that from Fark where the majority seem to worship at the altar of Rush. Now THERE'S a crappy band.

Happy Birthday Bruce

If you come to Fark expecting musical knowledge, you're bound to be disappointed. If Fark was any indication, Metallica would never have sold enough albums past AJFA to be profitable, if they even got to AJFA during the financial backlash the Heavy Metal world experienced when Iron Maiden sales caused riots due to a lack of supply.

jj325: Wow---lots of hate here. Guess I should expect that from Fark where the majority seem to worship at the altar of Rush. Now THERE'S a crappy band.

Happy Birthday Bruce

C'Mon now...If you like Neil Peart you gotta like Max Weinberg.
Link (new window)

This is the only song of his I can stomach.

Goonie_Goo_Goo: I've heard that if you live in Jersey and don't listen to Springsteen, they raise your taxes

They will give you partial credit if you know the words to Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer.

Mega_Doof: The only good Springsteen album is "Tunnel of Love" because it's the first without the E Street Band

the fail is strong with this one
/ESB is on ToL
//Nebraska is the one without the band
///Human Touch/Lucky town are the ones with "other" musicians

Freedom-Endured: If anything Bon Jovi (ugh) is the more popular "hometown hero".

then why did Bruce sell out Giants Stadium for multiple shows and Bonjovi couldn't even sell out The Rock?

Anything pre-Born in the USA is excellent. After that, meh.

/Jungleland top 5 greatest songs evar

What I want to know is when The Boss will issue remastered CDs of his early albums (excluding Born to Run).

Anyone wanna hear a cover of "streets of Philadelphia"?

Link (new window)

\love CTFPA
\\saw him play this just last Sunday in Tilburg
\\\never enjoyed a Springsteen song so much!!

I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by The Dynamite Monkey.

I would also add that Springsteen is one of the finest songwriters to ever put pen to paper. His lyrics (Blinded By The Light notwithstanding) are mostly brilliant.

I need some help.

There is a song that sounds sorta like "Born to Run" but in it are lines about
1. the singer getting a record contract
and
2. a screen door slamming.

What is the song and who sings it? I can't find it and it has been driving me crazy for years (24+ to be semi-exact).

Tramps like us, and we like tramps.

Basically I like a lot of Nebraska and "I'm On Fire." "Highway Patrolman" is a pretty amazing song. So I think my problem with Bruce is more the production than the songwriting.

19Cranes: So I think my problem with Bruce is more the production than the songwriting.

How do you feel about Phil Spector?

Marisyana -- you grew up in CN? That's round the bend, adjacent town. And I totally agree with you!

I also met both Bruce and Jon and can say that Bruce is exactly how Marisyana describes him -- and so is Jon. She's spot on.

My 60 something year old mother (from Neptune, NJ) is a huge Bruce fan. She loves everything about the guy, has thousands of records of his stuff, spends her days online chatting with other Bruce fanatics planning Bruce-related trips to Bruce-related places and generally lives a Bruce-centric life.

Therefore, I don't like Bruce.

OrangeDuster: has thousands of records recordings of his stuff

There we go, makes more sense now.

Greatest songwriter ever except for Dylan, and greatest live performer ever.

Happy Birthday, Bruce.

ClintBartonWannabe: I need some help.
There is a song that sounds sorta like "Born to Run" but in it are lines about

Thunder Road, 1st track on Born to Run

GibbyTheMole: His lyrics (Blinded By The Light notwithstanding) are mostly brilliant.

do you mean the Bruce version or the horrible hack job by Manfred Mann?

Clint Barton Wannabe
I need some help.

There is a song that sounds sorta like "Born to Run" but in it are lines about
1. the singer getting a record contract
and
2. a screen door slamming.

What is the song and who sings it? I can't find it and it has been driving me crazy for years (24+ to be semi-exact).


well that could be two songs...
1. "10th Avenue Freeze Out" [rec. contract?]
2. "Thunder Road" ['screen door slams, mary's dress waves']

NYRBill: Thunder Road, 1st track on Born to Run

Guys maybe I am wrong but I read the original post as a sarcastic troll

All well and good, but he's never been in charge of the sheep dip.

you know what's funny? when i bought "born to run" i thought it was great [esp. "born to run", "thunder Road", "Backstreets" and "Jungleland"] [except for "meeting across the river"]
then I got his Hammersmith Live album from 1975, and it's freakin fantastic so full of energy and heart and soul...
and now when I listen to the orig. Born to Run album, my fav. songs pale by comparison to the live album versions... I mean, they're the same songs all right, but the studio ones now seem polished and a little bit limp and bland.

although, oddly, not "born to run" track itself... I still think the orig. studio album version is better than that 75 live version...

I grew up being inundated with Springsteen music in sub suburban NE Philly. I absolutely hated his popularity then and his annoying ability to over-dramatically portray what I saw around me as utterly useless and boring. Now at 43, married with two young kids and living hundreds of miles away, I get it. Still not my first choice of music to play, but the man can write a song and tell a story.

Third_Uncle_Eno: you know what's funny? when i bought "born to run" i thought it was great [esp. "born to run", "thunder Road", "Backstreets" and "Jungleland"] [except for "meeting across the river"]
then I got his Hammersmith Live album from 1975, and it's freakin fantastic so full of energy and heart and soul...

Please tell me you have the DVD of this concert (from the BTR remaster set). The video production values are a tad rough, of course, but what an amazing performance! And a 5.1 surround mix!

unfarkingbelievable: Marisyana -- you grew up in CN? That's round the bend, adjacent town. And I totally agree with you!

I also met both Bruce and Jon and can say that Bruce is exactly how Marisyana describes him -- and so is Jon. She's spot on.

Yep, born and bred--my family moved there in the early sixties so we were able to buy a house for cheap when it was still a little farm town. It was a great place to grow up even after it started getting overrun by the nouveau riches in the seventies. Bruce recorded Nebraska about a mile away from my house--I remember he used to drive around in an old Chevy pickup and we used to see him in the General Store all the time buying subs.

Mr_Fabulous

Please tell me you have the DVD of this concert (from the BTR remaster set). The video production values are a tad rough, of course, but what an amazing performance! And a 5.1 surround mix!

Nope... i just have the double cd version. [bought it at HMV]
I did see a few clips of the concert/dvd on youtube tho... great stuff!!
it's like half the band members came immediately from a pimp-costume convention right to the concert that night LOL

p.s. do they just sell the dvd in the box set? or can it be gotten seperately?

probably my fav. tracks are "Lost in the Flood" [best. version. EVAR!], "Thunder Road" [like the bare-sparce arrangement], "10th Avenue Freeze out" [rocks 10x as hard as studio], "She's the One" [much better than orig. version], "E street shuffle", "hard to be a saint", "Kitty's Back", "Rosalita".

Ushered in the second generation of rock.

So he has that going against him.

Grew up in North Jersey and have always liked Bruce. Fond memories of being down the shore in my later teen years, walking the blocks, and hearing Bruce blaring off almost every front porch. Being invited up, given keg beer, and singing along a little.

For the last 5 years or so, my mom (in her 60s) has been going to see his shows with her girlfriends. And it is through these concerts she finally "got" what me and my brothers and friends have loved so much about good live music - the addictive, transcendental, intangible aspects that keep you coming back. Try as we might, but we could never get her to understand why we'd take a week at a time or a summer or dedicate virtually a whole New Years week to traveling to see a band play.

But after her most recent Springsteen show this summer, she was glowing. "Its like a revival. I know the shows you go to are a little different, but I get it. I can't wait til the next one."

So thanks, Boss, and Happy Birthday.

/and fark you all in advance for the inevitable barrage of mom jokes... ; )

Third_Uncle_Eno: Clint Barton Wannabe
I need some help.

There is a song that sounds sorta like "Born to Run" but in it are lines about
1. the singer getting a record contract
and
2. a screen door slamming.

What is the song and who sings it? I can't find it and it has been driving me crazy for years (24+ to be semi-exact).


well that could be two songs...
1. "10th Avenue Freeze Out" [rec. contract?]
2. "Thunder Road" ['screen door slams, mary's dress waves']

Possibly "Rosalita"?

"Tell him this is last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Because a record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance "

Hebalo: Third_Uncle_Eno: Clint Barton Wannabe
I need some help.

There is a song that sounds sorta like "Born to Run" but in it are lines about
1. the singer getting a record contract
and
2. a screen door slamming.

What is the song and who sings it? I can't find it and it has been driving me crazy for years (24+ to be semi-exact).


well that could be two songs...
1. "10th Avenue Freeze Out" [rec. contract?]
2. "Thunder Road" ['screen door slams, mary's dress waves']

Possibly "Rosalita"?

"Tell him this is last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance
Because a record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance "

THAT'S THE ONE. Thank you, I can now die a happy man.

A lot of early Bruce has the same basic sound (is it in the key of A?) so my pedistrian ears get confused.

Springsteen is the probably one the most under-rated songwriters ever.

Listen to the CD The Ghost of Tom Joad, particularly Ghost of Tom Joad, Youngstown or Straight Time and you'll see what I mean.

He has never really written an album that doesn't have a couple of jems on it. Even Human Touch and Lucky Town have their merits.

It's strange being a Springsteen fan sometimes. It seems around here the only other big Springsteen fans are music geeks and guys who went to college in the 70's and drank enough so that they don't remember if they graduated or not.

None the less BROOOOOOOOOOOCE! Happy birthday!

Happy birthday Bruce!

I've seen him (with and without the band) 11 times from 1985 to 2008 (Jul 31 at Giants Stadium was the most recent). Unmatched as a live performer, and songs that have meant so much to me through the years.

The band's getting old, and Danny passed away, but I hope they have one more big tour before they call it quits.

Magic was a testament to the guy still cranking out fantastic songs.

skippytheferret: Springsteen is the probably one the most under-rated songwriters ever.

Listen to the CD The Ghost of Tom Joad, particularly Ghost of Tom Joad, Youngstown or Straight Time and you'll see what I mean.

He has never really written an album that doesn't have a couple of jems on it. Even Human Touch and Lucky Town have their merits.

It's strange being a Springsteen fan sometimes. It seems around here the only other big Springsteen fans are music geeks and guys who went to college in the 70's and drank enough so that they don't remember if they graduated or not.

None the less BROOOOOOOOOOOCE! Happy birthday!

I don't think you need to go that far into Springsteen's work to prove he's a magnificent songwriter.

Thunder Road is start and end.

/went to college in the early 90's, didn't drink that much.