Streets of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen

I come from Pennsylvania, like my brother Jeff, but Jeff has lived more of his life in Florida than he has here. He likes it there, doesn’t mind the heat and humidity. In fact, he thinks it’s too cold here and wears a flannel shirt when he visits PA, even in the summer. I lived in Indiana a few years and have travelled around a bit. Unlike Jeff, my least favorite places are the hot and humid ones. Give me a brisk breeze out of the northwest and I will be most happy.

Where I live in the Keystone State is kind of midway between the larger metropolises of Philly and Pittsburg, and much more sparse in population than the Northeastern areas of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. But I have some connections to Philadelphia beyond just being within the same state boarders. I have loved and lost in Philadelphia, and the wonderful person I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life went to school there. I enjoy visiting and not just the historic areas.

I don’t know if the song owed its popularity to the 1993 Tom Hanks movie called Philadelphia, or to the smooth voice of the Boss, but it got so much air play and main stream popularity even at a time when the topic of the song and the movie was not necessarily as favorable in the wider “culture wars.” Have you ever really listened to the lyrics? It’s not just about a guy who is down and out in Philly.

I was bruised and battered
I couldn’t tell what I felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
Saw my reflection in a window
And didn’t know my own face
Oh brother are you gonna leave me wastin’ away
On the streets of Philadelphia?

I walked the avenue, ’til my legs felt like stone
I heard the voices of friends vanished and gone
At night I could hear the blood in my veins
Just as black and whispering as the rain
On the streets of Philadelphia

Ain’t no angel gonna greet me
It’s just you and I my friend
And my clothes don’t fit me no more
A thousand miles just to slip this skin

The night has fallen, I’m lyin’ awake
I can feel myself fading away
So receive me brother with your faithless kiss
Or will we leave each other alone like this
On the streets of Philadelphia?

Sure, a good work of art applies to more than just one thing and this can be interpreted more broadly. But given these lyrics and the topic of the movie, this song is about a gay man “wasting away” from AIDS and being rejected by society: “So receive me brother with your faithless kiss.” Maybe sometimes it’s just easier to let a good sounding song play in the background without thinking about it what its lyrics say I guess. In fact, the cynic in me believes that our habit of only half listening helped contribute to the songs popularity in the early 90’s more than a general love for gay men with HIV.

Sorry to get so heavy. While the global severity of AIDS is thought to have peaked around ’97, it’s still a world wide health concern and has never been limited to one sexuality. I just think it’s important to recognize the progress that has been made in education, research, and public understanding, but to also remember those we lost, like my friend Dennis, especially at a time when some chose to make a health issue a political and moral issue instead and refused to deal with or recognize the crisis until tens and tens of thousands of people died. Let’s not make that mistake again. Please.