There are also sorts of conventions in rock n roll song writing. One of the main ones is that you write upbeat songs about exciting things and downbeat songs about sad things. It takes a pretty special songwriter to invert the two and Bruce would do the same years later with Born in the USA. but he perfected it here by writing about the thrills of street racing cars and making it so low key that you'd think one of those street racers had just run over his dog. But that's part of the Springsteen genius, that he can pick out themes that others simply can't see. Only in Bruce's hands could the tragedy of the hero and his friend Sonny racing in the street as it's all they know.