Greetings from Asbury Park – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

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

…

Bruce Springsteen – It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City

I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun, then dance just like a Casanova

What an opening that is…nothing like early Springsteen. The line I could walk like Brando right into the sun makes me get a chill every time. This song was on his debut album and still one of my favorite Springsteen albums, Greetings From Ashbury Park. This was the first song Springsteen played for John Hammond (who signed Bob Dylan and Springsteen) at his audition for Columbia Records in 1972. What was to be a short meeting turned into a 2-hour audition and earned him a record deal and this album was made.

I think of this as a street song…very organic and the words just flow perfectly. Springsteen and Dylan had wordy songs out of the gate for both artists. They both stopped with these kinds of songs a few years into their career. Personally, I love these early wordy songs that take you on a journey with vivid descriptions with a minimum amount of music…as they let the lyrics drive.

The imagery flows like water with Greetings From Ashbury Park, Bruce’s debut album in 1973… It’s not very polished but that adds to it. The songs have a stream-of-consciousness feel to them. It was critically praised but did not have huge sales. The album only peaked at #60 in the Billboard Album Charts.

The song has been covered by various artists, including David Bowie, who recorded a version during the sessions for his Young Americans album but wasn’t released at that time. It can be found on his 1989 rarities box set Sound + Vision.

I always felt this song what have fit in the movie Mean Streets.

It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City

I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra
I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova
I could walk like Brando right into the sun, then dance just like a Casanova
With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet
Silver star studs on my duds, just like a Harley in heat
When I strut down the street, I could feel its heart beat
The sisters fell back and said, “Don’t that man look pretty”
The cripple on the corner cried out, “Nickels for your pity”
Then gasoline boys downtown sure talk gritty
It’s so hard to be a saint in the city

I was the king of the alley, Mama, I could talk some trash
I was the prince of the paupers, crowned downtown at the beggar’s bash
I was the pimp’s main prophet, I kept everything cool
Just a backstreet gambler with the luck to lose
And when the heat came down it was left on the ground
The devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street
Showin’ me a hand I knew even the cops couldn’t beat
I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat
It’s so hard to be a saint when you’re just a boy out on the street

And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead
As the tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead
They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread
But it’s too hot in these tunnels, you can get hit up by the heat
You get up to get out at your next stop, but they push you back in your seat
Your heart starts beatin’ faster as you struggle to your feet
Then you’re outa that hole and back up on the street

And then South Side sisters sure look pretty
The cripple on the corner cries out, “Nickels for your pity”
And then downtown boys, they sure talk gritty
It’s so hard to be a saint in the city

Bruce Springsteen – Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?

Under the Covers Tuesday will be back next week.

This was originally posted at Dave’s Turntable Talk. This is what Dave asked for… Tell us about a song (or album if you’re more ambitious) you like that is all about going somewhere. Trains, planes, automobiles – there’ve been scores of good songs about traveling, geographically or even mentally, not to mention songs about specific destinations from ‘Viva Las Vegas’ to ‘One Night in Bangkok’ and about everyplace in between.

After Dave asked us to write a post about traveling… it was between Promise Land by the Big E and this one by Bruce. I had to go with this one.

This song is a journey through an enjoyable play of words. It was written about a bus journey to Bruce’s girlfriend’s house. This song was also based on people and places Springsteen met in his early years as a songwriter. His father was a bus driver for a time, which helped inspire the song.

I listened to it so many times that I know every word to this day. I was surprised to see that he still plays this in concert every now and then…but you can’t beat the studio version.

I was around 19 (1986) or so when I found this album, or when the album found me, and I was going through an angry young man phase. I had just bought a 1976 Fender Musicmaster guitar (I still have it) and a black leather jacket so I was ready. The imagery flows like water with Greetings From Ashbury Park, Bruce’s debut album in 1973… It’s not very polished but that adds to it. The songs have a stream-of-consciousness feel to them. It was critically praised but did not have huge sales. The album only peaked at #60 in the Billboard Album Charts.

This album is my favorite by Springsteen. Yes, I like his other albums…but I love the wordplay on this one. I think the only song that halts the album is Mary Queen of Arkansas. I hear some Dylan and a very strong Van Morrison influence on this album and song. It is rough and raw and unpredictable.

Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps
Interstellar mongrel nymphs
Rex said that lady left him limp
Love’s like that (sure it is)

Songs like this helped give Springsteen the tag….” the new Dylan” and he was the one performer who actually lived up to it…strap in and ride the Springsteen-driven bus.

Does This Bus Stop At 52nd Street?

Hey bus driver, keep the change
Bless your children, give them names
Don’t trust men who walk with canes
Drink this and you’ll grow wings on your feet
Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine
Advertiser on a downtown train
Christmas crier bustin’ cane
He’s in love again

Where dock worker’s dreams mix with panther’s schemes
To someday own the rodeo
Tainted women in VistaVision
Perform for out-of-state kids at the late show

Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps
Interstellar mongrel nymphs
Rex said that lady left him limp
Love’s like that (sure it is)
Queen of diamonds, ace of spades
Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades
They take out a full-page ad in the trades
To announce their arrival
And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope
She rides to heaven on a gyroscope
The Daily News asks her for the dope
She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”

Senorita, Spanish rose
Wipes her eyes and blows her nose
Uptown in Harlem she throws a rose
To some lucky young matador

Bruce Springsteen – Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?

