ABSTRACT For over fifty years, Bruce Springsteen’s Born to Run has won its way into the hearts of music critics and fans as one of the greatest albums of all time, specifically the title track, which remains one of his most well-known songs. However, there are still some pieces of the album’s history that have yet to emerge, one being the definite identification of Wendy from “Born to Run.” The women who occupy Springsteen songs are made up of a diverse collective, some of whom are based off past girlfriends, most notably Diane Lozito, the real-life basis for early characters such as Crazy Janey in “Spirit in the Night” and Rosalita in “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight).” While others were inspired by stories that crossed Springsteen’s path such as Mary in “The River,” whose story was that of Springsteen’s sister Virginia, and the “girl you saw bopping down the beach with the radio” from “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy).” However, there are certain characters among Springsteen’s discography that may not have a real-world counterpart. There are still characters that have yet to be fully ascertained, the most prominent being the leading lady in “Born to Run,” Wendy.
Carlee Migliorisi (Sun,) studied this question.