COFFEE & BISCUITS

Well, I have heard of Bruce Springsteen many times, but never have I really listened to his music. And then I fanatically watched the “We are the World” clip (which I posted earlier), and the one voice that really stood up for me is Bruce Springsteen’s. You can call it howling, but I call it soul — he had it when he rocked out that phrase “we are the world” with his closed and slanted eyes. This kind of singer is quite particular to the rock music genre….I have always had the idea that the most powerful singers are rockers.

Another random thought is this: very good singers sometimes don’t demonstrate their power in their own songs…but when called to participate in other singer’s song, playing minor role, such as backup, harmonizing voice, or co-singer, they shine — very, very brightly. Some of the great singers whom I have discovered through this collaborations (and not from their own music) are: Reba (from duet with Natalie Cole), Nelly Furtado (in Michael Buble’s Quando Quando Quando), Julio Iglesia (in duet with Frank Sinatra), and now with Bruce.

Anyway, I post his song “BORN TO RUN” here. Each time I re-listen to it, my liking for it increases. The tone of this song undulates between that of the the voice of a man pleading softly, and then calling forth urgently. In particular, the way Springsteen delivers the following line with the mix of pleading, seductive desperation really touch me:

“Together wendy well live with the sadness, Ill love you with all the madness in my soul”

This is NOT a boring song. Within it there is variety. That is probably why I think it truly deserves its title as the 14th greatest guitar song in music history (as voted by Rolling Stones)

In the day we sweat it out in the streets of a runaway american dream
At night we ride through mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway 9,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected and steppin out over the line
Baby this town rips the bones from your back
Its a death trap, its a suicide rap
We gotta get out while were young
`cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run

Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend
I want to guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs round these velvet rims
And strap your hands across my engines
Together we could break this trap
Well run till we drop, baby well never go back
Will you walk with me out on the wire
`cause baby Im just a scared and lonely rider
But I gotta find out how it feels
I want to know if love is wild, girl I want to know if love is real

Beyond the palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard
The amusement park rises bold and stark
Kids are huddled on the beach in a mist
I wanna die with you wendy on the streets tonight
In an everlasting kiss

The highways jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive
Everybodys out on the run tonight but theres no place left to hide
Together wendy well live with the sadness
Ill love you with all the madness in my soul
Someday girl I dont know when were gonna get to that place
Where we really want to go and well walk in the sun
But till then tramps like us baby we were born to run