In his review of Born to Run for Rolling Stone, writer Greil Marcus said: "Backstreets" has also been interpreted as a narrative about a homosexual relationship because the name Terry is sexually ambiguous.
[5] The melody and organ bear some resemblance to "Positively 4th Street" by Bob Dylan, an influence of Springsteen's.
[3] According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[6] Starting in 1977 and most prominently during the 1978 Darkness Tour, Springsteen often added a semi-improvised interlude in between the final chorus and the outro.
Parts of the interlude later materialized in recast form as the song "Drive All Night" on The River album in 1980.
[3] On April 22, 2008, it was the opening song of the first show following the death of longtime band member Danny Federici.