Music Friday: Whitney Houston's 'One Moment in Time' Is the Gold Standard of Olympic Theme Songs

Welcome to Music Friday when we regularly bring you amazing songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, we change up the criteria a bit to pay tribute to the opening of the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

As thousands of athletes from around the world go for the gold we thought it would be a great time to feature Whitney Houston's "One Moment in Time," a pop anthem USA Today called "the gold standard by which all Olympic theme songs should be judged."

A song that focuses on what it takes to reach the pinnacle of one's life, "One Moment in Time" became the theme song for NBC's coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

In rating it the best Olympic song of all time, USA Today noted that the lyrics perfectly define the spirit of the Games — working hard, overcoming setbacks, believing in oneself and ultimately becoming a champion.

Putting the song over the top is Houston's Emmy award-winning performance.

She sings, "Give me one moment in time / When I'm more than I thought I could be / When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away / And the answers are all up to me / Give me one moment in time / When I'm racing with destiny / Then in that one moment of time / I will feel / I will feel eternity."

Written by John Bettis and Albert Hammond, "One Moment in Time" was released as a single from The 1988 Summer Olympics Album: One Moment in Time and charted in 17 countries, including a top-5 position on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Bettis famously wrote "Top of the World" for the Carpenters and Hammond wrote and performed "It Never Rains in Southern California."

Whitney Elizabeth Houston was born in 1963 in Newark, N.J. Her mom was an accomplished gospel singer and her dad was an entertainment executive. She was also a first cousin of singer Dionne Warwick. At age 11, Houston started performing in the junior gospel choir at her church, and throughout her youth was inspired by some of top names in the business, including Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight and Roberta Flack. At age 20, she was signed to a record deal by Arista head Clive Davis. In 2001, she negotiated the biggest contract in music history: an eight-album deal worth $100 million.

During her career, Houston amassed 200 million record sales and 11 #1 hits, including "I Will Always Love You."

Houston died tragically in 2012 at the age of 48.

Please check out Houston's performance of "One Moment in Time" in the tribute video below. Here are the lyrics if you'd like to sing along...

"One Moment in Time"
Written by John Bettis and Albert Hammond. Performed by Whitney Houston.

Each day I live
I want to be
A day to give
The best of me
I'm only one
But not alone
My finest day
Is yet unknown

I broke my heart
Fought every gain
To taste the sweet
I face the pain
I rise and fall
Yet through it all
This much remains

I want one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity

I've lived to be
The very best
I want it all
No time for less
I've laid the plans
Now lay the chance
Here in my hands

Give me one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will feel
I will feel eternity

You're a winner for a lifetime
If you seize that one moment in time
Make it shine

Give me one moment in time
When I'm more than I thought I could be
When all of my dreams are a heartbeat away
And the answers are all up to me
Give me one moment in time
When I'm racing with destiny
Then in that one moment of time
I will be
I will be
I will be free
I will be
I will be free

Credits: Whitney Houston photo by Asterio Tecson (Flickr: 111) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

'Bachelorette' JoJo Fletcher Gets Her Man and a Dazzling 3.5-Carat Oval-Cut Diamond Engagement Ring

More than 8.4 million fans of The Bachelorette watched breathlessly as JoJo Fletcher professed her love to Jordan Rodgers during Monday's climactic two-hour season finale.

The former NFL player responded by getting down on one knee and presenting the real estate developer with a 3.5-carat diamond engagement ring valued at $85,000. The ring features an oval-cut center stone accented with pavé diamonds on a platinum band.

In the romantic lead up to the proposal, the 27-year-old aspiring sports broadcaster said, “It’s moments like this, where I’m holding your hand, I’m looking in your eyes, and I know I’m so unbelievably in love with you. You’re my best friend, you’re my soulmate."

Fletcher responded by saying, “I love you so much, and I’ve been waiting to tell you how I feel. I just love you so much… I didn’t want you to get down on one knee until you knew that.”

“It’s real, and it’s been real,” he said of their whirlwind romance. “I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Joelle Hannah Fletcher, will you marry me?”

