Farewell to Joe Depugh who inspired Springsteen “Glory Days”

Joe Depugh, the man who inspired the hit of Bruce Springsteen of 1985 “Glory Days”, he died of cancer. Bruce Springsteen communicated it on its social networks:

“Just a moment to remember the disappearance of Joe Depugh, a native of Freehold and the baseball player. He was a good friend when I needed it,” he adds, citing the Gloy Days test: “He could launch that fast ball, making you a figure of the idiot” …. Glory days My Friend “.

Springsteen and Depugh grew up together with Freehold, New Jersey, where they played in the same youth alloy. In 1973 they met in a New Jersey bar, where they recalled the old days, including the fact that Springsteen was the less good baseball player than the two.

Many years later, Springsteen would have written about Depugh and of this meeting in the first verse of “Glory Days”: “I had a friend who was a great baseball player / at the time of the high school / he could throw that fast ball / make you look stupid, boy”.

It was the New York Times years ago to tell their story and that meeting

Springsteen and Depugh were classmates at St. Rose of Lima School in Freehold, New Jersey – writes the American newspaper – and played baseball in the Babe Ruth League together (from 13 to 15 years). They were good friends, but they moved away because Springsteen devoted themselves to music and Depough to sport (he made a audition for the Los Angeles Dodgers). In the summer of 1973, Depugh entered a bar called headliner in Neptune, New Jersey, while Springsteen is leaving. Bruce returned, and together with his old friend he spoke of the good times that went to the closure of the bar. When “Glory Days” came out, Depugh lived in Vermont, where the rumor was scattered that he was the subject of the song. Springsteen confirmed the story to the meeting of his 30 years of high school in 1997, but Depugh was not present; The two finally met in 2005, when they found themselves at lunch and once again saw their days of glory again.

Speaking of the song the author said: Springsteen: “The first verse really happened, the second verse is mostly happened, the third verse, of course, is happening now”. The song during the lives expanded and came to 12 minutes on the occasion of the 2009 Halftime.

The song, which appeared on “Born in the USA“.” From 1984, he reached n. 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1985. Despite the enormous success of Springsteen, Depugh told the Palm Beach Post in 2011 that he has always seen him only as a childhood friend: “Every time we are together, the dynamic is the same: I am the star and he is the boy at the end of the bench”, he said. ”