10 Days -- 10 great live performances Bruce Springsteen
1975-1985
The really great musical personalities earn their own nicknames--Elvis is THE KING; Sinatra is THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD; Mel Torme, THE VELVET FOG; Aretha Franklin, THE QUEEN OF SOUL; Charlie Parker, THE BIRDMAN, The Beatles, THE FAB FOUR,
and Springsteen has become so popular and well-known that he earned the epithet, THE BOSS.
Going back to his first performances, one can see the reason for his meteoric rise--his gritty, expressive vocals, his uncomplicated but evocative guitar work, and his heartbreaking lyrics . . . probably nobody since Dylan and Woody Guthrie can tell the poignant story of the greatness of America and its American Dream that is denied to so many like THE BOSS does.
From "The River"
I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet, down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
That sends me down to the river
Though I know the river is dry
That sends me down to the river tonight
Down to the river
My baby and I
Oh, down to the river we ride-ide