Bruce Springsteen settles lyric debate after 47 years
Last year, a debate resurfaced regarding the opening lyrics of the timeless Bruce Springsteen breakthrough hit ‘Thunder Road’ after variations were found in the Boss’ handwritten notes.
The 73-year-old rock star’s most devoted fans have long disputed whether the classic track opens with the slam of a screen door followed by “Mary’s dress”, either “swaying” or “waving”.
In the knowledge that the all-important question would come up during his Monday appearance on the US programme The Tonight Show with host Jimmy Fallon, Springsteen came prepared with an original vinyl copy of Born to Run, which detailed the song’s lyrics.
The Boss revealed to his fans’ amusement that the LP sleeve had the lyrics incorrectly printed as “waves” and that he had sung “sways” for almost 50 years.
“This record is almost 50 years old,” Springsteen said before discussing the error in his lyrics. “Fifty years ago, I was a sociopath. I was insane about every single detail that had anything to do with music: my album, my album cover, my lyrics. I went over everything with a fine tooth comb so everything would be perfect and completely accurate.”
As Springsteen enlightened the audience, Fallon comically bent down in front of the camera on his knees and shouted, “Come on!”
“This is wrong, this is wrong,” Springsteen asserted with a smile. “I’m telling you this is wrong – how did that happen?” He then laughed as he threw the record to one side.
‘Thunder Road’ was the opening song on Springsteen’s third album, Born to Run. The album, released in 1975, was given hefty backing from Capitol Records and was understood to be the singer’s last shot at making it big in his rock ‘n’ roll dream. Thankfully, he pulled it off with flying colours, and the rest is history.
Listen to ‘Thunder Road’ below and see what lyrics you hear at the opening of the classic Born to Run cut.
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