Bruce Springsteen Gets Museum Exhibit in Philly

E Street Band opposites overcame a segregated genre

(NEWSER) - When America lost Clarence Clemons, it "lost an ideal." In the pairing of "Southern Baptist black" with "Jersey Shore white," Bruce Springsteen and Clemons gave life to "a cultural example of how the divides of race can come together over music," writes Timothy Egan in the New York Times . The two of them “projected a kind of joy that made it easy to believe that this mess of a country could get along." Rock once had many African-American stars—Fats Domino, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix—but "whites basically stole the genre," observes Egan. More»

Even 'I Kissed a Girl' not as obvious as it sounds

(NEWSER) - In honor of Jay-Z’s Decoded, which breaks down the meanings behind his songs, the Independent offers up the true stories behind 10 hits:

• Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”: The message behind this one seems fairly obvious, but Perry has insisted it’s actually about heterosexual friendships and was only sexed up to sell more records.
• Van Morrison, “Brown Eyed Girl”: Though many think it’s about heroin use, Van Morrison has said it is about an interracial relationship and was originally titled “Brown Skinned Girl.”

Philadelphia attorney gains fame by accident

(NEWSER) - The young lawyer wanted to be taken seriously and make a name for himself, but he had a problem: His name is Justin Bieber. "I started getting 50 to 60 friend requests a week on Facebook," the 32-year-old—he's twice the age of the omnipresent pop star—tells the Philadelphia Inquirer , "and all of these messages that said, 'I love you' or 'I love it when you sing.'" More»

Lyrics by Lennon, the Boss and others make the list

(NEWSER) - "'Scuse me while I kiss this guy" and other misheard song lyrics, it turns out, are just the tip of the iceberg. List Universe runs down what it calls 10 of the most misinterpreted songs in music. Some highlights to see if you agree:

• "Hotel California": Listeners think devil worship because of the "kill the beast" line, but the Eagles themselves say that's nonsense. It's a reflection of the rock-and-roll lifestyle they were living in Los Angeles at the time.

Bruce Springsteen finishes 2nd to Irish superstars, and it's not even close

(NEWSER) - The news that U2 was the top moneymaker in music in 2009 is no surprise, but what may come as a bit of a shock is the gap between No. 1 and No. 2. The Irish rockers brought in $108.6 million lat year, nearly twice as much as runner-up Bruce Springsteen's $57.5 million. Extending the greatest hits of the '80s theme, the next two acts in the Billboard rankings are Madonna and AC/DC, with Britney Spears somewhat unexpectedly rounding out the top 5. More»