A recent civics trip for some New Jersey High School students has turned into a campaign for the Garden State to adopt an official song. Out of all the states in the Northeast, New Jersey is silent. On this side of the Hudson we have "I Love New York," New Jersey has other symbols for bees and even dinosaurs, so the kids want to change that. So what is it, Springsteen or Bon Jovi?
From The New York Times:
Jane Hall, Regina Balsys and Sue Gethard, who are teachers, said that their civics classes have started a campaign to persuade legislators to adopt the Bon Jovi song (“Who Says You Can’t Go Home?'’ ). They invited State Assemblyman Brian E. Rumpf to the school, who explained to them how a bill gets adopted, and told them that if they wanted to see the song chosen as the state song, it would help to gather more support.
The students decided to take up the cause. Why didn’t they consider a Bruce Springsteen song? He is the native son who comes to mind, probably more than the fellow New Jerseyan Mr. Bon Jovi, when it comes to songs about the state.
While Ms. Hall calls herself “a diehard Springsteen fan,’’ she deemed his “My Hometown” too sad and said “Born to Run,'’ which has been considered a contender to represent the state, is a bit inappropriate. She said: “He talks about leaving home. He says, ‘it’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap.’ That’s not exactly a state song.’’
I would personally choose Springsteen as would my Jerseygirl mom who grew up there in the 60s. Bon Jovi represents a younger crowd overall (even though Springsteen has fans of all ages) so this isn't too surprising. No matter what song actually makes it into law, at least there will be something to sing about in the Garden State.
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