In 1984, Bruce Springsteen watched his musical soulmate walk away. His goodbye song has now been streamed over 24,000,000 times

Bruce Springsteen’s song ‘Bobby Jean’ is presented as a farewell to guitarist Stevie Van Zandt, his close friend and E Street Band collaborator, who left during the Born in the USA tour to pursue other work. Though it sounds like a song about a woman ending a relationship, the article says it reflects Springsteen’s feelings about Van Zandt’s departure and the bond they shared.

Van Zandt was replaced by Nils Lofgren, but later returned to perform with the band. The article also recounts Van Zandt’s view that Springsteen and the E Street Band together were the legend, and points to the band’s later album The Rising as evidence of their shared creative strength. The headline says ‘Bobby Jean’ has been streamed more than 24 million times, though the article text provides no source or platform for that figure.