The Difference Between Needles In The Eyes and a Knife In The Heart

So, yeah, I was picking on Henley the other day for his published comment comparing singing "Desperado" for the umpteenth time to "needles in the eyes." Case in point: here's Springsteen, no spring chicken either, performing his epic "Jungleland" in 2009. He recorded it in 1975 and has been singing it ever since. 34 years later, the tempo is a little slower, the beat just a little bigger, and his voice is, admittedly, pretty shot, but the intensity is unmistakable. He meant it then and he means it even more now. He's not blowing through the lyrics like Bob Dylan and he's not phoning it in like many other stars have admitted. We're comfortable with the framing of the camera being that tight on Springsteen because he's present. And while every moment might not be new, it is realized, and he's telling his story as only he can tell it.