16 Jul
Thunder Road
by Laura Starke, Mechanicsburg, PA
I went to high school on the Jersey Shore - Monmouth County and Springsteen Country, as stated on the bumper stickers on every car in the area. I remain friends with Stevie VanZandt’s brother and used to hang out in Stevie’s childhood home. The first time I saw Bruce live was at the Meadowlands (of course). He closed the first half with Thunder Road. The hall was dark and very quiet and when he began to play I was suddenly overwhelmed. I quietly cried through the entire song. It remains my favorite song. At 48, its probably silly for me to identify still with its lyrics - but I do anyway! And as Thunder Road was voted XPN’s song of all time, I know I’m not the only one.