When Bruce Springsteen was asked why he was invited to write the theme song for 'Philadelphia', the first mainstream motion picture about the AIDS crisis, and one of the first films made in Hollywood featuring a gay protagonist, he responded that the film's director, Jonathan Demme, had 'wanted to take a subject that people didn’t feel safe with and were frightened by and put it together with people that they did feel safe with'. The song that Springsteen would create in response to this brief was 'Streets of Philadelphia', and it plays over the film's long opening credits sequence, Springsteen's murmured vocals echoing over shots of the city's inhabitants and some of its historical landmarks. Why would the presence of Springsteen have helped viewers feel less frightened by the subject of AIDS? And what does this particularly strategic soundtrack casting do to the meaning of the song?

All the songs discussed in this episode, including the original recording of 'Streets of Philadelphia' can be heard here. If you've enjoyed it, please leave a review on Apple podcasts; thank you.

With very special thanks to Paul Wierdak, the producer of this episode.