When Clarence Clemons passed away in 2011, he left a sizable void in a lot of lives. He had a profound impact on many people, but most notable was his tenure with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.
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As an integral member of the E Street Band, Clemons lent his saxophone prowess to the lineup. He and Springsteen met through a mutual friend when they were both playing small-time clubs. Immediately, Clemons has described, they felt drawn to one another.
Their friendship discarded the constricting bonds of masculinity, allowing for vulnerability in both the music and how they treated each other. They had chemistry, plain and simple, and openly expressed love for each other. A lot of modern male friendships should take notes from Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons.
“It is a special energy that we create,” Clemons said in a 2002 interview, when asked about his chemistry with Springsteen. “Separately we are two strong, independent people but we really speak to each other musically. I enjoy what happens.”
He continued, “We’ve been together so long now, that when he plays a new song and I hear it for the first time I can add my sound to it, he allows me that freedom. He knows how I play and sound and I guess he envisions what I’m going to sound like when he writes the music.”
Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons: Ultimate Friendship Goals
In that same interview, Clemons went on to describe his friendship with Bruce Springsteen further. When asked about the fact that they often kiss each other on the mouth while on stage, Clemons admitted that was just part of their deep connection.
“It’s like lovers. There’s some showmanship too, but we do love each other,” he said. “In that euphoric state of playing, you experience a bliss that’s the best thing in the world. It’s rare that you get to that place and you couldn’t have it every day because it would be too much for you. When you share that energy it’s the best thing in the world.”
Bruce Springsteen gave a eulogy at Clemons’ funeral in 2011, reciting a powerful speech about his friend and partner. Clearly, their relationship ran deep, and Springsteen had no problem sharing the intensity of it with others.
“I’m no mystic, but the undertow, the mystery and power of Clarence and my friendship leads me to believe we must have stood together in other, older times, along other rivers, in other cities, in other fields, doing our modest version of god’s work,” said Springsteen. “Work that’s still unfinished. So I won’t say goodbye to my brother, I’ll simply say, see you in the next life, further on up the road, where we will once again pick up that work, and get it done.”
Springsteen then added, “Clarence doesn’t leave the E Street Band when he dies. He leaves when we die.”
Photo by Rob Verhorst/Redferns
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