Synopsis

Bruce Springsteen plays a working-class father looking back on the excitement and disappointments of youth. Between scenes of him at work, talking with his young son, and practicing baseball alone at a neighborhood field, the video cuts to Springsteen and the E Street Band performing inside a crowded bar. The baseball setting mirrors the song's memories of former heroes and better days, while the playful performance keeps the mood energetic. The story closes with Springsteen's character sharing the field with his family.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in New Jersey in late May 1985. The baseball sequences were shot at Miller Park Stadium in West New York, while the band scenes took place at Maxwell's, the influential club in Hoboken.

• Springsteen's first verse was inspired by Joe DePugh, a former Little League teammate from Freehold, New Jersey. DePugh later became publicly identified as the real-life baseball player behind the song.

• Footage of New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden striking out batters appears during the baseball portions.

• The on-screen band lineup included Steven Van Zandt, who had left the E Street Band the previous year. Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa also appear, even though neither played on the original recording.

• Julianne Phillips, Springsteen's wife at the time, makes a brief appearance near the end of the video.

• Several versions of the Maxwell's performance were reportedly filmed, including one using live vocals over a backing track. The released edit uses lip-synching to the album and single recording.

• The video became part of the visual identity of the Born in the U.S.A. era and received two nominations at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.