Clarence Clemons RIP

I’ve never been a Bruce Springsteen fan.

Whatever it is – or was – about him that tuned a fairly standard singer-songwriter into a major league stadium and festival star just seems to have eluded me.

In fact, I might go so far as to say that ‘The Boss’ is a bit of a turn-off for me, as I’m not too happy with his ‘I’m just an ordinary working Joe’ image. That’s terribly easy to do if you’re a millionaire many times over.

However, there is one Springsteen song that I absolutely love and that’s ‘Born to Run’.

With its Phil Spectorish production – it sounds like it was recorded in the biggest bathroom in the world – its uber- American lyrics, its ensemble playing, its complex structure with many sections and its sheer energy and drive, it’s pure rock anthem and one of the all-time classics.

It’s actually the only Brooce track I have in my vast collection of music…

One of the stand out features of BTR for me is the sax solo, played by Clarence Clemons, who died yesterday following a stroke at the age of 65.

Here he is, when Bruce and the E Street Band sounded as though they meant it.

Thanks, Clarence…