I discovered Springsteen relatively late.  Sure, his work was always part of the background of my world–which, when you consider that I’ve spent a fair part of my life in New Jersey, shouldn’t be a surprise.

The lyrics to this song were always the most outstanding part of it for me.  They could very easily have gone too far, and crossed the line into silliness.    But it’s Bruce’s delivery of the vocals that makes them come to life.   His performance made me feel this story, not just hear it.

The images that this song can conjure up are just amazing.  In relatively few words, this song can create astonishingly complete pictures.  Once that gets paired up with the emotion that he puts into the vocal performance, the whole thing just feels like it comes to life.

The harmonica in the intro does a good job of setting up the tone of the song, but from there on out, the rest of the music just provides a background to underscore the rest of the lyrics.  For me at least, the rest of the music almost fades out–but it does underscore all of the emotion that gets expressed int the lyrics.

That one thing–the way that he made this particular song live and breathe for me–was what made me realize that he really does deserve all of the praise that he gets.  The man really is just that good.

Related posts:

1. Random Song: When The Levee Breaks
2. Random Song: Born to Run
3. Random Song: Heaven Is

Being a Jonny girl, I have to say Jon, out of pure loyalty.  That, and Jon’s proven that while he’s a very good person, he’s also tough enough to do what’s necessary, should he ever achieve political office.

I’d also love to see the slogans during that campaign.   The pun possibilities would be EPIC.

(Yes, I know that in the real world, Jon and Bruce would likely be on the same side, and therefore we’d never get to see this particular political scenario.)

Related posts:

1. Bruce at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert
2. Random Song: Badlands
3. Jon at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Awhile ago, I had listed this song as one of my top 10 ‘bad day’ songs.  There’s something about it that I find singularly uplifting–especially the bridge leading into that last chorus.

I didn’t really develop an interest in Bruce until relatively recently.  It wasn’t like I didn’t know the basics of his stuff–living this close to New Jersey, that was kind of unavoidable.  But I didn’t have any of his music until one day when I found a Greatest Hits collection on sale.

This was one of the first Springsteen songs that I really liked.  It was certainly the first one to start racking up a serious play count, and it very quickly climbed into the list of the songs that I listen to most.

The lyrics themselves could be interpreted in a rather depressing way, but the music lifts it up into something amazing.   I think a lot of the amazing feeling of this song comes from the use of the piano in combination with the guitars.  That, and the way the chorus just soars.

A lot of what drew me into rock and roll is the emotional power of the songs.  And that’s something that this song delivers.

Related posts:

1. Random Song: Bed of Nails
2. Random Song: Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
3. Random Song: Panama

This time, we’re looking at my top 10 songs from bands other than Bon Jovi.  To qualify for this list, Bon Jovi must be in no way involved with the song.  They cannot be credited writers or performers–even if the song is actually performed by another artist.

1. Poison
   Artist: Alice Cooper
   Album: Trash
   This has long been sitting uncontested at the top of my most-played list–the margin between it and the next closest song is huge.
2. Rainbow in the Dark
   Artist: Dio
   Album: Holy Diver
   This was one of the songs that really introduced me to metal, and I still love it.  Evidently, I love it a lot.
3. Los Angeloser
   Artist: Meat Loaf
   Album: Hang Cool Teddy Bear
   Compared to some of the other songs on this list, I haven’t had this one all that long.  It’s risen up the list fast.  I think that’s because it sounds so different.  (I’ve also done a Random Song post on this one, go check it out!)
4. Cum on Feel the Noize
   Artist: Quiet Riot
   I kind of went through a phase with this one–I listened to it a lot for awhile, and then I kind of stopped listening to it, so it dropped down the list a lot.
5. Sweet Child O’ Mine
   Artist: Guns N’ Roses
   Album: Appetite for Destruction
   This particular song has been sort of slowly creeping up the list, since it’s always a favorite.  I never get tired of it.
6. God Gave Rock and Roll to You II
   Artist: KISS
   Album: Alive III
   This was another Random Song pick that I did some time ago, but I also love this song.  This is one that I know that I seek out and play a lot.
7. Refugee
   Artist: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
   Album:  Damn the Torpedoes
   Another song that I know that I seek out and play a lot.  This one really just is a favorite of mine.
8. Badlands
   Artist: Bruce Springsteen
   Album: Darkness on the Edge of Town
   This has been another slow climber.  It’s such a great piece of rock and roll that I play it all the time.
9. Paint It Black
   Artist: Rolling Stones
   Album: Flashpoint
   So far, the only live song on the list.  But this is classic Stones, and the live recording here just makes the song.
10. Bringin’ On The Heartbreak
    Artist: Def Leppard
    Album: High ‘n’ Dry
    Seriously, this one was a surprise.  Out of all of the Def Leppard songs that I have, I’m surprised that this one’s been played the most.

