“I’m on Fire” by Bruce Springsteen is quite frankly the sexiest song ever written, and if you don’t agree I fundamentally don’t understand you. Bruce Springsteen has, as long as I can remember, remained my number one crush. My sexual awakening was likely sparked listening to Born in the USA (1984) on repeat daily between the ages of 12 and 18. I still like to think (and frequently tell people) that “She’s the One” was written about me. While my crush on Bruce Springsteen has remained in my heart, playlists, and also on my dorm room wall, most first crushes fade. Here are some of the B-Side editorial staff’s first musical crushes.
Unlike me, boy bands were clearly a favorite with normal 12-year-olds:
“Zayn Malik” – Sunny Sangha, Staff Writer
“Jesse McCartney” – Celia Davalos, Staff Writer
“The first artist I had a crush on was Joe Jonas. I remember having a poster of all the Jonas Brothers on my wall and only caring about Joe” – Michelle Castillo, Staff Writer
Some crushes never fully fade…
“I had a pillow that looked like Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day that I used to kiss as a dorky 10-year-old. Green Day got me into music — I used to sing along with my dad, and eventually learned guitar so that I could play along with him and we could jam when I was 11 or 12. I met him three times through 924 Gilman, and he remembers my name now!!” – Veronica Irwin, Copy Editor
Sometimes a common interest sparks a deeper connection.
“I’m not sure if I recognized my crush on Alicia Keys for a while, but I think it started after she sang on ‘Empire State of Mind.’ My upstate New York self thought it was the most relatable song ever. We just clicked” – Josh Hauser, Staff Writer
Some crushes seem completely unreasonable later. What can you do? Love is blind.
“The first musician I had a crush on was Kurt Cobain. I think because he was just rebellious and grungy and didn’t care about stupid stuff, and I thought he was cute for some reason. But he’s really not that cute and this was during my phase of being a really angsty teen.” – Sophie Turovsky, Marketing
Some crushes should still exist today
“FKA Twigs” – Everett Williams, Staff Writer
I 100% agree. FKA Twigs is super hot.
Article by Madeline Rohner
Design by Emma O’Mara