Happy 40th Anniversary, "Born To Run"

Albums come and go, but some stick around forever. Forty years is a long time for a career in any field, let alone music. Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run is forty years old today, and the Boss is still out rockin' and rolling with the E Street Band! This anniversary made me think a lot about my own musical journey and how it came to be.

My first memories of Born To Run originate from car rides with my father. My dad is a New Jersey native, and a huge fan of Bruce. (Both of my parents schooled me early with their favorite artists, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, the Beatles, and so on.) I can remember my dad pushing the cassette tape into the car stereo and hearing the beginning of "Thunder Road." To this day, "Thunder Road" is one of my favorite songs from Bruce's catalog.

Eventually, my dad felt that I had been taught enough from Born To Run, and graduated me to Bruce's under-appreciated Tunnel of Love. Without the iconic album that is Born To Run, I wouldn't have experienced Tunnel of Love. The story is much the same with many other artists. Without these commercially successful, life-changing albums, we may not have much of the music we drool over today.

I look at music as the soundtracks to our most distinctive memories. I know that through guidance of my father, playing Bruce Springsteen tapes, and my mother, teaching me to listen to Billy Joel with reverence, I have a deep appreciation for music and what it does to the soul.

As a humble salute to the Boss, I give you the greatest cover of "Born To Run" that I was fortunate enough to experience live. Throwback to March of 2011 with Ocean Grove and the Prigs, and all four thousand band members on stage (I might be off by a few members).

I had the pleasure of seeing Clarence Clemons perform the National Anthem at a Jets' game in 2010, and then saw Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 2012. Though I saw Bruce without the Big Man, I could connect the two performances in my mind and imagine the magic of the duo that had been. Both musical powerhouses were as electrifying and mind-blowing as you'd expect.

Artists like Bruce and the E Street Band are something to genuinely appreciate. They represent more than just the music you listen to. They provide living proof of what it's like to go after your dreams. 

Albums like these don't just happen or come around often. They are labors of love and outpourings of souls. Take the time to listen to Born To Run, and really feel it. Feel everything that this album of eight songs is trying to give you. I promise you that you will not regret it.

In short, thanks for the music, Bruce and company.