Springsteen Apologizes to Bono for Rejecting Gap Ad
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- Bruce Springsteen received the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award at Tribeca Festival from Bono, who called him 'America' and praised him as a musician, poet, activist, and patriot
- Bono recounted asking Springsteen to license 'Girls in Their Summer Clothes' for a Gap clothing line supporting his (RED) AIDS nonprofit — a request Springsteen turned down
- Springsteen called the refusal 'a big mistake' on stage, saying: 'I should have fucking done it! People would hear it like a hit, you know?'
- Springsteen described the 2008 song as one of his 'personal favorites' that 'the audience doesn't really care' about, and said he still thinks back on the missed opportunity
- Springsteen and Bono also discussed his Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour, on which he has criticized President Donald Trump and performed his ICE protest song 'Streets of Minneapolis'
- Patti Smith sang her 1988 song 'People Have the Power' in Springsteen's honor, joined by Bono on the chorus, before Springsteen closed the night with an acoustic 'Land of Hope and Dreams'
Why it matters: For a 2008 deep cut like 'Girls in Their Summer Clothes,' a Gap commercial backing Bono's (RED) AIDS foundation would have been a mainstream platform the song never received — Springsteen himself called the track one of his 'personal favorites' the 'audience doesn't really care' about, and publicly wished he'd said yes.
