{"id":23377,"date":"2020-12-03T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-03T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=23377"},"modified":"2023-01-02T16:53:15","modified_gmt":"2023-01-03T00:53:15","slug":"cover-me-then-she-kissed-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2020\/12\/03\/cover-me-then-she-kissed-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Cover Me: Then (S)he Kissed Me"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Bruce first covered &#8220;Then He Kissed Me&#8221; in concert during the summer of 1974, which is also when he recorded &#8220;Born to Run.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t think that&#8217;s a coincidence.<\/p>\n<p>We know that &#8220;Born to Run&#8221; was inspired by Phil Spector&#8217;s &#8220;wall of sound&#8221; technique, and for my money there&#8217;s no better example of that sound than The Crystals&#8217; &#8220;Then He Kissed Me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MSkum4B162M?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s no wonder why &#8220;Then He Kissed Me&#8221; is one of Bruce&#8217;s favorites: In addition to the Spector touch, it&#8217;s simply one of the greatest songs of the girl group era, combining two of Brue&#8217;s great influences. With soaring vocals and a backing track filled with sublime strings, castanets and kettle drums, horns and harps, &#8220;Then He Kissed Me&#8221; has a lush sound that can&#8217;t help but enchant even the least romantic among us.<\/p>\n<p>And Bruce is nothing if not a romantic.<\/p>\n<p>He&#8217;s not alone. &#8220;Then He Kissed Me&#8221; was a huge hit when it was originally released in the summer of 1963, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was still remembered fondly a decade later when Bruce brought it back to the stage during his tour behind <em>The Wild, The Innocent &amp; The E Street Shuffle.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>He played it a few times that summer and autumn, and when he took the E Street Band back out on tour the following summer to promote\u00a0<em>Born to Run<\/em>, &#8220;Then She Kissed Me&#8221; was a staple throughout the month of August, including and most especially at his legendary breakthrough stand at The Bottom Line in New York City.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hHFjL-XDlHE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Bruce&#8217;s cover was superbly faithful, although he made one very noticeable change: Much later in his career, Bruce would grow more comfortable singing from a woman&#8217;s or a gay man&#8217;s perspective, but in 1975 he apparently felt more comfortable flipping gender pronouns and retitling the song, &#8220;Then She Kissed Me.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Then again, he wasn&#8217;t the first cover artist who felt the need to invert &#8220;Then He Kissed Me.&#8221; The Beach Boys did that first back in 1965, and a lot more awkwardly to boot. (&#8220;Her&#8221; is an awful word to hold a note on, and Al Jardine had to swallow it each time.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hiOX3gtCAFA?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;Then She Kissed Me&#8221; was an early highlight each time it appeared in Bruce&#8217;s set, and yet it was gone from his set lists by the time Labor Day rolled around.<\/p>\n<p>Bruce didn&#8217;t perform it again for thirty-three years&#8230; to the day. Whether he knew it or not (probably not), Bruce chose the anniversary of the day he&#8217;d last played &#8220;Then She Kissed Me&#8221; to perform it again, opening his instantly legendary Magic Tour show in St. Louis with it on <a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/08\/23\/where-the-band-was-st-louis-august-23-2008\/\">August 23, 2008<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hUzP8DQyBD0?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>That was no audible, and to the best of my knowledge it wasn&#8217;t by request. Bruce just seemed to be in a 1975 mood that night&#8211;those of us in the lottery line outside the arena were able to hear him soundcheck not just &#8220;Then She Kissed Me&#8221; but also &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/08\/cover-me-when-you-walk-in-the-room\/\">When You Walk in the Room<\/a>&#8221; and &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/11\/cover-me-little-queenie\/\">Little Queenie<\/a>,&#8221; two other notable 1975 tour covers. Not only that, he even played &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2022\/09\/21\/cover-me-mountain-of-love\/\">Mountain of Love<\/a>&#8221; during the show by request. (You can listen in on that soundcheck below.)<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"758\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/geYTbeoe2Lc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<p>Bruce performed &#8220;Then She Kissed Me&#8221; once more (by request this time) the following summer in Sunrise, Florida, but it&#8217;s been absent from his set list ever since.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s clearly a song for which Bruce has a great deal of affection, though, so all it might take is a well-positioned sign on the next tour for &#8220;Then She Kissed Me&#8221; to make a return visit.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Then (S)he Kissed Me<br \/>\nFirst performed:<\/strong> July 13, 1974 (New York City, NY)<br \/>\n<strong>Last performed:<\/strong> September 13, 2009 (Sunrise, FL)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bruce first covered The Crystals&#8217; 1963 hit around the same time he recorded &#8220;Born to Run.&#8221; That&#8217;s almost certainly not a coincidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23494,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[2084,2990,1499],"class_list":["post-23377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cover-me","tag-the-crystals","tag-then-he-kissed-me","tag-then-she-kissed-me"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/thenhekissedme.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9w3Lk-653","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6804,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/03\/19\/matr-bruce-springsteen-and-darlene-love-da-doo-ron-ron\/","url_meta":{"origin":23377,"position":0},"title":"Da Doo Ron Ron","author":"Ken","date":"March 19, 1988","format":false,"excerpt":"It's up for debate whether Darlene Love's vocals are anywhere to be found on the original recording, but she certainly was front and center with the E Street Band at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concert in 2009.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover Me","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/cover-me\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/dadooronron.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/dadooronron.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/dadooronron.jpg?fit=1000%2C1000&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, 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Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/wantad.jpg?fit=672%2C356&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/wantad.jpg?fit=672%2C356&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/wantad.jpg?fit=672%2C356&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59419,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/23\/kingdom-of-days-august-23-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":23377,"position":2},"title":"Kingdom of Days: August 23","author":"Ken","date":"August 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Today in Bruce history: Bruce welcomes Max and Roy to the E Street Band and kicks off his \"autobiography tour.\" Plus: highlights from epic, surprise-filled shows, and more.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Kingdom of Days&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Kingdom of Days","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/category\/kingdom-of-days\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maxroy.jpg?fit=1157%2C887&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maxroy.jpg?fit=1157%2C887&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maxroy.jpg?fit=1157%2C887&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maxroy.jpg?fit=1157%2C887&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/maxroy.jpg?fit=1157%2C887&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 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https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/loveagain.jpg?fit=700%2C700&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/estreetshuffle.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/loveagain.jpg?fit=700%2C700&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21789,"url":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/2020\/10\/08\/cover-me-when-you-walk-in-the-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":23377,"position":4},"title":"Cover Me: When You Walk in the Room","author":"Ken","date":"October 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Bruce debuted his cover of \"When You Walk in the Room\" at his legendary stand at the Bottom Line; he reprised it more than thirty years later.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Cover Me&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Cover 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