Meet Kayla Padilla, creator of Springsteen Heardle!

Hello Blogness fans! Jesse here. We are in the middle of the dog days of summer, and we have very few things to bring smiles to our faces. There was the drama of Springsteen ticket sales, and if you have tickets to the 2023 tour, the shows won't happen till February. We have preseason football, which is a pain to watch. Baseball is in the middle of the long stretch of games till we get to postseason. Much of the country is experiencing record highs in heat and a shortage of water.

Basically, we need a shot of joy. And in the words of that New Jersey poet, when you need me, call my name — or at least call for Springsteen Heardle.

Kayla Padilla.

That's where Kayla Padilla (@kaylacp_) comes in. Kayla is an Ivy League basketball star, founder & editor-in-chief for The Sideline Post, creator of a video essay using Springsteen's music (specifically "Growing Up," below) that actually got a response from the man himself, and oh yeah, she created Springsteen Heardle, the guess-the-Springsteen-song game that's taking over the Internet! (Or at least our little Bruce-fan corner of it.)

Here is my Set Lusting Bruce discussion with her. Watch and/or listen now for your own shot of joy.

Here's the audio version:

Play Springsteen Heardle here: https://springsteen-heardle.glitch.me/

And check out Kayla's fantastic video essay here:

— Jesse Jackson