Twice attempted, twice denied.
Despite its near universal recognition and acclaim, “Rockin’ Robin” stopped just short of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 not once but twice, peaking at #2 both times.
Operating under the pseudonym Jimmie Thomas, songwriter Leon René (responsible for such hits as “I Sold My Heart to the Junkman“) wrote and produced “Rockin’ Robin” for Bobby Day, who scored a national hit with it in 1958.
Fourteen years later, Michael Jackson accomplished the same feat with his version.
It may never have been a number one single in either incarnation, but that didn’t stop “Rockin’ Robin” from becoming an enduring oldies favorite. With its irresistible beat and “Tweedle-lee-dee-dee-dee” introduction, “Rockin’ Robin” is as infectious and joyous as rock and roll gets.
So why did Bruce Springsteen omit the best part of the song when he covered it for the first and only time at a fan’s request back in 2009?
Maybe it struck him as just a bit too silly for a serious concert, or maybe he just didn’t remember it. (It required quite a long pause in the proceedings for Bruce and the band to work out the song before attempting it, and for a moment it seemed like Bruce was going to abandon the attempt.
“Gotta see if we can figure this one out,” he confessed to the audience after some awkward moments. “Or we can move on. You don’t have any place to go, do you?”
Of course they didn’t, and patience was rewarded with the E Street Band’s only known performance of “Rockin’ Robin.”
Okay, so it was a bit too slow to capture the magic of the original, and it lacked the all-important intro, but it was still one of those magic anything-can-happen moments when Bruce goes off-road for fan requests.
Rockin’ Robin
First performed: September 20, 2009 (Chicago, IL)
Last performed: September 20, 2009 (Chicago, IL)
