Bon Jovi plays favorite Springsteen songs as guest DJ on SiriusXM (READ TRANSCRIPT)

Jon Bon Jovi played Bruce Springsteen music on SiriusXM satellite radio, Nov. 24.

“That was my ticket to paradise,” said Jon Bon Jovi about seeing Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in concert, for the first time, in the ’70s. He did this while introducing the Springsteen song “The Promised Land” in his 55-minute guest stint as a DJ on SiriusXM satellite radio’s E Street Radio channel, Nov. 24.

Among the either other songs he played were “Born to Run,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Atlantic City” and his duet with Springsteen on his own hit “You Give Love a Bad Name” at a New Jersey benefit concert in 1998.

On this show, which debuted on the Monday of Thanksgiving Week, he concluded by saying, “I’m grateful for everything that they gave all of us, and I wanted to just come on your radio, to tell you that.”

Here is a nearly complete transcript, with only minor edits, and videos for all the songs played.
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Hello, E Street Nation. This is Jon Bon Jovi, and I am here as a very special guest host, on E Street Radio.

The E Street Band were The Beatles, when you grew up in New Jersey. When I was a boy, I would drive down to Asbury Park, just cutting my teeth in the music business, playing in the bars. If you were lucky enough, you’d walk into one of those bars … and there were 10 members of the Jukes, and 7 members of The E Street Band. One of ’em would be somewhere, almost every night. And if you got really lucky, you would run into Southside or, on a magic night, Bruce.

So in 1978 (Note: It was actually January 1980), I was playing with The Atlantic City Expressway, which was my very first cover band, playing in bars, and a record by Bruce and The E Street Band came out called Darkness on the Edge of Town, and we were performing the song “Promised Land.” And as I was singing the song, I turned around. And as I turned around … at the microphone with me to sing along was, in fact, Bruce. Now, for a kid that was still in high school, believe me, that was a Beatles moment. Of course, I had known their music. I had grown up with it. I sat through the period between Born to Run and Darkness, when there wasn’t any records out. And, when Darkness came out, and you could go and see the E Street Band now, live, it was mind-blowing.

“You Give Love a Bad Name” (Springsteen/Bon Jovi duet). From Jan. 31, 1998 benefit concert for the Sergeant Patrick King Memorial Fund at The Count Basie Theatre (now The Count Basie Center for the Arts) in Red Bank.

So the first song that comes to mind was “Born to Run.” That album, I first heard … it must have been ’76, ’77. I am 14, 15 years old and my cousin Joey gives it to me, and I just related to it, because these songs were about places that were right outside of my window.

Of course I still liked a lot of what I heard in the ’70s, rock ‘n’ roll stuff that was, you know, on the cover of Circus magazine. But these guys that were making records, out my window, about the place where I was from, really just took me to a whole other place. So the first record I remember hearing was Born to Run, taking that whole record and screaming it from the top of my stairs in my mom and dad’s house, and then I worked my way back, whether it was Greetings, and then The Wild and the Innocent, and waited for the day that Darkness came out.

I’m gonna start my journey off, the way it started for me … here’s that title track from Bruce’s third album.

“Born to Run”

This is Jon Bon Jovi, and I am your guest DJ here, on E Street Radio. And I get to pick some of my favorite Bruce Springsteen songs for you, and talk about the record experience, the live experience, the opportunity to meet your heroes … it goes so beyond, for me, that … listening to the records, of course, was the first thing. Loving the songs, loving the band, loving everything about it. But then, like I said before, 1978 was the first time that he jumped up onstage — 1979, I guess it is, that he jumps up with me and The Atlantic City Expressway. But the first time that I saw The E Street Band play live was at the Philadelphia Spectrum. They had been playing some theaters, but this was their first arena that I got an opportunity to go to. And when they were playing “Spirit in the Night,” Clarence was blowing that horn, and the solo happens, and by the time the solo ends, Bruce is up in the third tier, sitting in the seats.

I loved that trick (laughs). I used that trick myself, many years later, because I was like, “That is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.” I do remember, when they took that stage, I broke out in a sweat. I mean, that was like them saying when they saw Elvis and The Beatles on “Ed Sullivan” … that was my ticket to paradise, and there was no turning back. That was the beginning of it all.

