Still Rockin’ at 74: A Very Happy Birthday to Bruce Springsteen
Today should be a national holiday
There are only a handful of dates circled on my calendar: my kids’ birthdays, the Arsenal vs. Tottenham derby, Christmas, Easter, and today, September 23rd. That’s because, on this day in 1949, the world welcomed the second-most important infant of the past 2,000 years: Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. Yes, it’s the 74th birthday of the man who gave the world “Born to Run,” “Thunder Road,” “Badlands,” “The River,” and oh so much more.
It’s almost impossible for me to grasp the fact that the legend I began following in 1975 (when I was 9 and he was not yet 26) is a septuagenarian who still rocks as hard as he did as a teenager. The Who famously sang “I hope I die before I get old;” Bruce proves that music is what keeps you young. My own lack of any musical ability could be the reason Bruce looks better in his 70s than I did in my 30s.
You may have noticed that I write a fair amount about both Bruce and the E Street Band (the current total is 78 articles, not counting this one and one I am finishing up later today, all of which can be found here). On this auspicious day, there’s no reason to rehash any of those. All I need to say is that he’s given me a greater gift over the past five decades than I could ever give him.
