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The End Of The World 3:050:00/3:05
The Story of Madame Boardwalk
This is the story of how this song came into my heart and mind…be sure to read all the way to the bottom, there's a gift for you.
Though we live in a part of New Jersey that's not near the shore, when Hurricane Sandy hit, it knocked our power out just like thousands of others.
No power meant no cell phone reception in this rural area. I had to drive the car down to the nearest clearing in the road to pick up a signal.
I wanted to know if my friends and family Down The Shore were ok. I was finally able to reach my friend, Dean. Thankfully, he and his wife and their home were fine. But I will never forget what he said next: “Lee, the Seaside Heights roller coaster is in the ocean…It’s gone!” I could hear the shock and sorrow in his voice. That hit me like a ton of bricks…
“My” boardwalk had been tossed into the ocean by this wretched thing called Sandy. Keep in mind this was the very next day after the storm, so even access to the news of people’s homes being destroyed was not yet available. It took us days to really learn of all the devastation.
Sure enough, two days later, our friend Elaine brought us a newspaper. And there it was, on the front page- the roller coaster in the ocean…. and the aerial views of the streets filled with sand and the houses gone. I could not wrap my mind around this.
As the news poured in slowly, I kept thinking that there was a song inside my soul about the boardwalk. But I could not quite make it come to life… until several weeks later when I saw a documentary called “Splinters and Sand” by a very fine reporter named Brian Donohue from the Star Ledger.
Mr. Donohue’s video was heart wrenching. As I watched him walk through the rubble that once was Seaside Heights, I realized that it may as well have been me telling that story – because his love of that area and his very special, very heartfelt soulful description of his childhood memories echoed my sentiments exactly. Especially when he said, “It's gotta be Honky-tonk”.
Honky-tonk! Yes, that’s it. Those arcade games, those precious games that we all played as children…who could possibly know what became of them? Ahhh, yes, -- MADAME BOARDWALK – she would know!! And so the song was born…
Though we live in a part of New Jersey that's not near the shore, when Hurricane Sandy hit, it knocked our power out just like thousands of others.
No power meant no cell phone reception in this rural area. I had to drive the car down to the nearest clearing in the road to pick up a signal.
I wanted to know if my friends and family Down The Shore were ok. I was finally able to reach my friend, Dean. Thankfully, he and his wife and their home were fine. But I will never forget what he said next: “Lee, the Seaside Heights roller coaster is in the ocean…It’s gone!” I could hear the shock and sorrow in his voice. That hit me like a ton of bricks…
“My” boardwalk had been tossed into the ocean by this wretched thing called Sandy. Keep in mind this was the very next day after the storm, so even access to the news of people’s homes being destroyed was not yet available. It took us days to really learn of all the devastation.
Sure enough, two days later, our friend Elaine brought us a newspaper. And there it was, on the front page- the roller coaster in the ocean…. and the aerial views of the streets filled with sand and the houses gone. I could not wrap my mind around this.
As the news poured in slowly, I kept thinking that there was a song inside my soul about the boardwalk. But I could not quite make it come to life… until several weeks later when I saw a documentary called “Splinters and Sand” by a very fine reporter named Brian Donohue from the Star Ledger.
Mr. Donohue’s video was heart wrenching. As I watched him walk through the rubble that once was Seaside Heights, I realized that it may as well have been me telling that story – because his love of that area and his very special, very heartfelt soulful description of his childhood memories echoed my sentiments exactly. Especially when he said, “It's gotta be Honky-tonk”.
Honky-tonk! Yes, that’s it. Those arcade games, those precious games that we all played as children…who could possibly know what became of them? Ahhh, yes, -- MADAME BOARDWALK – she would know!! And so the song was born…
This song belongs to you... all of you.
For anyone who loves the Jersey Shore, this is my gift to you.
Share it with one another and be sure to add your own wonderful memories along the way!
For anyone who loves the Jersey Shore, this is my gift to you.
Share it with one another and be sure to add your own wonderful memories along the way!
Please click on Madame's photo...she will guide you to my music page where you can listen to and
download 'Madame Boardwalk' for FREE!! (mp3)
download 'Madame Boardwalk' for FREE!! (mp3)
Best Regards, Lee Larson