Springsteen’s Dancing In the Dark Video Filmed in St. Paul
Friends Star Courtney Cox Got Her TV Start In St. Paul, Minnesota!
It's a song about how hard it is to write a hit song. Why'd he write it? Because his manager told him to write a hit. And boy did he!
Bruce Springsteen Has Minnesota to Thank for His Biggest Hit
Recorded in St Paul, Minnesota's Civic Center in June of 1984, the song went on to hit #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (his highest charting performance). But the story behind the video is the story of how Minnesota helped Springsteen become a worldwide star and how we helped Courtney Cox have a rockin' start to her TV career.
We Go Behind the Scenes Thanks to An Amazing Minnesotan's Story
Sandi Pederson wrote a special piece for https://estreetshuffle.com. She was there for the recording, one of the few lucky fans that got to attend.
"I’m where every fan dreams of being: front and center. With me are Donna, Dave, Ken, and another fan whose name I can’t recall. Oh, and three models, including Courtney Cox.
And that’s it. Other than the extras behind the stage (there had to be a lot more than 200), director Brian De Palma and his crew, the Civic Center is empty."
Please take the time to read her whole story here, it's fantastic (plus has photos that'll knock your sox off). But basically, she was there all day for the filming. It was hot, it was slow slow slow going and, of course, it can be super boring. At the end of the night, though, Bruce did a special one-hour concert for the people there, as a thank you.
Then everyone was back for the actual concert, where more filming took place. That's when Courtney Cox was pulled up on stage by Bruce Springsteen and it was her time to shine.
Caution: Inappropriate language in this video.
According to what Sandi said, I believe Cox is a much better actress than I imagined. Sandi said the models were not enjoying themselves at all.
Even Courtney, the “lucky fan” Bruce invites on stage, is bored and impatient. She’s vocal with her complaints, and her attitude turns worse when De Palma instructs the models to watch and act more like us fans. Plus she can’t dance!
If they weren't fans of The Boss I can understand why they'd be bored. Complaining, though, has never helped anything...Courtney!
One more thing, Sandi Pederson saw Springsteen in concert a bunch in the summer of 1984, but maybe the best show was the one where he pulled her on stage to dance with him and...
As the song ends, he leans in and says, “Okay, here we go!”
Before I can figure out what he’s talking about, he falls backward onto the stage and pulls me down on top of him. As I gaze into his eyes, he says, “Kiss me, baby!”
She does. And I can't imagine anything more exciting for a Springsteen fan than to have that kind of moment with him.
And to think ALL of it happened in St. Paul, Minnesota. With Minnesota extras, Minnesota fans, and an unhappy Courtney Cox getting her start on TV. If it'd been filmed anywhere else (Tennessee I'm looking at you!), it would have flopped and we'd still not know who Courtney Cox is.
And that's just #Science son.
Speaking of fun, check out this house, it's rockin' it Halloween Style!
Check Out The Rochester House With Over 100 Inflatables Up for Halloween!
As always, if you have a comment, complaint, or concern about something I wrote here, please let me know: james.rabe@townsquaremedia.com
The Puppies of Spotted In Rochester Minnesota
Rochester Minnesota's Rules and Regs for Cats, Dogs, and Ferrets
More From KRFO-AM