So my next song, from the album Darkness on the Edge of Town, should be “The Promised Land.” It was the first one, like I said, that Bruce had ever sung with me, and just recently, he came, as I was honored at The Grammys’ MusiCares event (in February of this year) as the Person of the Year, he came as the band performed our latest single, “Legendary,” and “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” which he’s performed with us many times, but I broke into “The Promised Land.” Because, you know, in a weird way, it was full circle. Here I was with my hero, once again, like it was 1979. And he’s jumping onstage with me, but he’s jumping onstage now with me and the band, some 40 years on.

“The Promised Land”

I’m gonna pick another song now from the Darkness album. Of course I think it should be the title track, “Darkness on the Edge of Town.” It sets up a great scene. It was great live. I never forget when the guitar solo kicked in and he would just hit that distortion pedal, and play that … real simple but very powerful solo.

“Darkness on the Edge of Town”

One more song from the Darkness album. I remember a story, many, many, many years later: We were performing in Dallas, Texas, at The American Airlines Arena. The E Street Band was there the night before we were. So we went to see them and then they coming to see us. And Bruce said, “What song do you want in the setlist?” And I said, “Adam Raised a Cain.” And he was, like, “Hmmm, okay.” It was like a challenge to them, to go out and do that one, off the cuff. And it was great. Just the shear rawness of that. To hear them playing those songs live were always such great memories for me. And I remember we were all tired as hell, being on the road. But I couldn’t leave. We just stayed there and watched the whole show.

“Adam Raised a Cain”

“Wrecking Ball,” from the album Wrecking Ball. This song was about the tearing down of Giants Stadium. Giants Stadium: the place where The New York Giants played football (and) The Jets, of course, played football. The place that, in rock history, was the place that you dreamt of playing. This was beyond your wildest, wildest dreams. The first time that I played there was 1989. I had been to a bunch of shows there, prior. So now, it’s … 2009, ’10, somewhere around there. And The E Street Band were closing the building. And Bruce writes “Wrecking Ball.” And the agreement was, they were going to close the building, and we were going to open MetLife (Stadium). But this song, and that lyric … “Bring on your wrecking ball” … it’s just the perfect song for what that was, and the majesty and the memories and the rubble … being in that building, and going there for games, and going there for shows, and being blessed enough to play there.

This song still moves me. I turn it up to 10 whenever I’m around a radio and this one comes on. “Bring on your wrecking ball!”

“Wrecking Ball”

This song “Atlantic City,” which, for me, qualifies under that list, “Boy, I wish I wrote that! What a great song.” And it’s great that it’s going to be highlighted in the recording of Nebraska in the film that’s being made. I’m very excited to see that. This song, obviously … if you don’t feel the salt air blowing in your face and the drastic kind of tension between our hero and his girl, and the choices that he’s about to make in this song, then you’re just not paying attention. A great song. Still stands the test of time, to me. And I do love this version. From the album Nebraska: it’s “Atlantic City.”

“Atlantic City”

This is a live version of “Murder Incorporated” from Madison Square Garden. If you’ve not seen Bruce at Madison Square Garden, you’re missing out. There’s just always something magical about seeing The E Street Band at The Garden. And this song, played there … this bridge … the bridge of this song is so great. There’s just something about the timing when he’s coming out of … (sings some of it ) … it’s so great. The syncopation of the lyric gets me every time.

“Murder Incorporated,” live version from July 1, 2000

I want to thank you very much for allowing me to run the dial here at E Street Radio, playing you some of my favorite Bruce songs. Like I said before, they were my Beatles. This was the reason that I broke out into a sweat. I’m grateful for everything that they gave all of us, and I wanted to just come on your radio, to tell you that. So thank you, and thank you to The E Street Band. I’m going to just leave you with something here, that’s always been just a great song. You know, if this doesn’t uplift you, I don’t know what will. “Land of Hope and Dreams” … it’s the dream we’re all (having), every day, together, in this land of togetherness.

“Land of Hope and Dreams”