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The “Real Rolla” here is the late Robert “Real Rolla” Taylor, a Philly O.G. who is credited as “co-executive producer” on the first Beanie Sigel album, and, together with a guy named Saddiq, responsible for bringing Sigel to Roc-A-Fella’s attention through their Black Friday management company. This line insinuates that Rolla and Hov might have had a drug-dealing-based relationship before he got into the rap game.

Black Friday management and Roc’s the label

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Britney told MTV that wanting back someone who got away is something “every girl can relate to.”

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An excerpt from the first chapter of Fast’s book Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, part of Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series about classic albums

You can buy the book here

Read and annotate Michael Jackson’s Dangerous on Pop Genius!

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Unreviewed Annotation 3 Contributors ?

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Pop songs have long talked about the things that take place under the boardwalk, which usually involves some form of making love.

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Fire, in Springsteen’s songs, is almost always equated with sexual desire

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Asbury Park’s famed Circuit was a recurring theme in Springsteen’s early work

For more on The Circuit, see here

Basically, “The Circuit” refers to a “loop”, or “track”, if you will, that hundreds, or THOUSANDS of people would “flock” to on the weekends, just to drive around and around. During the summer months, there was “action” on the Circuit every night of the week, but Friday and Saturday nights were the busiest nights for sure. The Circuit represented to many people the “center of the universe”. It was the “happening” place to be. Besides being an actual “physical location”, it was also a lifestyle, state-of-mind, and “reason to live”! Most who “cruised the Circuit”, were young people who night after night, were looking to meet people of the opposite sex. While others came for a more “serious” reason, to race. The Circuit was sort of a “moving city on wheels”. There were hot-rods, crazy teen boys, crazy teen girls, and even bored “old people”. You’d just drive around and around all night long, all week long, all summer long!

[Emphasis ours]

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In early versions of the song, this verse had a more collective spin:

Sandy, them north side angels lost their desire for us
I talked to ‘em last night, and they said they won’t set themselves on fire for us anymore
But the weather gets hot, and every season they still come and they go
Parking with their honeys way down south on the Kokomo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQT6BlvrXg4#t=4m32s

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In early live versions, this line was a more fatalistic “This beach light, it cannot go on forever”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQT6BlvrXg4#t=5m44s

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Any of you folks from Jersey tonight ? (cheers)….alright…alright….I’m gonna be at home….tomorrow….for the first time….in about….I don’t know, about a year, I guess, I haven’t been there….and uh….is it still there ? (chuckles)(cheers)….thought they might’ve arrested it or something (chuckles)….this is for all you folks, this is ‘Fourth of July Asbury Park’….

– Bruce Springsteen, live in Maryland, 1978

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According to NoGE doctrine, the black man (God) has 7 ½ ounces of brain, while the white man has only six

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