Bruce Springsteen Name Game Part 4: S-Z

You have all been so patient as I take the time to go through all of these lyrics! Bruce has talked about a multitude of women, but there are many more to come! Just for a recap, after Part 3, here is where the name game stands:

1. Mary – 39. In Part 3, Mary added 33 tallies to her name!
2. Jane/Janie/Janey – 20. There were no mentions for these ladies in Part 3, but they still have enough for second place.
3. Candy – 17. Two early songs may just be enough to get on the medal stand for Candy.
4. Linda – 15. Linda looms large with only one song, but many mentions.
5. Rosalita/Rosie – 13. The R’s have it over the Maria/Mary Lou’s by a slim margin.
6. Maria, Mary Lou – 12
7. Cynthia – 11
8. Kitty – 10
9. Ricky – 9
10. Sandy – 8
11. Martha – 5
12. Dinah – 4
13. Juliet, Lynette, Bobby Jean, Wendy, Frankie, Gloria, Sarah, Terry, Polly – 3
14. Wanda, Jackie, Leah, Catherine, Carol – 2
15. Eve, Kate, Cassiopeia, Lena, Pearl (Early-Pearly), Bobbie, Joan, Shaniqua, Theresa, Sally – 1

Santa Ana (Tracks) – Sandy – 1 time. Sandy ties Ricky in 9th with 9 mentions.

Shenandoah (We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions) – Sally – 1 time. Sally breaks free from the bottom slot and moves up a spot! (Don’t tell her she’s only in 14th, this is a big deal to her).

Sherry Darling (The River) – Sherry – 6 times. Sherry takes the 10 spot previously vacated by Sandy (two seconds ago).

I think Bruce had a drinking problem, singing a song to a wine.

So Young and in Love (Tracks) – Missy – 1 time. This is the first showing for Miss Missy, the tenth name with one tally.

Spanish Eyes (The Promise) – Christine – 1 time. Christine is a first as well. It’s not a name I would picture on a woman with Spanish eyes, but that’s Bruce’s call.

Spare Parts (Tunnel of Love) – Jane/Janey – 6 times. Thanks to the girl who started out ditched by her baby daddy and ended up making some good money, the Jane/Janie/Janey squad has 26, 13 behind Mary.

Spirit in the Night (Greetings from Asbury Park) – Janey – 5 times. Well, whaddya know? Janey is storming the proverbial name game castle, now just 8 behind Mary!

There’s Janey, and Janie, and Jane..Janie’s on the right with Jane and Janey.

Stand on It (Tracks) – Mary Beth – 1 time, Isabella – 1 time. Both first time additions to the list! However, my mind is more preoccupied wondering what will happen with the Mary/Janey totals.

Straight Time (Ghost of Tom Joad) – Mary – 1 time. She’s the wife of a former convict and helps boost her name’s total to 40. Is Mary now over the hill?

Terry’s Song (Magic) – Mary – 1 time. Mary gets another notch thanks to the religious context, up to 41.

The E Street Shuffle (The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle) – (Little) Angel – 5 times. Say hello to Angel who just loves showing all of the boys on the boardwalk how to do the E Street Shuffle.

I think we’d all pay to watch her do the E Street Shuffle.

The Line (Ghost of Tom Joad) – Louisa – 2 times. Louisa steps on the list as the subject of another story of love lost in the night.

The Rising (The Rising) – Mary – 1 time. Mary is not going away, getting her numbers up to 42.

The River (The River) – Mary – 3 times. In a song inspired by Springsteen’s sister and her husband, Mary now has 45 after another classic tale of blue-collar struggles.

Thunder Road (Born to Run) – Mary – 2 times. The song that (probably) made every woman who heard it want to be named Mary gives her 47 names overall. Mary is mentioned in 5 of the last 7 songs.

One of over 3 and a half billion Google Image results for ‘Mary.’ The name is not only popular in Bruce’s songs! (And her name isn’t even Mary, it’s Mary-Kate)

Wild Billy’s Circus Story (The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle) – Missy Bimbo – 2 times, Margarita – 1 time. Thanks to the circus environment, someone with a name like Missy Bimbo jumps ahead of Missy. This is Margarita’s debut.

Circuses would be a lot more fun if there were more of these there, am I right?

With Every Wish (Human Touch) – Doreen – 1 time. Her beauty was a gift and a curse for “Bobby,” so Doreen breaks onto the list.

You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) (The River) – (Dirty) Annie – 1 time. Another first as the number of songs winds down.

