5. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? - Bruce Springsteen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48hPyA5TGG0 Bruce Springsteen has become the working-class philosopher of the rock-n-roll world. There's nothing wrong with this, of course; after all, rock music has expressed strong opinions ever since it was created. Unfortunately, however, the focus on Springsteen's socially conscious work has taken some attention away from his more joyous work. One of the best examples of Springsteen's happier songs is "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?". The song doesn't tell much of a story; it merely talks about a bus ride the protagonist takes to his girlfriend's house in Spanish Harlem. Along the way, the bus-rider talks about the sorts of people he sees lining the streets. The lyrics don't sound like much when they stand alone. The jaunty music, however, infuses the lyric with a happy, hopeful tone that you know the rider is feeling as he gets closer to his girlfriend's home. The song ends at the happiest moment, as the bus-rider's girlfriend throws a rose (figuratively, one assumes) at her boyfriend, who has traveled so far to come to her. "Bus" has the sense of happiness and freedom that all of Springsteen's happy songs have. Unfortunately, our song in question (along with the rest of Springsteen's joyful oeuvre) is overshadowed by his more serious work. It's time that changed.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).