Pretending I’m going to Springsteen.

Funny how a melody sounds like a memory,
Like the soundtrack to a July Saturday night
…Springsteen

As I’ve already mentioned this week, I’m kind of insanely jealous of all the peeps who will be at Scotiabank Place to see The Boss tomorrow night.

My love for Bruce Springsteen developed in my late teen years.  I had a friend in college who was a big fan of his, and  it was because of her that I one day stopped and picked up his greatest hits album.  Of course, I was already very familiar with many of his songs, but it wasn’t until then that the real love affair began.

I would love to be there tomorrow night; I’d love to see The Boss just once in concert.  Unfortunately, I missed out on tickets, and thus that is why I’m going to be pretending I’m at the concert tomorrow night, playing my Springsteen albums in my dining room and hoping my friends play along.

So, in honour of the pretend Springsteen concert that I’m going to have in my dining room tomorrow night, I decided to compile a list of my Top 10 Favourite Springsteen songs.

Enjoy!

10. Born to Run – It’s classic  Springsteen.  That’s all that needs to be said.  The sax has never sounded so cool.

9. Atlantic City – This one has grown on me in the last while and slowly become one of my favourite tracks on his greatest hits CD.

8. My Hometown – It fills me with an odd sense of nostalgia every time I hear it.  It makes me think of my own hometown, and the line, “Now main streets whitewashed windows and vacant stores /Seems like there aint nobody wants to come down here no more” really paints a picture of our main street…

7. Brilliant Disguise – I remember after buying that very first album, this one jumped out at me as being “my favourite”.  Now, over 10 years later, I’ve come to love others more.  But this still sits in my top 10.

6. The Rising – In the wake of 9/11, a rash of artists produced songs to commemorate that horrific day.  Springsteen’s stands out to me as one of the more sincere, poignant, and true tribute songs; a gritty dedication to the men and women who worked so hard that day, and in the weeks that followed, to save lives, while putting their own at risk at such an uncertain time.

5. Dancing in the Dark – As a child of the ‘80’s, how could I not love this one?  It is an anthem of my youth.

4. I’m on Fire – Soft.  Haunting.  Beautiful.  ‘Nuff said.

3. Better Days – Hopeful and uplifting, it’s one that I love to belt out in my kitchen while I’m cooking supper.  Another that has grown on me, even more so in recent weeks.

2. The River – It’s one of those “storytelling” songs that The Boss does so well; paints such a sad and wistful picture in my mind.  I adore this song.

1. Glory Days – Gotta go with this one in my top spot.  It has been my favourite Springsteen song for as long as I can remember.  As I get older, it gets more meaningful…and yet still remains playful and makes me want to dance!

For those of you going through this list and thinking, “Hey…she forgot Born in USA!  Thunder Road!  Streets of Philadelphia!  Badlands!”…  Have you ever tried to make a list of your Top 10 favourite Springsteen songs?? 

It ain’t easy, brother.

A true testament to the man.