This could be the most melancholy song about street racing ever recorded, but like most of Springsteen’s music it manages to strike the right chord with us. There have been a bunch of car related songs that have come from Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band over the years like Thunder Road and Born To Run, most notably. We like this one more than the others because there are some more gearheaded lyrics in it and frankly it is about street racing and the mindset of the guys who are in the scene. This isn’t as much a toe tapper as it is a listen where you should pay attention to the lyrics because they have some depth to them.
We’re not the most huge Springsteen fans out there, but this is a good car song obviously sung by a guy who appreciation for muscle cars, street racing, and being obsessed with both. While we have never seen photos, word is that Springsteen has a significant car collection and last year one of his cars, a 1957 Chevy went up for auction. That ’57 was his first car and managed to sell for $468,000! That’s insane, but it was that shoebox that served as the pilot light for the many car songs he released over the years.
PRESS PLAY BELOW TO HEAR BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E-STREET BAND PERFORM THE SONG RACING IN THE STREETS!
“396 with fuelie heads” . . . total crap (just like everything “The Boss” sings) Only a weasel like Springsteen could make racing sound like a funeral parade.
Thats why I didnt bring this song up. Its insulting to the bow tie brigade.
“some guys they just give up on living and start dying a little by little, piece by piece.
“Some guys come home from work and wash up and go racin in the streets.”
Truer words have never been spoken……….Like when I come home from work , change clothes and head to the shop to work on the race car….
Aside from a few mechanical inaccuracies, still a powerful song. I like it.
One of those songs that was worth hearing … once.