So what's so great about Thunder Road?

In the back of Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle, I list my five favorite Springsteen songs. Here’s the list again – this time with an explanation of why each song rates.

1) Thunder Road – This is not only my all-time favorite Springsteen song, but is perhaps the best song in the history of recorded music. (I don’t want to get carried away with hyperbole and say it’s the best song of all time!) Thunder Road talks about the romance of the road, the regrets we have about our lost youth, and the chance to start over even if we aren’t “that young anymore.” And it has a lot of harmonica. I’ve always been a sucker for the harmonica.

2) Land of Hope and Dreams – This is a rock song that both fills up a stadium and works as a lullaby at 3 a.m. (My son can vouch for that.)

3) If I Should Fall Behind – Normally, I’d be a little embarrassed to say that I had a Springsteen song sung at my wedding. It seems to take being a fan to a fanatical new level. But when you listen to the lyrics of this song you’ll see how perfect it is for a wedding. This is a song about the simplest of vows that a couple can make. “I’ll wait for you. And if should fall behind, wait for me.”

4) Badlands – For anyone who has lived in a depressing place – either a geographical place or just an emotional place – this is a song about the desire to escape, the belief that there is something better out there, and the determination to find it.

5) Highway 29 – Ok, I’ll confess that any professional accounting of Springsteen’s career would not put this song in the top 5, perhaps not even in the top 50. But what can I say? I just like it. The opening scene of this Bonnie and Clyde couple meeting in a shoe store makes me laugh, and then by the end, I want to cry.

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