by Skippy » Thu Jun 19, 2014 12:20 am
So, I've been listening to this one recently and it's definitely grown on me. I know we generally just consider this a Bo Diddley style parody because of the beat, but that beat is so ubiquitous in rock music and there's really nothing else about the song that feels Diddley-esque to me. Then recently I saw it described as "Bo Diddley with a Springsteen flair" and it hit me: this is a Springsteen style parody, period. The Boss uses the Diddley beat a couple of times, but most notably in "She's the One" from the Born to Run album. The drums aren't as prominent as in PATLC, but this song also includes a long sax solo (a Springsteen staple anyway) and a similar piano line to Leper Colony.
The vocals are more reminiscent of "On the Dark Side," which is John Cafferty not Springsteen (but sounds remarkably like Bruce) and it wouldn't surprise me if Al did that on purpose.