Bruce Springsteen – Growin’ Up

But when they said, “Sit down” I stood up

I’ve been thinking of the Kinks marathon we did and the next one will be on this man…Bruce Springsteen. I’ll wait til after the new year to give everyone a rest.

When I heard this song I could relate because I lived parts of this song while growing up. The rebellion and the misadventures of the teen years resonated with me. But when they said, “Sit down” I stood up and sounded like Max in high school. The album leans that way as well and that was probably the reason I connected with Greetings From Ashbury Park right away. This song is one of my many favorites on the album. He captures teen rebellion perfectly with lyrics that ping pong everywhere.

The song was on his debut album Greetings From Ashbury Park, which happens to be my favorite Springsteen album. It was released back in 1973. Springsteen was signed to Columbia Records in 1972, largely thanks to the efforts of legendary talent scout John Hammond, who had previously discovered artists like Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, and Aretha Franklin. Hammond was blown away by Springsteen’s songwriting and performance and decided to sign him. He played his songs that ended up on this debut album.

The album received some great reviews from critics, but it wasn’t an immediate commercial success. However, the album grew in stature over time, especially after other artists began covering its songs. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band covered “Blinded by the Light,” which became a No. 1 hit in 1977, bringing more attention to Springsteen’s early work.

Bruce Springsteen: “I come from a boardwalk town where everything is tinged with just a bit of fraud. So am I. In 1972 I wasn’t any race-car drivin’ rebel, I wasn’t any corner street punk, I was a guitar player on the streets of Asbury Park, but I held four clean aces: I had youth, I had a decade of hardcore bar-band experience, I have a great group of musicians and friends who really knew my playing style, and I have a magic trick. Now, I’m here tonight to provide proof of life to that ever-elusive, never completely believable, particularly these days, us. That’s my magic trick. And like all good magic tricks, it begins with a setup.”

Growing Up

Well, I stood stone-like at midnight
Suspended in my masquerade
And I combed my hair, it was just right
And commanded the night brigade
I was open to pain and crossed by the rain
And I walked on a crooked crutch
I strolled all alone through a fallout zone
And came out with my soul untouched
I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd
But when they said, “Sit down” I stood up
Ooh, growin’ up

The flag of piracy flew from my mast
My sails were set wing to wing
I had a jukebox graduate for a first mate
She couldn’t sail but she sure could sing
And I pushed B-52 and bombed them with the blues
With my gear set stubborn on standing
I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school
Never once gave thought to landing
I hid in the clouded warmth of the crowd
But when they said, “Come down” I threw up
Ooh, growin’ up

Work it back now

I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere
And you know it’s really hard to hold your breath
I swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared
I was the cosmic kid in full costume dress
But my feet they finally took root in the earth
But I got me a nice little place in the stars
And I swear I found the key to the universe
In the engine of an old parked car
I hid in the mother breast of the crowd
When they said, “Pull down” I pulled up
Ooh, growin’ up
Ooh, growin’ up

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

52 thoughts on “Bruce Springsteen – Growin’ Up”

    1. I know this is sacrilegious…but it is my favorite Bruce album with Born To Run and Darkness right on it’s heels. Something just connected me with it.

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      4. Yea I have to say this…after Tunnel Of Love which was released when I was 20…I kinda lost touch…although I did get the albums Human Touch and Lucky Town…but Tunnel of Love is the last one I really loved.

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  3. I just finished watching “Lilyhammer”, starring Steven Van Zandt playing (essentially) his character from “The Sopranos” after going to Norway in the Witness Protection Program. The last episode includes Bruce Springsteen appearing as his brother.

    “Growing Up” has the rambling Asbury Park sound that made people call him “the next Bob Dylan”.

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    1. Wow…I didn’t know he appeared in anything as an actor. He has made a few cameos but thank you.
      Yea and he was one of the very few ones that lived up to it.

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  4. Pingback: Bruce Springsteen – Growin’ Up – MobsterTiger

  5. The Boss! For whatever it’s worth I have a buddy & teammate from way back in the mid/late 70’s that is a year older than I am who took me under his wing as an athlete & taught me about Bruce & who he was & what he stood for. That guy is still in my life (Facebook) & I still have a healthy respect for the ‘Boss’. Nice work Max!

