“These Two Lanes Will Take Us Anywhere”- Themes from The Boss in Your Career

Image from Last.fm

Not-so-little-secret: I love Bruce Springsteen.

John Stewart introduced Bruce Springsteen when he received his Kennedy Center Honors in December 2009 and said, “I believe that Bruce Springsteen is an unprecedented combination of lyrical eloquence, musical mastery and sheer unbridled, unadulterated joy.  Exuberance in the act of telling stories so familiar, stories that have never been told so well or so uniquely.”

That sums up Bruce’s music making in two simple sentences.

I’ve been a fan of Bruce Springsteen since before I can remember.  Since seeing him live for the second time this past October, I started appreciating his music for more than its amazing music and simple, yet powerful lyrics.  The beauty in his songwriting is the fact that anyone can relate to the story he tells.  The songs tell stories of everyday people.  So I thought, How can I relate these themes to myself as a professional? In no particular order, I chose five songs and this is what I came up with (lyrics from brucespringsteen.net):

[DISCLAIMER- in no way am I demeaning the powerful songwriting and story telling of Bruce Springsteen.  Just a fun post to kick off the new year (: ]

“Oh oh come take my hand/We’re riding out tonight to case the promised land…It’s a town full of losers/And I’m pulling out of here to win.” -Thunder Road (from Born to Run, 1975)
The first song on one of the best albums of all time (in my opinion), Thunder Road describes the freedom and romance of the open road, which could also be the freedom in your career.  The “road,” or specialization, you choose in your field will take you wherever you want to go, which is something important to remember.  Where is the Promised Land?  Wherever you feel comfortable and where you can make a difference in your field of work.  Never settle until you get to the Promised Land.

“I work five days a week girl/Loading crates down on the dock/I take my hard earned money/And meet my girl down on the block/And Monday when the foreman calls time/I’ve already got Friday on my mind.” -Out in the Street (from The River, 1980)
This one is a little more obvious.  In the song, Bruce works hard so he plays hard.  This goes for professionals as well.  If you work hard all week, you should what you want and take your girlfriend/boyfriend/significant other/friends out for the night for a good time.  It’s a great reward for being dedicated to your job, and you deserve it.

“There was nothing left to say but I hated him and I hated you when you went away.” -Backstreets (from Born to Run, 1975)
This is probably my favorite song by The Boss.  You may ask, “Why?  It’s heartbreaking and sad!”  True, it is very much so.  Backstreets so full of passion and emotion though, let alone the piano in the beginning gives me chills.  It reminds me of when a client leaves an agency for another after a meaningful relationship.  More specifically, it made me think of the episode of “Mad Men” when Conrad Hilton moves his account away from Don Draper and Sterling Cooper to another agency.  The anguish and failure in Don’s eyes was heartbreaking, much like the lyrics of this song.  This obviously happens a lot in advertising and public relations, as it does in our personal lives as well.

“They say you gotta stay hungry/Hey baby I’m just about starving tonight” - Dancing in the Dark (from Born in the USA, 1984)
One of the reasons (among many) why I love this song because Courteney Cox is in the music video, which I think is awesome.  I feel that Dancing in the Dark is about never settling in your life.  Bruce is clearly restless about something in his life when he wrote this song and he’s trying to do something about it.  So should you as a professional.  Think your job is boring?  Try to find a new one.  Want to change your career path?  Go back to school.  If you’re not 100%  satisfied with your life, the only way you’ll be truly happy is if you make some changes yourself.  No one else can do that for you.

“Come on up for the rising/Come on up, lay your hands in mine” - The Rising (from The Rising, 2002)
The Rising was released in 2002, right after 9/11.  Obvious motifs of this album include community, rising up, and pulling through together.  To me, this song represents an office, department, or team working together on a big project.  Perhaps the project hasn’t been going according to plan, and the team needs some rallying and motivation.  That’s what The Rising is about- when all else seems lost and forgotten, if we come together, we can make anything happen.  While independence is great at times, you need to know how to work as a team and help out others when they need it.  I think that in Communications and Marketing- hell, in life- if you don’t have this quality, you will only go so far in your career.

How did I do? Do the songs I wrote about have different meanings to you?  What other songs would you have liked to see here?

A Few of My Favorite Things

It wouldn’t be the end of a year without some lists.

In honor of my favorite movie, which is The Sound of Music (has been since I was in fourth grade) and was on tv last night, here are a few of my favorite things from 2009:

A video of my friends band, Fools & Horses, at a bar in Baltimore this past spring.  Just found these gems while digging through my computer’s old files.  They are singing to me specifically, and they are performing my favorite Beatles song, which happens to be “Here Comes The Sun.”  F&H were a big part of my life since my very first September in college and I miss them tremendously.  These four fellas are some of the sweetest, most talented (not to mention some of the most handsome) guys I have met in my life, so give them a listen.

Keurig Platinum Coffee Maker

Second, I am IN LOVE with the Keurig Coffee Maker I got for Christmas from “Santa” this year.  Now, you’re probably wondering, “Why does she need that- she still lives at home?”

