Tuesday, September 30, 2008
RAISE A GLASS.
Today I’m providing a link to download a a live version of “It’s Been A Long Time,” the Southside Johnny song played during the player montage during the closing ceremonies at Shea on Sunday. It features Southside, Bruce Springsteen, and Steve Van Zandt (who actually wrote the song) sharing lead vocals, and was performed at Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ, on December 10, 2003. (If you want the studio version, go buy the album
That song is so well known to TBF and myself that it didn’t really occur to me until yesterday that not everyone in the world was going to be familiar with it, or understand how absolutely perfect it was. That’s not even me being a music snob - it’s just that it’s second nature to us, the people whose idea of a good vacation is combining Bruce Springsteen shows with visits to out-of-town ballparks. For us, it was the best thing EVER, and there couldn’t have been anything more appropriate: the song is about the original music community on the Jersey Shore (this video will explain a lot). Some of them got famous and are household names. Some of them didn’t.
It’s sweet and sincere and poignant, and except for the fact that Bruce is a bandwagon fairweather Yankees “fan” (one who cheers the Red Sox and hangs out with Tony LaRussa - but I’m not bitter or anything), it was a very fitting accompaniment to Sunday’s ceremony.
I was also at Sunday’s game and when the first notes began to play, I couldn’t believe my ears. Was that really Southside? I would love to know whose idea it was to use that great song. Living just a few miles up the beach from Asbury Park, there a just some songs that immediately bring Shore memories alive again for me and this is one of them. Thanks so much for sharing the links.