Back around 1980 a student friend Gary Biester dropped by my house to present me with a gift of the Bruce Springsteen album “The River.” I had not heard of “The Boss” so I was interested to explore whatever it was that Gary thought was so special about him and his music. I very soon became a devoted fan of Bruce and his unique musical style. As it turned out, the lead song on the “The River” album soon became my favorite of Bruce’s vast and diverse repertoire.
Living in the Philadelphia area I soon realized that I was surrounded by a very large number of devoted fans, including many of my students. The raw power of both Bruce’s sound, together with his insights into the frustrations of the working-class experience in contemporary America, made it clear that he was a genuine phenomenon that was here to stay. His own personal story gives clear testimony to the authenticity of his vision and music. Forty-five years later Bruce’s music is still an enormous cultural force in our society.
The details of his early struggle to learn how to play and sing, of how he had to overcome his father’s disdain for his dreams and talent, and his evolvement into voice for strong ethical and political values, have all contributed to the current “Boss’s” popularity and influence. Springsteen’s songs, such as “Born to Run”, “The River”, “Born in the USA”, and “Independence Day”, have all found their way into the minds and hearts of at least two, if not three American generations, and there seems to be no end in sight to his popularity.
The media have long been full of details about Springsteen’s youth and adult life, and I will not try to rehearse such things here. What I can do is share what his songs have come to mean to me as a long-time adult enthusiastic fan. His life and lyrics resonate with my own adolescent struggles with trying to find out who I was and what I should become. A confusing family life, a seeming lack of any special talent, struggles with school and teenage romance, and finally the challenges of a complex adult are as universal as they are unique for everyone.
In particular, Bruce’s feelings and insights concerning teenage romance strike me as ever so authentic and poignant. Teenage love is all so important and real, yet so universal and mostly transitory. The feelings of a need to “escape”, to “run” from it all sometimes crowd out whatever else is on one’s radar. And then, in addition to school, which hardly gets first billing in a teenager’s consciousness, there is work. Bruce often sings about “putting; down the asphalt” and not being able to land or keep a job. No wonder kids sometime feel as though they were “born to run”. Going “down to the river” provides some temporary relief.
The other night Mari and I watched a film titled “Blinded by The Light” which tells the story of a young Pakistani boy living in England who in the midst of his teenage struggles with school, other kids, and his own traditionalist father discovers Bruce’s his music and follows it in fulfilling his own dream to be a writer. It’s a fun if painful story, but the boy becomes a young man as he discovers himself and his calling. He tries hard to follow in Springsteen’s footsteps and discovers himself in the process. Frequently Bruce’s lyrics literally help him with his own life struggles. It’s an interesting and fun flick, full of “The Boss’s” music and British pop-culture.
As a matter of fact, it is revealed after the film is over that the boy the story is about actually got to know Springsteen and collaborated with him in the making of this very film. Quite an interesting and unique story. We found it as delightful as it was informative. And, of course, the highpoint of the film is Mr. Springsteen’s music which underscores the plot. I recommend the film to all and any of “The Boss’s” fans. It’s not actually about him, and yet it really is!