After posting about Blinded By The Light yesterday…I was commenting with jeremyjames (Jeremy in Hong Kong) and he mentioned this song which was on the Greetings From Asbury Park debut album by Bruce Springsteen. I started to listen to this album in the 80s and it has remained one of my favorite albums by Springsteen.

I wrote this about the album last summer and started to listen to the album again Saturday afternoon. This was one of the many songs off the album that I liked at first listen and was surprised that I remembered most of the words to the song right off the bat.

“Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” is a journey through an enjoyable play of words. It was written about a bus journey to a girlfriend’s house. Here is a sample of a verse

“Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps
Interstellar mongrel nymphs
Rex said that lady left him limp
Love’s like that (sure it is)
Queen of diamonds, ace of spades
Newly discovered lovers of the Everglades
They take out a full-page ad in the trades
To announce their arrival
And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope
She rides to heaven on a gyroscope
The Daily News asks her for the dope
She said, “Man, the dope’s that there’s still hope”

From Songfacts

This song is based on people and places Springsteen met in his early years as a songwriter. His father was a bus driver for a time, which helped inspire the song.

The barrage of images in the lyrics helped earn Springsteen the tag “The New Dylan,” a comparison he played down. He moved away from the Dylan style by writing less introspective, harder rocking songs on his next album, The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle.

This song started with the lyrics, something Springsteen did from time to time when he started out as a songwriter. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. was his first album, and it marked a turning point in his songwriting: Instead of keeping the lyrics as simple and repetitive as possible to accommodate the bars he was playing with his bands, he started using elaborate wordplay to tell different stories, often within the same song – something you could do in a recording studio but not in a noisy club. This song makes passing reference to a number of characters but leaves the listener to decide their fates. Just what becomes of Mary Lou, the mongrel nymphs and the lucky, young matador who catches the rose is in the ear of the beholder.

Joan Fontaine pops up in the lyrics for no apparent reason:

Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine
advertiser on a downtown train

She was an actress who starred in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Rebecca.

Does This Bus Stop At 52nd Street?

Where dock worker’s dreams mix with panther’s schemes
To someday own the rodeo
Tainted women in VistaVision
Perform for out-of-state kids at the late show

Senorita, Spanish rose
Wipes her eyes and blows her nose
Uptown in Harlem she throws a rose
To some lucky young matador

Bruce Springsteen – Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

I got this album in 1986 and have never stopped listening to it. This is one of my favorite Springsteen’s albums. It was his debut album in 1973 and there is not a song on it I don’t’ like… It’s not very polished but that is ok. The songs have a stream of conscious feel to them. The album was critically praised but did not have huge sales.

The most famous song on the album is “Blinded By The Light” which was covered later by Manfred Mann Earth’s Band that peaked at #1 in 1977. They also covered another song off the album called “Spirit of the Night” which peaked at #20 in 1977.

Personally, I like Bruce’s versions of both songs much more. “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” is another great track and one of the most powerful songs he ever wrote. “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” is a journey through an enjoyable play of words. It was written about a bus journey to a girlfriend’s house. Here is a sample of a verse

I hear Dylan and a Van Morrison influence in Bruce’s first album. It is rough and raw but worth the price of admission. My personal favorite is “Spirit of the Night.” This song hints at some of the characters and places that start populating Bruce’s musical world.

The song Growin’ Up is a complex and honest look at growing up and rebellion. Some lyrics…

“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
Well, 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, but when they said, “Pull down,” I pulled up
Ooh…growin’ up
Ooh…growin’ up”

This is a crazy good debut album. I like it a little better than his second album “The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle” but both albums were building up to everything crystallizing in his third…Born to Run.

Track Listing

Blinded By The Light
Growin’ Up
Mary Queen Of Arkansas
Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
Lost In The Flood
The Angel
For You
Spirit In The Night
It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City

Spirit of the Night

Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley trading hands
‘Long came Wild Billy with his friend G-Man all duded up for Saturday night
Well, Billy slammed on his coaster brakes and said, “Anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake?
It’s about a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight, I got a bottle of rose so let’s try it
We’ll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe and I’ll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go
They’re built like light
Ooh, and they dance like spirits in the night” (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don’t know what they can do to you
Spirits in the night (all night)
Oh, in the night (all night)
Stand right up now and let it shoot through you

Well now Wild young Billy was a crazy cat and he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap
He said, “Trust some of this, it’ll show you where you’re at, or at least it’ll help you really feel it”
Well, by the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window and Janey’s fingers were in the cake
I think I really dug her ’cause I was too loose to fake
I said, “I’m hurt,” she said, “Honey, let me heal it”
And we danced all night to a soul fairy band
And she kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can
She felt so nice, just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, Janey don’t know what she do to you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Stand right up and I let her shoot through me

(Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh)
(Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh)

Now the night was bright and the stars threw light on Billy and Davy
Dancing in the moonlight
They were down near the water in a stone mud fight
Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn
Well now Hazy Davy got really hurt, he ran into the lake in just his socks and a shirt
Me and Crazy Janey was making love in the dirt, singing our birthday songs
Janey said it was time to go
So we closed our eyes and said goodbye to gypsy angel row, felt so right
Together we moved like spirits in the night (all night)
In the night (all night)
Oh, you don’t know what they can do to you
Them spirits in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
Oh, stand right up and let it shoot through you
Like a spirit in the night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night (all night)
All night, ooh, ooh, man, all night
The night
Be-da-ba the night
In the night