1303 – Bruce Springsteen – 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (1973)

 

Escrita por Bruce Springsteen, foi gravada em 1973 e lançada no segundo disco de Bruce chamado The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle em 5 de novembro de 1973. A música fala de uma Sandy e uma atmosfera deprimento que cerca o amor do cantor e da Sandy. Foi regravada pelos Hollies, pelo Air Supply e Ben E. King, entre outros artistas. Tony Blair disse que essa é uma das músicas que ele levaria pra uma ilha deserta e que a escutou muitas vezes durante o tempo que estava cortejando sua esposa Cherie Booth. Bruce fala de uma Madam Marie, que existia na vida real, era uma cigana que contava o futuro das pessoas no calçadão do Asbury Park e que morreu em 2008, com 93 anos.

A letra:

Sandy, the fireworks are hailing over Little Eden tonight
Forcing a light into all those stony faces left stranded on this warm July
Down in the town, the Circuit's full of switchblade lovers, so fast, so shiny, so sharp
As the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark
And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers on the shore
Chasing all them silly New York virgins by the score

And Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight, for I may never see you again
Hey, Sandy girl
My, my, baby

Now, the greasers, ah, they tramp the streets or get busted for sleeping on the beach all night
Them boys in their high heels, ah, Sandy, their skins are so white
And me, I just got tired of hanging in them dusty arcades, banging them pleasure machines
Chasing the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they all promise to unsnap their jeans
And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag
I got on it last night and my shirt got caught
And they kept me spinning, babe, didn't think I'd ever get off

Oh, Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life on the water
Running, laughing 'neath the boardwalk, ah, with the boss's daughter
I remember, Sandy, girl
Na, na, na, na, na, baby

Sandy, that waitress I was seeing lost her desire for me
I spoke with her last night, she said she won't set herself on fire for me anymore
She worked that joint under the boardwalk, she was always the girl you saw bopping down the beach with the radio
The kids say last night she was dressed like a star in one of them cheap little seaside bars, and I saw her parked with lover boy out on the Kokomo
Did you hear the cops finally busted Madame Marie for telling fortunes better than they do
For me this boardwalk life is through, babe
You ought to quit this scene too

Sandy, the aurora is rising behind us
This pier lights our carnival life forever
Oh, love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever
Oh, I mean it, Sandy, girl
My, my, my, my, my baby
Yeah, I promise, Sandy, girl
Sha, la, la, la, la, baby

A versão de Bruce Springsteen:

A versão dos Hollies:

A versão do Air Supply: