Bruce Springsteen is 70! Here's his birthday news & tribute roundup
Even if you haven't traveled to Paramus, N.J., to sign the 31-foot-high birthday card for Bruce Springsteen -- and if you haven't, why not? -- there are plenty of other ways to mark Bruce's 70th birthday today. (For one thing, you can order the brand-new, first-time-in-paperback second edition of "Glory Days: Springsteen's Greatest Albums" for a mere $5.99 on Amazon -- that's a plug.)
You should also check out our guide to celebrating Brucemas, and our poll results of "The Seven Stages of Springsteen" -- but otherwise, here's a rundown of the tributes and celebrations we've seen so far.
We'll start with a whole passel of 'em from Rolling Stone, which has apparently stopped covering anything else. (OK, the last three are reruns, but that's OK.)
Rob Sheffield: Happy Birthday, Bruce Springsteen: 70 Years of Proving It All Night
Brian Hiatt: Seven Thoughts on Bruce Springsteen for His 70th Birthday
Andy Greene: 15 Insanely Great Bruce Springsteen Songs You’ve Never Heard
And don't miss these tributes from fans, journalists and the world at large:
Backstreets.com presents "The Boss Index," capturing Springsteen by the numbers for his 70th.
Karsten Stanley Andersen, Greasy Lake: "Maybe we ain't that young anymore"
CNN: "He's never had a No. 1 hit. But he's the most honored American rock star ever"
APP.com: "Bruce Springsteen birthday: New artistic frontiers at 70"
Wesley Stace, a.k.a. John Wesley Harding, has a wonderful analysis of Bruce's live appeal in the latest New York Review of Books, adapted from his contribution to the new book "Long Walk Home: Reflections on Bruce Springsteen," out today.
"Bruce does not wink at you. Though there is always humor, the show is not ironic. His smile is open. Bruce gives you the truth straight. The set seems entirely honest. That is its appeal." - Wesley Stace
Also from that new book: "The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen And The Wide Divide" by A.O. Scott, as excerpted on NPR.
Blogness correspondent Anne Haines salutes Bruce in verse.
Set Lusting Bruce: Bruce Springsteen 70th Birthday Celebration, the podcast's hour-plus-worth of Bruce birthday greetings from more than 80 contributors.
Our friend Rocco Coviello from Rocco's Photo Tavern shares some of his best Bruce shots from over the years.
"NJArts.net names ‘If I Should Fall Behind’ best Springsteen song of last 30 years," because it takes all kinds. (It's worth perusing all 70 of Jay Lustig's picks, of course.)
Vanity Fair: "Happy Birthday to Bruce Springsteen, a National Holiday" by Lucy Dacus, the indie singer who covered "Dancing in the Dark" last week.
New York Times: "The Fall and Rise of the Town Springsteen Made Famous"
Page Six (New York Post): "Bruce Springsteen is 'The Boss' at every age" (gallery)
Paste: "Celebrate Bruce Springsteen's 70th Birthday With This 1978 Capitol Theatre Performance"
The Sunday Post: Bruce Springsteen may be turning 70 but he won’t stop rocking
Independent.co.uk: "Bruce Springsteen turns 70: 12 of The Boss’s best songs"
Joe.ie: Here are the 10 best Bruce Springsteen songs, as chosen by the Irish public
247wallst.com: "Bruce Springsteen’s Greatest Songs on His 70th Birthday," based on sales and streams.
The Two Rivers Times runs down the Monmouth County Historical Association’s exhibit, “Springsteen: His Hometown.”
Yardbarker.com has an impressive list of "Artists who were influenced by Bruce Springsteen."
Yahoo Entertainment: "12 underrated Bruce Springsteen songs"
What did we miss? Let us know in the comments. And Bruce, if you're reading, thanks for all the years you've put in so far -- here's to another 70!