Youngstown (The Ghost of Tom Joad) – Jenny – 4 times. Sweet Jenny hears about Bruce’s trials in Youngstown. My parents grew up in the suburbs of the city and my grandparents worked in those very steel mills Bruce talks about. I also lived near Youngstown for about 5 years. It’s sad to say that even though working in the steel mills sounds bad, since they shut down, the city is even worse.

Zero and Blind Terry (Tracks) – Terry – 12 times. I thought the high numbers were done for, but Terry had something to say about it. She adds 12 to her 3 for a grand total of 15.

Who’s ready for the final tally? I know I am!

1. Mary – 47
2. Jane/Janie/Janey – 31
3. Candy – 17
4. Linda, Terry – 15
5. Rosalita/Rosie – 13
6. Maria, Mary Lou – 12
7. Cynthia – 11
8. Kitty – 10
9. Ricky, Sandy – 9
10. Sherry – 6
11. Martha, Angel – 5
12. Dinah, Jenny – 4
13. Juliet, Lynette, Bobby Jean, Wendy, Frankie, Gloria, Sarah, Polly – 3
14. Wanda, Jackie, Leah, Catherine, Carol, Sally, Louisa, Missy Bimbo – 2
15. Eve, Kate, Cassiopeia, Lena, Pearl (Early-Pearly), Bobbie, Joan, Shaniqua, Theresa, Missy, Christine, Mary Beth, Isabella, Margarita, Doreen, Annie – 1

Those of you who believed you heard Mary’s name a lot in Bruce’s songs, you’re right! Mary is the number one name in his original lyrics. Of course, all of his fans know that no matter what these numbers say, the number one woman in his life is Patti. Like the typical songwriter (except Taylor Swift), he does not mention her name directly.

Thank you all so much for being patient while I slogged through every word. I like to think this process educated me a little more on Springsteen’s work and I hope this has done the same for you. Perhaps later I will go back and order the names based on the time the song was released or even do the men’s names. But, for now I need a break on reading through the words. I will continue to learn about Bruce as I listen to the 66 songs on the Tracks album I just bought.

Thanks again for reading!

Bruce Springsteen Name Study Part 3: L – R

Hello again everyone! I have decided to temporarily put my in-depth Yankees coverage on the back burner until I finish this series. For first-time readers, Bruce Springsteen fans (I am one) know there are many women he mentions in his songs. So, since I have the time and the curiosity, I am going through all of Springsteen’s song lyrics via his official website and counting the woman’s name that appears the most times.

From my last post, the overall numbers for tracks beginning with a number through the letter K.

1. Jane/Janie/Janey (I believe Janie and Janey are variations of Jane) – 20
2. Candy (thanks to Candy’s Boy and Candy’s Room) – 17
3. Cynthia – 11 (all in one song!)
4. Kitty – 10
5. Sandy – 8
6. Mary – 6 (mentioned one time in six different songs)
7. Dinah, Maria – 4
8. Lynette, Bobby Jean, Wendy, Frankie, Gloria, Sarah, Terry, Polly – 3
9. Catherine, Carol, Juliet – 2
10. Lena, Pearl (Early-Pearly), Bobbie, Joan, Mary Lou, Delilah, Shaniqua (the name I least expected), Martha, Theresa, Sally – 1

Thanks for continuing to follow along. For the first entry in the L category, a new name makes its way to the list.

Leah (Devils & Dust) – Leah – 2 times

Linda Let Me Be the One (Tracks) – Linda – 15 times, Mary – 1 time. Linda, like Janey in “Janey, Don’t You Lose Heart,” gets a big bump with her name mentioned four times in three choruses. Linda separates the C’s, jumping to third place behind Candy and above Cynthia. Mary gets another bump (up to 7 times in 7 songs) in a religious context.

Here is a Linda. Linda Cardellini. She played Velma in the Scooby-Doo movies. I know, right? She definitely could have been Daphne.

Long Time Comin’ (Devils & Dust) – Cassiopeia – 1 time (in reference to the constellation), Rosie – 1 time. Rosie makes her first appearance! I am thinking that since Rosalita and Rosie are the same person in “Rosalita,” this Rosie should count toward the Rosalita/Rosie tally as well. Does this make sense to you?

Lost in the Flood (Greetings from Asbury Park) – Maria – 1 time. Maria jumps ahead of Dinah with her fifth tally, taking 7th place to herself.

Maria’s Bed (Devils & Dust) – Maria – 6 times. Maria brings her total to 11, tied with Cynthia in fourth place.

