Bobby Jean

Infobox Song
Name = Bobby Jean


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Artist = Bruce Springsteen
alt Artist =
Album = Born in the U.S.A.
Published =
Released = June 4, 1984
track_no = 8
Recorded = Late 1983 at The Hit Factory in New York
Genre = Rock
Length = 3:46
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Composer =
Label = Columbia
Producer =
Tracks =
#"Born in the U.S.A."
#"Cover Me"
#"Darlington County"
#"Working on the Highway"
#"Downbound Train"
#"I'm on Fire"
#"No Surrender"
#"Bobby Jean"
#"I'm Goin' Down"
#"Glory Days"
#"Dancing in the Dark"
#"My Hometown"
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Misc ="Bobby Jean" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, from his 1984 album "Born in the U.S.A."

History

"Bobby Jean" was one of the last songs from the album to be recorded, and was considered a musical breakthrough for Springsteen during the recording, with its more accented rhythm and near dance groove.Marsh, Dave. "Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s". Pantheon Books, 1987. ISBN 0-394-54668-7. p. 168.]

The title character's name is somewhat gender ambiguous,Rob Kirkpatrick, "The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen", Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006. p. 101.] allowing for various interpretations. Nonetheless, "Bobby Jean" is often considered to have been written about his long-time friendship with Steve Van Zandt, who was leaving the E Street Band at the time: When this song is played live with the E Street Band, close ups of Van Zandt are often shown on the bigscreens.

:"Now you hung with me, when all the others turned away ... turned up their nose:"We liked the same music — we liked the same bands — we liked the same clothes:"We told each other, that we were the wildest, the wildest things we'd ever seen ...

The lyric turns to deeper emotions, which Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh characterized as "lines that mingle love, grief, and rancor", with the chorus summing:

:"Now I wished you would have told me —:"I wished I could have talked to you —:"Just to say goodbye, Bobby Jean ...

At the conclusion, Springsteen imagines the song's subject hearing the very song in a motel room, as Roy Bittan's piano riff that drives the song yields to a saxophone coda from Clarence Clemons and the recording fades out. Marsh suggests that Springsteen was not singing a farewell just to Van Zandt, but also to his own depressed "Nebraska" self. Nevertheless, use of minor to major altered chord in the last parts of the chorus lend the song establish a spirit of generosity. [Rikky Rooksby, "Bruce Springsteen: Learn from the Greats and Write Better Songs", Backbeat Books, 2005. p. 61.]

Live performances

The song has become one of Bruce Springsteen's more popular concert staples, with 471 performances through July 31, 2005.

During the 1984-85 Born in the U.S.A. Tour, "Bobby Jean" appeared frequently throughout the shows with a loud audience response, during the 1988 Tunnel of Love Express, the song generally appeared first to last; though by the 1992-93 "Other Band" Tour, "Bobby Jean" was not heard during concerts. By the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, the song was suddenly turned into a short four-minute performance with only Springsteen doing his opening on harmonica and acoustic guitar. It remained to have several performances on the Reunion Tour and only several times on the The Rising Tour.

By the Devils & Dust Tour, the acoustic version had turned given yet another warm welcome back by fans, however, by the start of the Sessions Band Tour, "Bobby Jean" appeared, still on acoustic guitar and harmonica only this time the large outfit were playing a folk-like tune in the back that made it sound rather depressing. Springsteen and the E Streeters have since reverted to playing the original version on the Magic Tour, being occasionally setlisted, usually be heard in the band's encore.

References

External links

* [http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/BobbyJean.html Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net]