“They Were Gods”: The Obscure Band Bruce Springsteen Was Raised On

Everybody has that one band, the band that only they and a select other few know about. To know such bands is a badge of honor and living proof that your music is “superior” to everybody else who considers themselves disciples of the art form. That aside, many obscure bands have never risen to the top. For that reason, they never gave their musical gifts to the world. However, that is not the case for Bruce Springsteen and his childhood favorite, The Motifs.

Led by brothers Walter and Raymond Cichon, The Motifs never hit the masses. However, they were a staple act on the streets of New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen’s home. In short, The Motifs were Springsteen’s idols and in a way, musical fathers.

The band were merely hometown heroes and never made music their sole profession. Nonetheless, to Springsteen, they were the only rockstars he knew personally. That being so, when Springsteen was following his dreams, the group taught him a lot of what knows and does today. Frankly, you could say, that if it wasn’t for The Motifs, Bruce Springsteen never would have existed in the capacity he currently exists in.

The Motifs’ Influence on Bruce Springsteen

Regarding the everlasting impact the band had on Springsteen, he stated, “They were gods,” per The Washington Post. When talking about Walter, Springsteen divulged, “On stage, he was deadly, and he was aloof and raw and sexual and dangerous.” “Raymond was my guitar hero,” Springsteen added about Raymond.

Springsteen’s acknowledgment of their profound influence doesn’t stop in his interview with The Washington Post. When his album High Hopes was released in 2013, Springsteen announced the inspiration he received from the band. Stating, “Raw, sexy and rebellious, they were the heroes you aspired to be. But these were heroes you could touch, speak to, and go to with your musical inquiries.”

“Cool, but always accessible, they were an inspiration to me and many young working musicians in 1960s central New Jersey” and “[Cichon] was the first person I ever stood in the presence of who was filled with the mystique of the true rock star,” Springsteen added.

The Motif’s career ended when Walter was drafted into the Vietnam War in 1968 and lost his life shortly after. Even though they didn’t make any charts or garner fame and riches, they incidentally created one of the greatest rock stars of all time. So, if you are a devout Bruce Springsteen fan, you have the humble Motifs to thank.

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