Mary Lou (Tracks) – Mary Lou – 10 times. Bruce can be stingy or generous with ladies’ names when they’re the song title. Here, Mary Lou separates herself from Mary (7 tallies), but is now tied with Maria (and Cynthia) at 11.

Mary Queen of Arkansas (Greetings from Asbury Park) – Mary – 6 times. The M’s are providing a lot of movement on the charts! Mary now shows Maria and Mary Lou who’s boss with 13 total. That’s good enough for third place!

Mary’s Place (The Rising) – Mary – 11 times. One of my favorite Bruce songs has rocketed Mary up to first place with 24 past Jane/Janey/Janie.

My Hometown (Born in the USA) – Kate – 1 time. Kate appears on the list for the first time!

“One mention?!? I’ll make that peasant Bruce write a song with my name in it a million times!”

New York City Serenade (The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle) – Jackie – 2 times. Jackie steps into the fold!

O Mary Don’t You Weep (We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions) – Mary – 10 times, Martha – 4 times. Mary has firmly cemented herself in first place with 34. She’s now 14 above Jane/Janey/Janie with another double-digit song in her name after starting with one mention in seven songs. Martha moves out of the pack of 1’s with her name mentioned a more respectable five times total.

Open All Night (Nebraska) – Wanda – 2 times. Wanda and her job at a chicken joint gave Bruce some comfort on his long drive home, so she gets a shout-out for the first time.

Pink Cadillac (Tracks) – Eve – 1 time. Eve debuts in a religious context, like many of Mary’s mentions.

Adam totally just wanted her for her car.

Point Blank (The River) – Juliet – 1 time. After the Mary melee, we have the third different name in a row. Juliet brings her total tally to 3 with another paired reference to Romeo.

Reason to Believe (Nebraska) – Mary Lou – 1 time. Of course, as soon as I comment about the Mary melee, Mary-with-a-middle-name gets a +1 to move ahead of Mary and Cynthia with 12 mentions.

Reno (Devils & Dust) – Maria – 1 time. In this NSFW (not safe for work) song, Maria counters Mary Lou’s mention and levels the score at 12.

Ricky Wants a Man of Her Own (Tracks) – Ricky – 9 times. Ricky bursts onto the list as a woman desperate for a man! Miss Independent, she’s not.

Rockaway the Days (Tracks) – Mary Dove – 1 time, Mary – 4 times. This song presents a new challenge. Mary Dove and Mary are two different names, but reference the same person. Referencing my last post about my stand on this position, Mary Dove goes under Mary and Mary gets five more tallies for a total of 39.

Rosalita (The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle) – Rosalita – 4 times, Rosie – 8 times. Rosalita/Rosie combine for 12 in her eponymous song that is one of my favorites. With the Rosie in Long Time Comin’, that’s lucky 13 overall. I think that’s good enough to be one of the top 5!

After Part 3, here is where the name game stands:

1. Mary – 39. In Part 3, Mary added 33 tallies to her name!
2. Jane/Janie/Janey – 20. There were no mentions for these ladies in this section, but they still have enough for second place.
3. Candy – 17. Two early songs may just be enough to get on the medal stand for Candy.
4. Linda – 15. Linda looms large with only one song, but many mentions.
5. Rosalita/Rosie – 13. The R’s have it over the Maria/Mary Lou’s by a slim margin.
6. Maria, Mary Lou – 12
7. Cynthia – 11
8. Kitty – 10
9. Ricky – 9
10. Sandy – 8
11. Martha – 5
12. Dinah – 4
13. Juliet, Lynette, Bobby Jean, Wendy, Frankie, Gloria, Sarah, Terry, Polly – 3
14. Wanda, Jackie, Leah, Catherine, Carol – 2
15. Eve, Kate, Cassiopeia, Lena, Pearl (Early-Pearly), Bobbie, Joan, Shaniqua, Theresa, Sally – 1

Thanks to the M songs, most of the mobility is with the M names. Linda’s up in 4th with Bruce’s desire for her love. 12 is a large number for names in a song, so the song Rosalita was a game-changer like I thought it would be. Will Maria and Mary Lou end up tied? How many more mentions can Mary and Jane/Janie/Janey count on? We know Mary is the heroine in Thunder Road, so that’s at least one! There are more songs about Terry, so I anticipate her to move from that snarl at 13th place. I’m thinking Mary is too far ahead for the competition. What do you think?

Thanks for reading!