Springsteen Sells It.

Bruce Springsteen: Image courtesy of Chicago Tribune

Word is out on the street that Bruce Springsteen, the tough kid from New Jersey, America’s storyteller, Mr. Broadway, and of course, The Boss, has sold the rights to his music to Sony. The reported sale price, about $500,000,000 dollars. That is, half a billion bucks, or 1/10th of 1 percent of a Musk.

Selling music rights has become the current rage. Dylan, Paul Simon, Neil Young; all have taken the money and run, though none will be able to run as far as Bruce and his big bundle.

I am a big Springsteen fan, though for many years the only music of his that was bought and paid for was a tape cassette of the Born in the USA. All the songs from the Born to Run album are on my iPhone, but I think that has more to do with something called Napster than any laying out of cash.

I enjoyed the one time we saw Bruce and the E Street boys live at the United Center, though Barb was regretting leaving her earplugs at home as the band’s booming sound bounced off the concrete. My two Bruce disappointments: his autobiography and the TV version of his Broadway show. I gave up on both before reaching the halfway point.

How much was Bruce worth before the deal with Sony? “Reliable sources” online give his previous net worth also at half a billion, so I guess with the additional half-billion he has hit billionaire status. I know it is a lot of money, but I can’t help feeling my daughter would be worth that much if someone had given her 3 shares of Tesla stock instead of 3 shares of Walgreens as a Bat Mitzvah gift.

Of course, Mr. Springsteen is not universally loved. In a question I once posed to a Facebook group, asking who was the better storyteller, Springsteen or John Mellencamp, most respondents just wanted the opportunity to dump on Bruce. I think it had more to do with politics than with music. And now those haters probably just want to get a loan from him.

So Bruce, more power to you. I hope you spread a little of that cash with the bandmates who supported you, guys like Steven and Max. And don’t forget Clarence’s and Danny’s families. And there better be a big new bauble for Patti–and maybe some charitable donations, too.

Oh, and Sony execs, if you are reading this, the rights to my blogs are available. It won’t even cost you $500 mill. I’ll take $500 plain.

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I Have A Beatles Dilemma. How About You?

The Beatles in the early days. Photo courtesy Chicago Tribune.

Ask me what I think about the Beatles and I will give the standard answer of my generation. They are the greatest band that ever lived, they revolutionized music, they mean the world to me. OK boomer, now ask me which of their songs I would put on my all-time, continuos loop, soundtrack of my life music stream.

And that’s where the dilemma lies. From the harmonies of I Want to Hold Your Hand, through the opening chord of A Hard Days Night to the final yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah of The Long and Winding Road, I like a lot of Beatle songs, but I don’t love any of them. Sort of like my relationship to Superdawg french fries. I like them but I don’t love them.

It’s not the same with the other artists that are constantly playing on my radio in the lab or the Pandora station in my headphones at the fitness center. If I’ve got favorite bands, I’ve got favorite songs to go with them.

U2? The bang-bang-bang opening of the Joshua Tree album–Where the Streets Have No Name, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, and With or Without You introduced me to the band more than 30 years ago and have been my favorites ever since.

With Steely Dan, my favorite songs come from the end of their career, or at least the end of their career’s first chapter (I ignored the second chapter.) Aja, the title track of their 6th album, is sublimely mellow and mind-expanding and the same album’s Deacon Blue makes a wistful cry out to mid-life crises.

When Fleetwood Mac changed their personnel and music style in the mid-70’s they probably lost a few thousand fans but gained a few million more. It was that flip that led to Go Your Own Way, the best power-pop song of all time. And I love the more pensive Over My Head just as much. Easy to add to my jukebox of greats.

What Eagles songs are on that Love Those Songs jukebox? Give me the original Hotel California and then follow it up with the Hell Freezes Over version of…Hotel California. Sometimes you feel like acoustic, sometimes you don’t.

The longings of youth. Has anyone made them seem more desperate than Bruce Springsteen in Thunder Road or made them sound more fun than in the Boss’s Rosalita?

While Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is my top-ranked album, I prefer not to think about individual songs from it — everything blends so seamlessly together. On the other hand, Wish You Were Here, the title cut and final track from the Floyd’s 1975 album stands alone as the perfect paean to loss of love, loss of a bandmate, loss of sanity. And the guitar solos in Comfortably Numb make me feel…comfortable.

But back to the Beatles. I am ok with the silly love songs, I enjoy the goofiness of Yellow Submarine and Octopuses Garden, and I can play air guitar to The End. But where is the song I could listen to over and over and over again? Where is their Hotel California? If Rocky Racoon put a gun to my head and made me choose one song, today it would be While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Tomorrow it would probably be something else. Like but never love.

