Born to Run Story Event 2025 Support Thread

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

Happy to have you joining in. And yes, 50 years! It can't be possible, right? Because we can't be that old!

No sir, we are that old, we are still young, alive and kicking!

 

[StillStunned]

And yes, 50 years! It can't be possible, right? Because we can't be that old!

So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore?

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

While the sun rose on this bitter cold northeastern USA day, I listened to the born To Run album. Maybe out of love, maybe out of rememberance but mostly out of the love for great rock and roll.

The this track came on …. And I found my story. Yep, She’s The One!!!

 

[yowser]

Reading the Thread Title, I was sure it would be about nylon stockings.

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore?

Show a little faith...

 

[FidelityBoss]

Born to Run Story Event 2025

August 25, 2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run album. Arguably Springsteen's breakthrough and most well-known work, the album embodies the idea of escape, freedom of the open road, and taking a last-gasp chance at finding happiness.

To celebrate this bit of musical history, I'm using it as the basis for my first ever story event.

The Challenge

Pick a line from any song on the Born to Run album and write a story around it.

There's the obvious, "Wendy let me in, I want to be your friend, I want to guard your dreams and visions," from the title track that conjures ideas of wooing the girl of your dreams.

There's the melancholy, "No one watches when the ambulance pulls away. Or as the girl shuts out the bedroom light," from Jungleland that brings up images of sadness and loss.

Or there's "So you're scared, and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore," from Thunder Road that suggests throwing caution to the wind and finally pursuing a dream before it slips away.

Plenty of good lines, themes, and imagery to choose from.

The Details

This is an open challenge. Any author may take part. Any category is acceptable.

The stories will be posted on Aug 25th (the anniversary of the album's release), so please be kind to the site admins and have your entry in the queue at least a week prior, with Aug 1st through Aug 18th being ideal.

Use "BornToRun" in the notes to admin section of the story submission form to signify your taking part.

Use the tag "Born to Run 2025" to help group your submission with others participating in the challenge.

The Caveats

Use of copyrighted song lyrics in works of fiction is not covered under fair use! Do not simply quote songs in your story.

I'm not a copyright lawyer, but this link might help:

https://www.thelaw.com/law/are-song-titles-lyrics-protected-by-copyright-or-trademark-law.317/

Capture the theme and the feeling, not the exact wording.

Questions and Such

Please direct any questions about the challenge as a reply to this thread. I will answer the best I can. And please be patient as this is the first challenge I've organized and I do also have a day job.

This sounds like such a cool challenge. I love the idea of using a line from Born to Run as a jumping-off point for a story. Can't wait to see what everyone comes up with!

 

[secretLace]

Loved the premise of this one. Imediately put on the record and had a listen. Still gold after all these years.

felt "meeting across the river" speak to me and I already started to think about the story. Might end up in erotic horror with the idea I got.

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

Loved the premise of this one. Imediately put on the record and had a listen. Still gold after all these years.

felt "meeting across the river" speak to me and I already started to think about the story. Might end up in erotic horror with the idea I got.

This is the second mention of Erotic Horror. Not something I thought of, but I'm really curious to see where it goes.

 

[secretLace]

Yeah, it went down a long rabbit hole of a faustian bargain where our hero must choose wisely or loose his soul. It actually grew alot so it might be too big for me to write down. Might have to do it in parts.

 

[YDB95]

Finished my draft yesterday. For once I'll actually have plenty of time for proofreading and editing.

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

Finished my draft yesterday. For once I'll actually have plenty of time for proofreading and editing.

Impressive! I envy your motivation. Have I started writing the story for my own event yet? Well...

I did get one in for the 750 word challenge though.

 

[YDB95]

Impressive! I envy your motivation. Have I started writing the story for my own event yet? Well...

I did get one in for the 750 word challenge though.

Once I get an idea for a story, it tends to take on a life of its own until I finish it off. I kept thinking I'll just write a bit here and there and it'll be done by August...

