“…that dissolves into a circular piano figure that…” leads into the rolling guitar riff that opens “Rosalita,” my favorite Bruce Springsteen song. Well, unless you ask me on the day that my favorite Springsteen song is “Thunder Road.” Really, I can never decide.
A rambling rave-up during which Bruce wants to convince Rosie’s parents that maybe he’s not so bad after all, it’s one part Romeo & Juliet, one part romance, and a thousand parts crazed enthusiasm. Before “Thunder Road” came on my radar, “Rosalita” was the song that just had to be played before all important events: before leaving for vacation, before leaving for work on a Friday, before cracking open that first cold one on a Saturday night. Heck, it was even played it right before my wedding.
Back when “Rosie” was a staple of nearly every E Street show, they played it with an intensity that approached the unhinged. And speaking of unhinged, the first Bruce Springsteen show I went to (back on July 30, 1981) featured Bruce busting out a late-set “Rosalita” followed by a surprise appearance of Southside Johnny for “I Don’t Want To Go Home.” I almost lost my mind.
Remember, Bruce Springsteen wasn’t there for business: he was only there for fun. Apparently, there were a lot of takers in the Phoenix crowd that night.
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