A pre-dawn trip to the 'Backstreets'

I am nothing if not a person of habit.

I have a tendency to do the same things at exactly the same time every day.

I get up at the same (insane) time.

I immediately grab by transistor radio (ask your parents, kids) and flip on KYW. That usually gets me up to date just in case the world has ended since I slipped off into a coma a few hours before.

Then I make coffee. Not a cup. A pot. I have two cups before I leave the house and then a travel mug for the road.

Once in the car - even when it is a brutal 14 degrees out as it was this morning - I am a maniacal dial flipper.

I jump back and forth between WIP, where I get my sports talk, and KYW, where I get news, weather and traffic.

I almost never listen to music on the way into the office.

Until this morning.

One of best gifts I ever received was the extension of the Sirius/XM radio package that came with my new car.

I could not tell you the last time I listened to an FM music station.

But even still, I rarely listen to music in the morning on the way to the office.

Until this morning.

To get from KYW to WIP, the band has to go across the Sirius band.

And I hit it this morning just long enough to catch the first few glorious tinkling piano chords of "Backstreets."

I couldn't resist.

I cranked it up about as loud as the radio would go. It's funny how much faster you drive when you have the music on that loud.

Yes, I am a serious E Street Radio fan. Imagine that, Bruce Springsteen 24 hours a day.

Even at 4:45 in the morning.

Maybe you had to grow up in a small town.

Maybe you had to ride around town all Saturday night in your souped-up car hoping the girl would notice. They didn't. Springsteen just speaks to me. Both his words and his music.

This week E Street Radio actually counted down the Top 100 Springsteen Songs. "Backstreets" was in the Top 10. I got to the office before hearing what was voted No. 1. It was either "Born to Run" or "Thunder Road." I am guessing the nod by listeners went to "BTR," though "Thunder Road" has always been my favorite.

My apologies if I woke anyone this morning by blasting "Backstreets."

That's one way to heat up a cold morning.

Thanks, Bruce.