The Fall of the Local Hero. Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town & Hungry Heart: I Was There

Springsteen - 1977

Back then, songs over two minutes long didn't make it on the AM waves and barely got to the FM dial.

But one song did; Born To Run, By Bruce Springsteen.  The tome followed the timeless, American teenage journey of struggle and travel on the road to knowing if 

"love is wild, if love is real."

That's all, just that, but it cracked the mold and unleashed so many late night voyages on the edge of town for millions. 

Fun, cars, night - "girls comb their hair in the rearview mirror and the boys try to look so hard..."

Bruce went from a undercover rock n roll cult leader to a full blown, American Capitalist; spinning yarns, and driving Thunder Road dreams.

“Well now everything dies, baby, that's a fact..."

This past 20 or so months have been difficult for the true Springsteen fans, sorta.  Real fans sensed Bruce's anti-American sentiment in songs like "Born in the USA" and "American Skin" (41 Shots)

We chalked it up to Bruce's vision of struggle - a struggle that was necessary and surmountable because it happened here in The United States of America; the one place on the planet were Wendy and Candy would churn, yet someday, look back and laugh...

Of course, we were idealistic, as the one time critic of mansions, is now on that hill, preaching down...oh, what a Brilliant Disguise.

Today I found this anti-protest, protest song.  

Sad, poignant, schlocky, corny and stuffed with Ai.  Clumsy, even.

and a PERFECT rebuttal to the over produced, 

corporate globalist, blue collar champion turned anti-American, messiah. 

and it's okay

" ...maybe everything that dies someday comes back.”