For close to a half-century, anyone who trusts lyric sheets and official artist websites has been certain of one thing: In Bruce Springsteen’s "Thunder Road," Mary’s dress waves, and it does not sway.

The first sound is a breath. A harmonica, bending air, calling us into a space that feels private and mythic. It's the overture before words, before story. The air feels humid with possibility, then ...

The following story originally appeared in the Asbury Park Press on Nov. 7, 1986. Record stores, radio stations and — most of all — rock music fans are gearing up for the imminent release of the next ...