JOE D’URSO
“When I was a kid back then/I dreamed of a day like this,” sings Joe D’Durso in the song “Come Down Tonight (Asbury Park).” And as he sings that line in the video below, a photograph of a Stone Pony concert is shown.
Indeed, for many musicians such as D’Urso who have followed in the footsteps of artists like Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny, Asbury Park is an almost mythical place. “Come Down Tonight (Asbury Park),” a joyful anthem with a swaggering horn arrangement, is about the unique place Asbury Park occupies in the state’s music scene, as well as a vote of confidence in the town’s ongoing revitalization, via the line, “This town was falling apart/But now it’s got a brand new start.”
In addition to performing frequently in Asbury Park, D’Urso has contributed to the town as a board member of the Light of Day Foundation, whose annual January music festival has turned into a major attraction (as well as an effective fundraiser for Parkinson’s disease research).
A image of the late Stone Caravan bassist Mr. Lou DeMartino, used in the new video for Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan’s “Come Down Tonight (Asbury Park).”
“Come Down Tonight (Asbury Park)” was included on the 2013 Joe D’Urso and Stone Caravan album, Sway, though the video below, which includes both vintage and relatively recent photos, is a new one, dedicated to the memory of the band’s bassist, Mr. Lou DeMartino, who died in July at the age of 56. A memorial service for him is being planned for the Stone Pony on Oct. 25.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday last year. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we are marking the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, for almost a year — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. We started in September 2014, and will keep going until late in the summer.
If you would like to suggest any songs to be included, please let me know in the comments section underneath the video. And if you want to see the entire list, either alphabetically or in the order the songs were selected, click here.