Related posts:

1. My Current Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs (January 2011)
2. Five More Songs Bon Jovi Can Cut
3. Five songs Bon Jovi can cut to make room for the rarities

So, I present the top 10 songs that I turn to when I’ve had that truly rotten day…

1. One Light Burning
   Artist: Richie Sambora
   Album: Stranger in this Town
   The lyrics in this particular song are so powerful–this one is more than just a bad day song, this is pure inspiration that could keep me going through just about anything.
2. Badlands
   Artist: Bruce Springsteen
   Album: Darkness on the Edge of Town
   There’s just something about this song–particularly the bridge before the last chorus–that for whatever reason can really lift me right out of whatever’s going on in my life.
3. Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through
   Artist: Meat Loaf
   Album: Bat Out of Hell II
   It might be a little bit over the top, but that’s what makes this one so great for a bad day.  It can snap me right out of just about any funk.
4. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
   Artist: Bon Jovi
   Album: Keep the Faith
   It might not always be my favorite song to hear live, but I love this song for pretty much snapping me straight back to a Bon Jovi concert the instant I hear it.
5. Paint it Black
   Artist: The Rolling Stones
   Album: Aftermath
   This is one song where not only to the lyrics suit a bad mood, but the groove of this song is perfect for snapping me out of it.
6. Ride the Wind
   Artist: Poison
   Album: Flesh & Blood
   Another song where all that really matters is the way that the lyrics can lift me up in a heartbeat.
7. Elvis in Vegas
   Artist: Meat Loaf
   Album: Hang Cool Teddy Bear
   This song is six minutes of pure escape from anything.  There’s something about the way the chorus just soars on this one that just lets me get away from anything.
8. Highway to Hell
   Artist: AC/DC
   Album: Highway to Hell
   In addition to a title and chorus tailor made for those really rotten days, the lyrics are pure classic hard rock, my favorite form of music in the world.
9. Something for the Pain
   Artist: Bon Jovi
   Album: These Days
   Something for the pain, indeed.
10. Rock of Ages
    Artist: Def Leppard
    Album: Pyromania
    It might not be complicated, but this is one song that never fails to brighten up my day.

Related posts:

1. My Top 10 Non-Bon Jovi Songs
2. The ten songs that made me like music
3. Five Songs I’d Like to Hear Live in 2011

Ah, yes.  The quintessential Springsteen song.  I had to get to this sooner or later, didn’t I?  Actually, I didn’t encounter Bruce’s work until relatively recently.  His music wasn’t part of my parents’ collection, so this was something that I discovered more or less on my own.

‘Born to Run’ is a song that was always part of my world.  It was so ingrained into my consciousness that I didn’t even realize how well I knew it until after I had bought the CD and realized that this was a song that I’d heard a million times and already knew, just from a sort of natural cultural osmosis.

This wasn’t a song that had any particular memories attached to it–it’s not like ‘The Waiting’ where I remember a specific moment in time every time that I hear it.  This is a song that just feels like an old friend, somehow.  (Come to think of it, it’s kind of messed up that it’s the Tom Petty song that I associate with the Jersey Shore, isn’t it?)

There are songs that are made for car radios, and this song is one of them.  There’s just something about this song that was made for driving.  Yes, the lyrics are part of it (a big part of it), but the way that those lyrics come together with the music itself really makes that connection with speed.   That drumbeat just makes the whole song feel like it moves.

If the mark of a great song is the ability to make you feel it, then this song definitely has it.

Related posts:

1. Random Song: The River
2. We Weren’t Born to Follow Will Have a Real Solo
3. Reserving Judgment: We Weren’t Born to Follow

This sounds interesting. Usually, I rate this kind of album as a low priority, mostly because in a lot of cases, I haven’t gotten around to getting the original albums and I really think that I should familiarize myself with the originals first. However, I already have a lot of stuff from The Kinks, and I definitely have stuff from most of the artists he’s working with. Plus, The Kinks, and most of the songs that they have recored are just plain awesome. They are one of the few bands to produce songs that can still feel completely fresh and new, even decades later. Every Kinks song that I’ve ever heard could have been written yesterday.

Plus, the list of artists working on this so far includes nothing but artists I like. Both Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen have what it takes to do a good job on a duet of a Kinks song. The Killers do as well–they’re one of the few relatively new bands that I enjoy. And I’m really interested to see what Metallica can bring to this project.

I’ll have to give the samples on Amazon a listen when this comes out. It sounds like one I’d be tempted to buy, which is rare.

Related posts:

1. Time Traveling
2. Random Song: Nothin’ But A Good Time
3. Jazzfest Meta-Commentary at HuffPo

It’s great to see both Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel showing a sense of humor about their respective home bases. Personally I would have loved to see this show, especially with Bruce performing ‘Proud Mary’ with John Fogerty as well.

Related posts:

1. Snubbed Again by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
2. The Company Is Better Outside (at least at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
3. Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction

The choice of The Boss as the last artist to play Giants Stadium is fitting, if predictable. However, the interesting part of this article is that evidently Springsteen will be playing several full albums during these concerts. This seems to be a trend in rock concerts lately; I’ve remarked on it before.

The great thing about artists playing entire albums live is that for the fans at least, it’s a treat. Most fans will attend a lot of concerts by their favorite artists; playing whole albums gives the fans a chance to hear songs that they have heard played live infrequently at best.

Of course, that also is a problem. People attending the concert who are only casual fans, or who are attending with friends, are more likely to feel left out if it’s an album concert. A more standard “greatest hits” type concert will tend to be a better experience for people who aren’t big fans. I think that’s why I don’t really like the concept of album concerts; while they do cater to the fanbase, they don’t grow the fanbase at all.

However, with the iconic status of the albums that Bruce has chosen for these concerts, this should be less of a problem. An album like Born in the U.S.A. works much better for this concept, as the songs are going to be much more familiar to a wide range of people.

Related posts:

1. Should Bon Jovi play all of Slippery When Wet in concert?
2. Why do you go to concerts?
3. Full Album Concerts during The Circle Tour?