Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young (sort of): "Whip My Hair" on YouTube

You just don't see this everyday ... Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young perform their hit "Whip My Hair" on Jimmy Fallon Late Night via YouTube.

And -- for those of you who are pop-culturally clueless (like us) -- this is a cover of a 9 year old "pop" star named Willow Smith.

As amrit on Stereogum sums it up: "Bruce Springsteen & Jimmy Fallon As Neil Young Cover “Whip My Hair” In A Manner Suitable For Old Men With Bad Alignment".

You’d be surprised. In 2010, the #1 hazard about being a man of a certain age spending too much time working from bed consuming the internet is NOT poor vision, or bedsores, or even the anxiety that comes with acute social isolation. Rather it is the having of a very jacked up neck that can barely withstand a facewash without aching and most certainly does NOT allow you to whip your hair when people at parties put on “Whip Your Hair,” as people should be doing all the times at all the parties.

It’s a total modern day travesty, I’m sure.

But having this self-imposed ailment of spinal alignment this year is good for at least one thing, and that is to provide a much enhanced appreciation of Willow Smith’s 9 year old swag, and deep envy for how freely those that were born during George W. Bush’s presidency can crank around their craniums with such reckless abandon during Obama’s. Oh to be young. And gifted. And have movie star parents. And be on Jay-Z’s label. And be a lightning rod for debates on proper parenting vis a vis celebrity, talent, and exploitation. And 9.

While Willow’s version is irreplaceable, the rendition on Late Night last night was one that even this neck can enjoy: Jimmy Fallon indulging his recurring meme-recreation as Neil Young, joined this time by a man named Bruce Springsteen. The Boss and the spirit of Neil Young (who just turned 65 last week, btw), two guys who know from not being 9 years old, turning Willow’s internet banger into a neck-friendly Americana classic.

I gently sway my head side-to-side.

Jimmy Fallon seems to be making a career out of his Neil Young impressions. Last year, it all started with Jimmy Fallon impersonating Neil Young covering "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" which went totally viral. Then followed by "Pants On The Ground"

Which led to a viral video of a viral video of Neil Young's Emotional 'Double Rainbow' Ballad (VIDEO).

But enough about Jimmy Fallon. Here's more on Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young: The Difference in Greatness.



UPDATE: Parody video has gone massively viral.

From Fallon on His Neil Young Parody With Springsteen | Rolling Stone Music:

"'We were just gonna do that as Neil, but in the meantime, we'd been talking to [Springsteen manager] Jon Landau. I know he'd loved the [Glee/'Born to Run'] Emmy opening. They called us up and said, 'Bruce wants to come on and do a couple songs off the box set and the new record.' I was like, 'Oh my God — would he be up for a bit?' We didn't hear back for a couple days, but they said, 'Yeah, he'd be open to it — he's not really into that stuff, but if you wanna pitch him something.'

'So we did a scratch track in my office, sent it to Bruce — and he loved it. He was like, 'I'm in!' And then Jon Landau — this is the craziest call — says, 'I have an idea: If Jimmy's being Neil from the '70s, maybe Bruce should be Bruce from the '70s? We'll get a beard ...' And I was like, 'What?' So he says, 'Here's his number, give him a call and talk about it.' '

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