Bruce Springsteen took a swipe at governor Chris Christie's controversial "Bridgegate" scandal with a parody of one his most iconic songs on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
The 64-year old rocker and the talk show host both donned identical costumes, lampooning Springsteen's "Born in the USA" period, as they traded lyrics set to "Born to Run."
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Jimmy Fallon took to the microphone first, aping Springsteen's vocals as he growled, "In the day we sweat it out on the streets, stuck in traffic on the GWB/ they shut down the toll booths of glory 'cuz we didn’t endorse Christie/sprung from cages on Highway 9, we got three lanes closed, so Jersey, get your ass in line."
He continued to sing about the controversy, which accuses staffers of shutting down traffic lanes last September to punish Fort Lee's mayor, Mark Sokolich, for not endorsing the governor. At the time, the Port Authority claimed the lanes were shut down for a "traffic study."
"Baby this Bridgegate was just payback/ it's a bitch slap to the state Democrats. ...We got to get out while we can/we're stuck in governor Chris Christie's Fort Lee-New Jersey traffic jam!"
Springsteen then emerged from the shadows, playfully staring down Fallon's "fake Bruce" before joining in with his own verse aimed at the politician, who is a big fan of the musician. "Governor, let me in, I want to be your friend, there’ll be no partisan division," sang Springsteen. "Let me wrap my legs around your mighty rims and relieve your stressful condition." He then laments that he has to "take a leak" but can’t, because of traffic.
The pair then poked fun at Christie's two-hour press conference on the scandal, with Springsteen belting out, "It was like one of my own damn shows."
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Springsteen has history with the governor. Shortly after Hurricane Sandy devastated the shores of New Jersey in 2012, president Barack Obama arranged a phone call between Christie and the rocker. Shortly after that, Springsteen and Christie shared a hug at the Red Cross Telethon, Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together, for Sandy relief that November.
"He told me it's official: We're friends," Christie said at the time. "I told the president today, actually, that the hug was great and when we got home, there was a lot of weeping because of the hug. And the president asked why. I said, 'Well, to be honest, I was the one doing the weeping.'"
Springsteen's Late Night appearance capped off a day-long celebration of the release of his new CD, High Hopes. In addition to the talk show appearance, Springsteen participated in an intimate interview with Clear Channel radio host Jim Kerr for an in-depth look at the album. On Twitter, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello fielded fan questions about his participation on the project.
Springsteen returns to the road on Jan. 26 with a slate of shows beginning in Cape Town, South Africa, and a run through Australia. It was just announced that Springsteen and the E Street Band will play the New Orleans Heritage and Jazz Festival on May 3.
Watch a video of the parody below:
Twitter: @MicheleAmabile