 

[Norway_1705]

I agree with those who cited “Dancing in the Dark” (and “I'm on Fire”).
Just a silly question: since in 1975 I misunderstood some of the words of a song, would it be acceptable for a character to misremember a line (i.e.: remember three lines perfectly, but miss the third by assonance)?
I am a foreigner and this happens to me often (I imagine it happens to many readers). And no, don't worry, it's not like I understood “Born to Rum” or “Born to Ron,” mine was a more intriguing mistake.

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

I agree with those who cited “Dancing in the Dark” (and “I'm on Fire”).
Just a silly question: since in 1975 I misunderstood some of the words of a song, would it be acceptable for a character to misremember a line (i.e.: remember three lines perfectly, but miss the third by assonance)?
I am a foreigner and this happens to me often (I imagine it happens to many readers). And no, don't worry, it's not like I understood “Born to Rum” or “Born to Ron,” mine was a more intriguing mistake.

From a copyright standpoint, it's best to have ALL the lyrics misremembered. You can't legally quote lyrics in fiction. See this link for more info: https://www.thelaw.com/law/are-song-titles-lyrics-protected-by-copyright-or-trademark-law.317/

 

[Norway_1705]

it's best to have ALL the lyrics misremembered

Thank you! Great!
Fortunately or unfortunately, I always misremember the lyrics of the songs, and not only of the Boss.

By the way, and without polemical intent: I realized late that Queen's “A Night at the Opera” was released, also in 1975.
Amicus Bruce, sed magis amica Veritas: for me the songs contained in that album are pure poetry. Rhapsody, Best Friend, and Love of my life... does anyone really feel the urge to devote an erotic brainstorming session around Galileo, Figaro, and Scaramouche?

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

Galileo, Figaro, and Scaramouche... with Wendy, on the streets tonight... in an everlasting kiss. LOL! Go for it!

 

[SithLordSexyPants1]

Damn... After seeing him 110+ times, I'm going to have to decide which line from his greatest song - "Thunder Road" I'm going to use.
Do we get disqualified if we say Mary's dress sways (it doesn't wave)?
(I'll be using a different line from the song as the basis for my story, but might allude to that).

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

As long as the screen door slams, I think you're fine.

 

[StillStunned]

And there's no-one to say that Mary still has to be wearing her dress...

 

[YDB95]

Do we get disqualified if we say Mary's dress sways (it doesn't wave)?

That has been the subject of a great deal of debate among other fans I know, so I think you'll be all right.

 

[TheRedChamber]

I'd love to join in this challenge. Unfortunately every time I stop to ponder on possibilities my muse starts playing both the music and video for Billy Joel's Uptown Girl and protests that it's 'essentially the same'...

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

I'd love to join in this challenge. Unfortunately every time I stop to ponder on possibilities my muse starts playing both the music and video for Billy Joel's Uptown Girl and protests that it's 'essentially the same'...

I while back, someone mentioned the line, "Baby this town rips the bones from your back," and suggested an erotic horror tale. Now I can't shake the visions of a zombie apocalypse on the Jersey shoreline.

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

I while back, someone mentioned the line, "Baby this town rips the bones from your back," and suggested an erotic horror tale. Now I can't shake the visions of a zombie apocalypse on the Jersey shoreline.

Frankly, Wax, that would be a really good story line

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

Frankly, Wax, that would be a really good story line

I'm waffling between the zombie apocalypse idea and the thought of putting Wendy from Peter Pan into the role of Wendy in the song Born to Run. But instead of running away with the lost boys, Wendy and Tinkerbell go off to have their own adventures in New Jersey.

 

[Aoife_from_Ulster]

I'm waffling between the zombie apocalypse idea and the thought of putting Wendy from Peter Pan into the role of Wendy in the song Born to Run. But instead of running away with the lost boys, Wendy and Tinkerbell go off to have their own adventures in New Jersey.

That! Wowsers would be a heck of a story