The Bruce Springsteen Lyric Inspired by the Departure of His Right-Hand Man

In the Nick Hornby book High Fidelity (and the movie based on it), the main character envies Bruce Springsteen‘s ability to move on from a failed relationship with a degree of equanimity, still holding warm feelings for his ex. “Bobby Jean,” released on the 1984 Springsteen album Born in the U.S.A., is the song the character cites.

What Hornby either didn’t know or simple ignored for the sake of his story is “Bobby Jean” was actually inspired not by a romance, but instead by Springsteen’s strained (at the time) relationship with longtime E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt. The song immortalized their friendship, which, rough patch well behind them, is still going strong 40 years after the song was released.

Little Steven Leaves E Street

Steven Van Zandt (often known as Miami Steve when he was in the E Street Band and later Little Steven when he embarked on a solo career), came through time and again for Bruce Springsteen over the years. As a friend, he proved a crucial sounding board for Springsteen when he needed musical or career advice.

As a musician, he delivered important guitar work and backing vocals to Springsteen albums Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River. He co-produced the latter record. That’s not to mention the behind-the-scenes impact he made, such as his on-the-spot horn arrangement for “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” or his advice to Springsteen that Nebraska should be released as a solo and not a band record.

But as the sessions for Born in the U.S.A. dragged on, Van Zandt felt Springsteen wasn’t heeding his counsel as he had in the past. His interests in making his own music were also intensifying. Hence, he decided to leave the band just shy of the release of its biggest success.

Springsteen had by that point written about five albums worth of material for possible inclusion on that single record. But he went back and wrote a few more, and one of them was “Bobby Jean.” Although the name he gave to the title character confused the matter somewhat, it was clear to most that the song was his way of revealing his feelings about Van Zandt’s departure.

Exploring the Lyrics of “Bobby Jean”

If “Bobby Jean” had simply been a thinly veiled breakdown of what went down between Springsteen and Van Zandt, the song might have held some historical value. Thanks to Springsteen’s feathery touch, it transcends all that. It becomes a meditation on not only the strains time can put on a friendship, but also the bonds that simply can’t be broken.

Springsteen writes the song from the perspective of a much younger man than he was at its creation. Hence, the need to ask Bobby Jean’s mom about their whereabouts. He finds out the departure was inevitable, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t hurt by the suddenness of it all, especially considering the longevity of their relationship: I wished I would have known / I wished I could have called you / Just to say goodbye, Bobby Jean.

Much of the rest of the song is spent listing all the memories of their time together that displayed their innate connection: You hung with me when all the others, turned away, turned up their nose / We liked the same music, we liked the same bands, we liked the same clothes. In the bridge, Springsteen relates how they became a safe harbor for each other, and how Bobby Jean holds a special place in his heart: Now there ain’t nobody, nowhere, no how / Gonna understand me the way you did.

Considering Springsteen and Van Zandt’s friendship was cemented by music, it makes sense music is what will reunite them, as the narrator imagines Bobby Jean hearing the song. His final message has stripped off all rancor, filled instead with love and warmth: And I’m just calling one last time not to change your mind / But just to say I miss you, baby / Good luck, goodbye, Bobby Jean.

Any animosity between Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt had faded by the time the song was released, as the two mended fences not long after their argument. Van Zandt returned to the E Street Band fold when Springsteen reunited them in the mid-’90s. There he still is, belting into the same mic as Springsteen on stage when they play live, a happy ending to the saga of “Bobby Jean.”

Photo by Ron Pownall/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images