Yep, The Boss released “Born To Run” – the album AND the single - 45 years ago this week. A masterpiece of outrageously overblown musical theatre and hard-driving rock’n’roll, the song quickly established itself as an untouchable; a song – or a recording of a song – that was so epic and so singular that only a fool would attempt to cover it. That was of course until Frankie Goes To Hollywood came along nine years later!

Known for their own overblown sense of the outrageous, their openly gay stance and riding the wave of a new sort of hard-driving electro sound, Frankie Goes To Hollywood were fearless; and on the back of three UK number ones with their first three singles, they were up for anything. “Born to Run” appeared in early 1985 on Side Three of their debut album, the massive Welcome To The Pleasuredome, bizarrely wedged in between covers of “Ferry Across The Mersey” and “Do You Know The Way to San Jose.”

And, in their own way – very English, very ‘80s and very defiant - they absolutely nailed it.

Interestingly enough, it was around this time that Bruce also started experimenting with synthesisers and decidedly ‘80s sounding recording techniques. Indeed, “Dancing In The Dark” and the title track of Born In the USA wouldn’t have sounded too out of place on Welcome to The Pleasuredome themselves!

We reckon Springsteen would’ve dug what FGTH did with his song, and loved the fact that there was enough universality in his music that they and their audience could find meaning in it. There are people out there – plenty of them - who reckon that FGTH’s cover of the song is the definitive version. Crank it up loud and let us know what you think.

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