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    1. Oh cool…yea I got into him in the early 80s…he is a master at wordplay…him along with Dylan…
      He is a guy I would like to meet…I don’t say that about many of them.

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  6. Since you mentioned The Kinks marathon, I am wondering if you ever wrote about The Kinks song Full Moon which I will write a post on in a few weeks. A Bruce marathon sounds like it will be a lot of fun. I usually like live versions better than album cuts, but for this song the album has a lot more energy.

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    1. Yes….that is where I’ll go when I do it again. It’s draining so I’ll wait to the new year. Plenty of songs to cover.

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  8. Bruce is actually going across Canada currently. I have never heard this track so I’m going to give it a play.
    Just watched his documentary that just came out and it was quite good

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    1. I like Bruce’s writing a lot…especially these early songs. He still plays this one every once in a while.
      I saw him twice…he is worth seeing.

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  9. Great song. I first heard it on a cassette somebody recorded of some of the songs from the Live 1975-85 set. This song caught my attention immediately. I had really only heard what was played on the radio, but this made me get some of his back catalog. I need to revisit this album, because I kind of skipped over the deeper tracks. Not to jump the gun, but if you’re doing an extensive look at Springsteen in the New Year, could you please include “Fade Away”? It’s my favorite tune of his and I feel that it gets overlooked. Sorry, don’t want to turn this into The Bruce Springsteen Request Show.

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    1. Oh what I do…is to get bloggers to send me their writeups…and if you would want to pick a song to write about…it can be as short or long as you want… if you wanna think about it…please do. I would welcome you or you can read what we put together. No pressure whatsoever…just remember you would be welcomed.
      I love his version of Not Fade Away…our band did that song and we started to do it like he did after we heard it.

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      1. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll leave it to the people that know what they’re doing. I’ve never heard his version of “Not Fade Away”. I was talking about the song from The River that was a single after “Hungry Heart”. I don’t think it did too well on the charts, but I love it.

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      2. Oh he did a version of Not Fade Away live that we did.
        Oh “Fade Away” I LOVE that song. That one and the title song are two of my favorites off of that album. Glad you brought that up…I might post that song!

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  10. As you know I am more into the ‘The Wild the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle’, but I can see how his debut was so appealing including this coming of age song. Have you seen the fan video of him playing ‘Growin’ Up’ with an Australian schoolboy in a Melbourne concert?

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      3. If I were at home, I would post it on the post which I’m gonna do when I get back. It is pretty awesome, especially with someone that young knowing that song.

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  14. I’m starting to understand why you love Springsteen’s first album as much as you do. “Growing Up” is another great song I didn’t know/remember.

    When my Springsteen journey started in 1984 with “Born in the U.S.A.,” I only knew “Blinded By the Light”, “For You” and “Spirit in the Night” because of the renditions by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band, who were very popular in Germany. It was the 1986 “Live 1975–85” box-set that started to make me aware of Springsteen’s pre-“Born in the U.S.A.” albums.

    While as I just checked, that box-set included “Growin’ Up.” I guess it didn’t register at the time. Of course, with classics like “Thunder Road”, “Sandy”, “Hungry Heart”, “Darkness on the Edge of Town”, “The River”, “Born to Run” and “Spirit in the Night”, there was lots of distraction – not to mention the “Born in the U.S.A.” tracks on that box-set!

    I have a finny feeling a “Springsteen Marathon” would be quite revealing for me, similar to your Kinks series.

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    1. I know I over expose it on here…I only have one song off of his second album that I posted about….but I just connect with it.
      Well if you will do it…you KNOW you are invited to it!
      This album is overlooked so it’s right up my alley. Growin’ Up, Blinded By The Light, Spirit in the Night, It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City, and one of my favorites…Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?…and the one you mentioned…For You
      I loved that live box set.

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  15. I have never seen that live clip, awesome. I was just talking with an old friend about Bruce who was in Toronto recently. She told me it’s her 55th time seeing him. Now that’s a serious Bruce addiction!

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  16. A great song – made even better by the stories that Bruce would tell in the middle of live versions. Can’t wait to be part of the Bruce Marathon. Since I have already wrote about my fave song of all time “Born to Run,” I’m at alost right now about to pick.

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