And that is my dilemma with the Beatles.

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Musical Questions for the Boomer Generation. What is your answer to #2?

When COVID and politics get to be too much, I turn to a Facebook Group “I Love the 60’s and 70’s Music.” It’s filled with lots of music videos that I don’t vid, and queries as to who was the third drummer on the fourth album by Purple Fudge, but browsing through the postings is a good escape and an excellent time-waster while waiting to take the dog out one last time in the evening.

Just for the fun of it, I posted twice to the page yesterday, offering two different questions

Who is a better story-teller, Springsteen or Mellencamp?
Saddest holiday song? For me it’s Dan Fogelberg’s “Another Auld Lang Syne”.

The results have been voluminous, rapid, and non-stop. Lots of thumbs up and hearts and LOTS of opinions.

In response to my first question, it appears evenly split whether the responders prefer Bruce’s Jersey stories to JCM’s Indiana ones. As many people want to drive down Thunder Road as live in little pink houses. What I was not expecting was the vitriol of the many responders who hate both. Posers! phony singers! yuck, inspiring! Then again this is Facebook; haters are part of the scene.

But there were also lots of constructive suggestions for better story-tellers. James Taylor, Warren Zevon, Johny Cash, Tom Waits, and Harry Chapin were all put forward. I can’t complain about any of those, though Taylor puts me to sleep, and it’s sad that Zevon and Chapin died too young.

Lots of good responses to my second posting also. I struck a chord with the Fogelberg song. It seems I am not the only one who can’t hear that song without tearing up, as the snow turns into rain… As a matter of fact, there are teardrops on my keyboard now.

That wasn’t the only sad seasonal song getting named. Elvis’s “Blue Christmas” has a lot of weeping fans, as does the John Lennon tune “So this is Christmas (War is Over.)” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” a song with special memories for my family was named a few times, probably in jest. A more serious frequently named contender for the saddest song was the charity donation appeal song “Do They Know It’s Christmas” with its closing chant feed the world.

So, ChicagoNow readers. What’ll it be? The Boss, The Cougar, or someone else. And what is YOUR favorite sad holiday tune?

Keep the music and opinions coming.

All photos courtesy of Chicago Tribune

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Home Building; It’s Not A Sprint, It’s A Marathon

You know where it ends, yo

it usually depends

on where you start.

“What it’s Like”, Everlast, 1998

“Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentleman, it’s a beautiful afternoon at Riverwoods Park. This is your racetrack announcer Phil Georgeff on the call as the horses come out for the final race, The Empty Nester Derby, a stakes race for seniors. We have eight magnificent contenders. The track is fast and we anticipate quick times, but you never know what surprises this course may hold.

The horses are at the gate, they’re at the gate…aaaaand they’re off! Gotta Buy a Lot takes the early lead, but is quickly eclipsed by Might Change Our Minds. It’s a two horse race for the first few furlongs. Now Might Change our Minds is fading as Gotta Buy a Lot reclaims her place at the head of the line.

Moving past the quarter mile pole, Banking Blues is really picking up speed and challenging the leaders. He gets in front and then slows down the pace! These horses are barely crawling around the track. Friends I have never seen anything like this before! Finally Financing in Place is shooting through a gap as his jockey sends an angry glare at Banking Blues. Banking Blues rider is dismounting in disgust! Even she can’t believe how slow her steed is running.

The horses are approaching the far turn with Draft Those Plans and Homeowners Association Rules dueling it out for the lead. These horses are really steaming Not a nose separates them. It is a battle royale as these magnificent horses pound the track. What’s this? Homeowners Association Rules’ jockey is pulling out a muntin and flogging Draft Those Plans! I’m telling you, this race has everything!

Here they come, spinning out of the turn. We have a new leader as Show em the Shingles gives a late kick and Homeowners Association Rules fades into the pack. And on the outside for the first time there is some action from Get that Permit. Get that Permit is roaring into the lead. But she is not alone. Village Fees is coming on strong. It neck and neck, nostrils flaring, as they thunder down the homestretch. Village Fees just seems to be getting bigger and bigger! But what’s this? Village Fees stumbles and at the wire it’s Get that Permit by an eyelash! Get that Permit is the winner.”

That’s right we have a construction permit! The building can commence, and you are here at the beginning. It’s like being with Elvis in Memphis, the Beatles in Hamburg or Springsteen in Asbury Park. So have fun and enjoy the ride, the next race, The Construction Stakes, is about to begin!

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