Part of the territory with having kids is that they ask you questions. When they’re young, you get easy ones like “Why is the sky blue?” and “Where do babies come from?”. Then they get into their 20s and ask you a really tough one like my daughter asked me today: “Dad, what’s your favorite Bruce Springsteen song?”.
Bruce is in my Top 2 when it comes to musical acts (RUSH is the other). I’ve seen him play on big stages (Giants Stadium), smaller venues (Madison Square Garden), and smaller venues (The Tower Theater), and even smaller ones (rehearsing with The E Street Band at the Asbury Park Convention Center just before they kicked off The Rising tour). So her question should’ve been a simple one to answer. If, that is, I didn’t have so many favorite Bruce songs…and reasons why each was worthy.
As I wrote down my list of faves, I started seeing patterns:
Inspirational
The Rising
Land of Hope & Dreams
The Promised Land
Downbound Train
Burnin’ Train
Better Days
Fun
Thundercrack
Girls in Their Summer Clothes
Redheaded Woman
Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
Darlington County
Leap of Faith
Mary’s Place
She’s the One
Just Like Fire Would
Local Hero
Love
Brilliant Disguise
Frankie Fell in Love
Jersey Girl
Tougher Than the Rest
Tunnel of Love
Dream Baby Dream
Deep
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Lost in the Flood
Incident on 57th Street
Jungleland
The Wrestler
Thunder Road
Devils and Dust
Getting Old
Glory Days
Growing’ Up
Ghosts
Last Man Standing
My Hometown
Bruce has written and recorded hundreds songs over the past 60 years.
How do you choose just one favorite from someone whose music spans decades, each song carrying its own story and meaning for him and his fans? It’s an impossible ask. Is it “Downbound Train,” the first song I saw Bruce and the E Street Band play live? “Incident on 57th Street” for its sweeping, operatic story? Or “The Rising,” forever etched in my memory after hearing it for the first time on WPLJ, stuck in traffic crossing the Hudson River, with the post-9/11 smoke still visible downtown?
Maybe it’s “My Hometown,” sparking memories of sitting on my own father’s lap, my small hands gripping the steering wheel. Or “Redheaded Woman,” with its playful, double entendre lyrics. “Frankie Fell in Love” for its energy and catchy riffs. Or, as the years pass, “Ghosts” for its poignant reminder of mortality.
That’s the magic of Bruce Springsteen’s music: it covers so many parts of what makes life worth living. It inspires us to hope. It challenges us to think of others. It reminds of our own journeys of love and loss. It has fun. And, well, it rocks.
So, my answer to my daughter? “It depends on the day, kiddo.” Because, with Bruce, the best song is always the one that finds you right when you need it most.
Mike Maney 