Bruce Springsteen: What links 'The Boss' to Blaenau Gwent?
The picture is from Getty Images. Rewrite: The source of the image is Getty Images.
It's possible that you hold the solution if you had the chance to witness Bruce's performance in the United Kingdom during 1988.
He's known for singing about being born in the United States, rather than his life in Blaenau Gwent.
One could be forgiven for not being able to connect the renowned New Jersey musician Bruce Springsteen with a town in south Wales like Ebbw Vale.
However, there is a relationship - although it might be difficult for even the most devoted followers of The Boss to figure out.
As admirers of the legendary 74-year-old rock star fill Cardiff for his upcoming performance, we have arrived to inform you of its essence.
First off, here's a hint: it concerns a pair of newlyweds, a no longer existing factory and a celebrated shutterbug.
If you're a fan from the South Wales Valleys who went to the singer's Tunnel of Love shows in London and Birmingham back in 1988, you might have had the solution right in front of you without realizing it.
Particularly if they had purchased one of the shiny brochures available at the adjacent merchandise stand.
If they had done it, they would have observed something oddly recognizable inside.
There was a picture of a bride and groom on their wedding day in an old black and white style on two pages of a promotional booklet.
The couple, who were exposed to the wind, were positioned on top of a hill that overlooked a scene of blast furnaces emitting heavy grey smoke.
Sources have reported that the photo accompanying this blog post was taken by Bruce Davidson of MAGNUM PHOTOS.
The connection between Springsteen and the Welsh valleys can be traced back to a photo taken in Ebbw Vale in 1965. The picture features a couple who just got married and holds a significant meaning to Springsteen's connection to the area.
Sharp-eyed enthusiasts may have identified the location as the southern portion of the erstwhile steel mill of Ebbw Vale - or how it appeared in the 1960s during the tenure of Richard Thomas & Baldwins.
In 1965, a photographer named Bruce Davidson, who resided at Park Hotel in close proximity, took the picture. He was situated in New York at the time.
He had captured a series of moving photographs during his ten-day journey through South Wales, documenting the lives of people residing in towns and villages that had a rich history in the manufacturing industry.
Davidson's photographic project on Wales is considered to be the most remarkable one since the post-war era. He has expressed his love for the place and what he has captured through his lens.
At the age of 90, he mentioned in a previous conversation: "My purpose was to discover beauty in people and their work, even in the presence of darkness."
The source of the image is Getty Images.
In June 2008, Springsteen and Steve Van Zandt rocked out on stage at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Also, the Springsteen tour program had the words of a song called Roulette by The Boss, which was recorded in 1979, written over Davidson's picture.
"Excuse me sir, but I believe I've been tricked," were the written phrases. "I have the sensation that I've been stolen from/I'm the notable disposable person/My existence has been made pointless."
Eerily, their sentiments would resonate with the emotions of numerous individuals in southern Wales who witnessed the gradual disintegration of their industrial communities over the years.
One instance of this is the Ebbw Vale factory captured by Davidson, which at its peak would have created job opportunities for over 10,000 individuals working with tinplate.
Nevertheless, despite the endeavor to keep up with the increase of low-priced imports, the amount reduced to just about 1,000 before its primary entrances closed down permanently in 2002.
The foundation that was vital for the workers, in terms of financial stability and community, was taken down and can never be retrieved.
However, similar to the hardworking people in America that Springsteen was surrounded by in his upbringing and portrayed throughout his professional journey, they persisted and pushed forward without faltering.
Furthermore, just like the lead singer of the band, they never forgot about the characteristics that define them.
