It is a moderately paced tune, concerning an adolescence as a rebellious New Jersey teen, with lyrics[4] written in the first-person.
During the Born to Run tours and following Darkness Tour, Springsteen often performed an extended version of this song, extending it with a long, sometimes exaggerated and/or fictional biographical narration of his youth and his passion for guitar playing.
The song was featured on the soundtracks of the films Big Daddy (1999) and Gracie (2007).
David Bowie recorded a version of this song in the early stages of the Diamond Dogs sessions with Ronnie Wood on lead guitar.
[5] The song has also been covered by Any Trouble, John Hammond, Jr., Portastatic and Alvin Stardust.