Springsteen Apologizes to Bono Over 2008 Song Rejected for Gap Ad
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 13
Springsteen Apologizes to Bono Over 2008 Song Rejected for Gap Ad
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 13
Summary
Springsteen said at the Tribeca Festival he should have let Bono use 2008 track “Girls in Their Summer Clothes” in a Gap commercial tied to Bono’s AIDS charity (RED).
Bono, presenting Springsteen with the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award, recalled asking for the song and getting a flat “No,” prompting Springsteen’s onstage apology and regret.
Springsteen called the song a personal favorite that never connected widely with audiences, saying a TV ad might have helped people hear it “like a hit.”
The event also highlighted Springsteen’s activist profile: Bono praised him as a musician and patriot, and the night closed with Patti Smith, Bono and Springsteen singing “People Have the Power” before Springsteen performed “Land of Hope and Dreams.”