The Politics of Tunes: A Void Too Big to Fill

The music world lost a legend on June 18 when Clarence Clemons, the "Big Man" of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, passed away at the all-too-young age of 69. With hips and a back that made it hard for him to even stand up on stage, it sometimes felt like Clemons was 69 going on 89. But Clemons and his prolific saxophone sounded like 69 going on 39 . . . and that was all that mattered.

Thanks to my Dad, I've been a Springsteen fan for as long as I can remember. I can't recall the date or...