Bruce Springsteen’s presence on my list of favorite artists is a relatively recent development. I’ve always appreciated his work, and have held a few of his albums in high esteem, but only in the past year or so have I dived deeper into his catalog and realized the breadth of his talent.
Impressively, Springsteen earned this reassessment by releasing a series of excellent albums over the past seven years. At a time when most artists would be opting for rock-n-roll retirement, he has delivered some of the best work of his career.
But the album that really sold me on his genius is The Wild, The Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle, his frenzied sophomore album that simply explodes with creative energy and musical bravado. He would have much bigger hits (Born to Run and Born in the USA, most notably) but no better ones.
Springsteen is a card-carrying member of my ‘Folk Rock Derivative’ category. He has swung far to both sides of the equation, releasing acoustic folk albums throughout his career as well as arena-filling rock anthems. His most obvious influence in Bob Dylan, though he has introduced more boogie into his music than Dylan ever has.
Forcin’ a light into all those stony faces left stranded on this warm July
Down in the town, the Circuit’s full of switchblade lovers, so fast, so shiny, so sharp
As the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers on the shore
Chasin’ all them silly New York virgins by the score
And Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight, for I may never see you again
Hey, Sandy girl
My, my, baby
Now, the greasers, ah, they tramp the streets or get busted for sleeping on the beach all night
Them boys in their high heels, ah, Sandy, their skins are so white
And me, I just got tired of hangin’ in them dusty arcades, bangin’ them pleasure machines
Chasin’ the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they all promise to unsnap their jeans
And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And they kept me spinning, babe, didn’t think I’d ever get off
Oh, Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life on the water
Runnin’, laughin’ ‘neath the boardwalk, ah, with the boss’s daughter
I remember, Sandy, girl
Na, na, na, na, na, baby
Sandy, that waitress I was seeing lost her desire for me
I spoke with her last night, she said she won’t set herself on fire for me anymore
She worked that joint under the boardwalk, she was always the girl you saw boppin’ down the beach with the radio
The kids say last night she was dressed like a star in one of them cheap little seaside bars, and I saw her parked with lover boy out on the Kokomo
Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin’ fortunes better than they do
For me this boardwalk life is through, babe
You ought to quit this scene too
Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight and I promise I’ll love you forever
Oh, I mean it, Sandy, girl
My, my, my, my, my baby
Yeah, I promise, Sandy, girl
Sha, la, la, la, la, baby
Meet Me In Montauk 
I seem to recall hearing a far more energized version of this song performed live. It is that version that stuck in my mind.
It is so wonderful to know that Bruce is still on top of his game today, joining the ranks of Simon, Costello, Dylan and Newman.
Now if he could just release one more song this month in support of Obama, maybe he could seal the deal!
Amen!
Yep, The Wild, The Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle, and, of course, Nebraska, forever. I don’t think you’ll hear as much Dylan on the album you describe above as on Springsteen’s first album. Here he is channeling more R&B influences or even older rock then Dylan. Don’t forget, Rosalita is on this one!