Let's face it, Bruce Springsteen has been practicing being a grandpa for years. Take one look at him pulling up a seat on stage for this little missy back in 2012 and you know he was destined for grandpa greatness.
Well, now he'll get to do it for real: According to Patti's Instagram, son Sam and his fiancee have welcomed a beautiful new addition, Lily Harper Springsteen. Congratulations to the proud parents, to Bruce and Patti, and to a very large extended fan base of "aunts" and "uncles."
Beyond Bruce's forays into on-stage day care during "Waitin' on a Sunny Day," his music has progressively taken on a growing family feel in his later years. Sure, his seminal albums of the '70s and early '80s dealt with being young, breaking out, and, when it came to parental figures, snapping those ties that bind. But as he got older, the parents in his songs started to become friendlier figures — inspirational folks whose footsteps you might want to follow in, or who might have some wise words to share about that flag flying over the courthouse.
And in some cases the voices in the songs became increasingly more, well, fatherly, from the man propping his son up behind the wheel in "My Hometown" to the new dad who sees "Living Proof" in a little piece of the Lord's undying light (i.e. a baby, please try to keep up). And in the last few years, characters in the grandpa mode have even started popping up, from the old-timer actor of "Western Stars" to the aging purveyor of friends past from "Ghosts."
So in honor of Lily Harper Springsteen, here's a playlist of some of the most paternal (or possibly grand-paternal) tracks of Bruce's long career. Many congratulations, Bruce, and may you have many years of giving piggyback rides to your new Pony Girl.
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