Bruce Springsteen Happiness by Maggie

Not long ago I asked my newly found Bruce Buds on facebook if anyone felt able to put down in words the amazing positive effect Bruce Springsteen has on their happiness. This is what Maggie wrote (any words from me are added in italics):

In 1979 I was a spotty, introverted teenager with a massive inferiority complex and a boyfriend who was obsessed with British bands.  I've always had a passion for music but, at the age of 17, I was only just beginning to discover this about myself. My then boyfriend loved Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and whilst I definitely liked them, there was something missing for me. There was no emotional connection and I needed that. I discovered that American artists and bands came closer to what I wanted and it was with that in mind that, on that fateful day in 1979, I wandered into our local record store to buy a compilation tape of American rock music.  There was a track on it by someone I knew very little about at the time; Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run.  I had no idea, when I took that tape home that day, that my life was about to change forever!

It hit me like a bolt of lightning!!

It was like someone had just awakened me with a 50000 volt cattle prod!! 

Within half an hour I was back on the bus to that record store to buy the Born To Run album!

The emotions it evoked in me, the way it made me feel- I couldn't even start a description.  Here was a man who understood me! He wrote about longing to break free from his life and find something different and better. He yearned for change.  And he wrote his feelings down, set them to music and let me share in his dreams!  I felt as if he was singing not only to me but about me! Happiness is almost an understatement!!

 So, 34 years and numerous live shows later - here I am!!

 

Bruce-obsessed to the very core!

It's not just his music that makes me happy.  It's his lyrics, his performance, his charisma and most of all the person that he is.  I feel I can trust him.  I feel that he shares his thoughts, his emotions, his life with me through the power of his words and music (and don't forget his incredible presence!).

 

At the time of writing, Bruce is in the middle of a two year world tour and by the time it finishes, I'll have been lucky enough to see him 8 times on this tour in 13 months in the UK, Europe and the USA.  It's easy to feel ecstatic whilst all this is going on but there's more to it than that.  Bruce has soundtracked my life.  My eldest son was born whilst BITUSA (Born in the USA) was still going strong.  My daughter was born to the sounds of Tunnelof Love and that album also saw me though the break up of my first marriage.  The lyrics made me feel that Bruce was going through the same things as me and it gave me such emotional support through the tough times.

When I met my second husband, he wasn't a massive Bruce fan but he owned some of his albums and music was already a passion for him so it didn't take long for him to understand that Bruce isn't just a singer.  He's a way of life!!

By the time my youngest son was born we were in a bit of a Bruce-drought album wise - Bruce was raising a family of his own -  so during that time I was obsessively playing his greatest hits. As a result, Chris has grown up to the whole spectrum of Bruce's music and he's the biggest Bruce fan in the family after me!  This is Chris with the incredible convoy of E-Street Trucks, as Bruce tours with a massive stage set-up and huge E-Street Band.

 

Over the years we've evolved as a family of Bruce fans and the thread of Bruce's music runs through us and helps to keep us close. Each family member has their own musical tastes and preferences, but Bruce is the one we share.  The one that brings us together! The incredible high of a live gig is something we share over and over and when the gigs are all done, it's back to the CDs, DVDs and photos.  Facebook is the new way to stay Bruce-high, get news about Bruce and generally stay up to date. I've made some close,  lifelong friends through chatting to them about Bruce and swapping histories and stories.

I'm not sure I can put a name to the emotions that swirl around my head when it comes to Bruce. How can you give a name to something that has filled your life with emotion for over 30 years.  Something that has told a story as if it were your own story, that has seen you through good and bad times without ever letting you down and raised you to such heights that you thought you would never come down?  My personal opinion is that it's as close to the perfect definition of happiness as I can possibly get.

Thank you Maggie!