…this is true.

However, my family and I just consider it an early “you have your own place!” gift.  For now, it’s being used by the family until the wonderful day where I will move out of my home and start a new life on my own.

For those of you who don’t know what this wonderful machine is, and can’t tell from the picture, it is a coffee/tea/hot chocolate machine that brews individual, perfect cups every time.   There are about 10 different brands to make “K-Cups” that can be used in the machine, each with dozens of different varieties.  You can chose different cup sizes as well.   It even tells you when it’s ready to brew!! It’s amazing.

Courtesy of ladygaga.com

Third, another one of my favorite things is Lady Gaga (as she comes on my iTunes right now).  I love everything about her- her weirdness, her voice, her song writing, her costumes, EVERYTHING.  As a drop out of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, she has made quite the name for herself.  And while some people may call her weird now, I feel that she won’t be appreciate until later, like Andy Warhol.  Try and name someone else who has come into fame as quickly as she has in the last few years…tough, right?

Lady Gaga’s career an inspirational story of someone who became a success on their own terms, and not anyone else’s.  Her versatility as a performer is demonstrated through her most recent album release called ‘The Fame Monster” AKA the ‘B’ side of “The Fame.”  Listen to Bad Romance and Speechless- she pulls off dance music and ballads so well, I don’t know which one she does better. Lady Gaga doesn’t go with the flow, which, in addition to her talent, has helped herlaunch her empire and brand.  If anything, just through her fashion alone.  The Kermit dress, her “hair bow”, the red lace dress she wore at the VMAs, the 10 inch heels in the “Bad Romance” video?  All created by high end designers.  Alexander McQueen (creator of those 10 inch heels, among other things) is basically her best friend, and not a shabby friend to have either.

So there you go, there are a few of my favorite things.  Honorable mentions include, but aren’t limited to: my iPhone, Harry Potter, graduating from Loyola College in Maryland, New York City, and Trader Joe’s.

It has been a great year, but I am ready to see what 2010 has in store for us.  Most importantly, increased use of social media and bringing my non-profit into Facebook, Twitter and blogging.

What are some of your favorite things from this year?  What are you looking forward to in 2010?

What are you Tweeting for #Tweetsgiving?

#Tweetsgiving has to be the coolest topic on Twitter I have seen to date.

With the celebration of Thanksgiving (the start of the kick-ass food season, as I like to call it…) mere days away, the trending topics of Thanksgiving and #Tweetsgiving show me just how grateful and gracious the Twitter world is- through Twibbons, Tweetups, and more.

#Tweetsgiving doesn’t start until 12 today, but it got me thinking about things for which I am thankful.  Of course, I can list the very obvious: my health, my job, my family + friends, my diploma, the long weekend, etc.  But what’s the fun in being obvious?

A beautiful tree in my town

So let’s try to dig a little deeper.  What else am I thankful for?  Trader Joe’s curry chicken salad and all of its goodies, the beautiful piano intro of “Backstreets” and all [good] music in general, the radiant colors of nature in the fall, social media and all of its daily entertainment [what would I do without status updates and trending topics?], my best friend’s bachelorette party in Atlantic City a few weekends away [hey, I need a get-away!] and her fiancé and her brother [both in our military, her brother stationed at Ft. Hood and her fiancé in Iraq] both serving our country, both safe and sound.  I am thankful for wonderful coworkers and all the food they bring into the office.  I am thankful for Macy’s and their Turkey Day Parade- the musical performances, the Rockettes, and the floats.  See which ones have been especially memorable over the past 80 years here.  If this doesn’t get you in the mood for Thanksgiving, I don’t know what will…

Mostly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have secured a job 4 months after graduating, in this economy, and actually be doing what I studied in college.  And all of this while working for a non-profit, using the compassion and commitment to social justice taught at Loyola.  Woohoo Jesuits.

Ok, so most of those were sappy and expected.  My bad.

In the wise words of Sally Brown, Charlie Brown’s blonde little sister, “Anyway, why should I give thanks on Thanksgiving? What have I got to be thankful for? All it does is make more work for us at school.”

While it does make for more work in school, it’s still something to think about.  In this time of economic turmoil (among other things), what are you thankful for this season?

Seeing Bruce Springsteen Live is Like a Religious Experience

Bruce Springsteen performing “Backstreets” 10/08/09

Try to argue with that.  The passion in Springsteen’s voice, the brilliant music- especially the piano solo for the first 45 seconds of the song- and heart wrenching lyrics.  And to sing with such passion still, so long after the song’s first release in the early 80s.  This song gets me everytime, yet I listen to it on repeat constantly?  Bruce has that effect on you.

I was in this crowd when he performed this very song- this video was from the night I saw him as one of the last shows at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.  I wish there were bands around now who would still be this passionate about music with they’re 60 and spent 35 years in the business. Hands down, “Born to Run” [the album where you can find this song] is one of the greatest albums of all time [and I saw it played live in it's entirety].  The end.