Bruce Springsteen has, in the words of Tom Hanks, been singing for us and about us for nearly forty years. But in that time, has he ever been funny? (The Dancing In The Dark video doesn't count.) This is not a complaint, but an observation. The man just doesn't seem to chuckle a lot.

Hence the reason Jimmy Fallon--a man who does chuckle a lot--was such a brilliant choice to host The Boss last night on NBC's Late Night. Much has been made lately about Fallon's "comedy of joy", but it's the same thing Springsteen has been doing in-concert for years. They ain't here on business baby, they're only here for fun. Last night that fun included two performances from Springsteen's (sort of) new album The Promise (including Save My Love, which is already on its way to becoming the best Phil Spector song Phil Spector never produced), a stilted-but-amusing interview segment, and--most memorably--a duet between Springsteen and Fallon (as Neil Young) on Willow Smith's tween pop anthem Whip My Hair.

The result, as Bruce would say, was living proof.

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Ray Gustini