The Pointer Sisters – Boss Connection

For those of my generation who spent their adolescence in the 80’s (and 70’s for that matter), you were, at one point or another, exposed to the music of the Pointer Sisters: “I’m So Excited”, “Jump (for my Love)”, “Neutron Dance”, “Slow Hand”, “He’s So Shy”, and more.

June Pointer was the youngest of the Pointers, and sadly, she has succumbed to cancer at the young age of 52 years old.

One of their biggest hits made it all the way to #2 on the Billboard charts in 1979. It was their cover version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Fire”. Bruce originally wrote the song for Elvis Presley, believe it or not, with hopes that Elvis would on eday record it. He wrote it in his hiatus between ‘Born to Run’ and ‘Darkness on the Edge of Town” in 1976-77. He was hanging out with Robert Gordon around that time, who recorded the song for his 1978 collaboration with Link Wray, ‘Fresh Fish Special‘. But it was the Pointer Sisters who took the song to the highest commercial success.

RIP June Pointer.

The Pointer Sisters: Fire (mp3) – from Best of the Pointer Sisters

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Fire (mp3) – from Live / 1975-85, recorded 12/16/78.