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To Bruce Springsteen, the Jewish writer of ‘Strange Fruit’ was the ‘Bob Dylan of his time’

JL;DR SUMMARY Bruce Springsteen recognizes the significant contributions of Jewish songwriter Abel Meeropol, particularly highlighting his tracks "Strange Fruit" and "The House I Live In" during a discussion on music relevant to racial justice. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Civil RightsRacial JusticeMusic HistoryBruce SpringsteenBillie HolidayPaul RobesonAbel MeeropolStrange FruitThe House I Live In

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"When the Boss sat down with New York Times columnist (and debatable Jew) David Brooks to assemble a playlist for this moment of racial justice protests and social distancing, he picked two songs that were written by an oft-forgotten Jewish poet Abel Meeropol."
Bronx, New York, United States
"It was written by Abel Meeropol in 1937, Springsteen told Brooks in an interview for The Atlantic, naming the Bronx native who adopted Julius and Ethel Rosenbergs children after their execution."

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Cairo Item ID 52126
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-05-21 05:31:38 UTC
Curated 2025-05-21 08:31:47 UTC