Of course, she said, "Yes."

An insider told Us Weekly that the oval-cut diamond ring by Neil Lane was Rodgers' favorite from the moment he saw it.

"She also loves it," said the insider, "and it's one of the most unusual and rare cut stones to be seen on the show thus far."

Earlier in the episode Fletcher, 25, was forced to send runner-up Robby Hayes packing.

“Robby, I woke up this morning wanting it to be you," said Fletcher. "Every day, I’ve been wanting it to be you. I fell in love with you, but for some reason my heart is somewhere else.”

Fletcher and Rodgers will get to keep the $85,000 ring if their relationship remains intact. The Bachelor host Chris Harrison was unclear about the rules regarding when a ring must be returned to designer Lane.

"There's some rule, after a certain number of years, you get to keep it anyway," he told Us Weekly. "But after months [if there is a breakup]... it goes back."

Us Weekly noted that out of 20 seasons of The Bachelor and 11 seasons of The Bachelorette, only a handful of couples have remained together, including married pairs Trista and Ryan Sutter, Desiree Hartsock and Chris Siegfried, Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici, and Ashley Hebert and J.P. Rosenbaum. Season 11 Bachelorette Kaitlyn Bristowe and her final pick, Shawn Booth, are still happily engaged.

Credit: Bachelorette images and screen captures via ABC. Ring image courtesy of Neil Lane.

Newlyweds Reunited With Wedding Ring Thanks to GPS Coordinates Inscribed Inside the Band

A wedding band found on the beach in Maui made its way back to a grateful couple in Kansas — more than 3,800 miles away — thanks to a set of GPS coordinates inscribed inside the band.

About a month ago, Brandon and Megan Schumacher of Overland Park, Kan., were enjoying their honeymoon on the Hawaiian island of Maui when Brandon took off his wedding band to keep it from getting caked with sunscreen and sand. He dropped it in the nosepiece of his goggles for safekeeping, but then forgot about it.

“I started to mess with my GoPro, got distracted and walked out to the water," he told KMBC 9 News. "The next thing I know an hour had passed and the ring was gone.”

He had taken the goggles into the surf to rinse out the sand, so the missing ring could have been in the water or on the beach.

“I ran back to where I originally took it off and searched for about an hour,” Brandon told ABC News. “My wife ran up to the beach [bartender] who told her about this guy whose main job is using a metal detector to find wedding rings. We called him and he searched for a few hours and found nothing.”

Before they left the island to return home to Kansas, the couple filed a police report and alerted local pawn shops of their loss.

About a week later, the couple agreed that the ring was likely gone forever, so they ordered a replacement.

Meanwhile, back in Maui, Oregonian vacationers Dean and Young Barnes, were taking a romantic stroll in ankle-deep water when Young saw something unusual in the sand. It was 9:30 at night and the visibility was poor, but the object caught Young's attention and forced her to stop to take a closer look. It was a man's wedding band.

Dean and Young noticed a series of numbers inscribed in the band, but didn't understand what they could mean. Later, they showed the inscription to their son-in-law and daughter, and the young couple immediately recognized the numbers as GPS coordinates.

When they typed the numbers into GoogleMaps, the resulting pin landed right on the Legacy Christian Church in Overland Park, where the Schumachers were wed only weeks before.

The Barnes family contacted representatives of the Legacy Christian Church, who emailed the Schumachers with the improbable news. The Schumachers offered a reward but the Barneses refused.

A reporter from local ABC affiliate KMBC 9 News was on hand when the UPS truck arrived with Brandon's ring. In a heartwarming moment, the newlyweds reenacted their ring ceremony and Megan made Brandon promise to never take the ring off again.

In a letter that accompanied the returned jewelry, Dean Barnes explained why a reward was unnecessary.

“I informed Megan that we did not do anything and that God deserved ‘all’ of the glory," he said. "None of us did anything.”

The Schumachers also spoke about divine intervention...

“There were too many things that had to go right,” said Brandon. “Be in the right spot at the right time, step on something in the water, had to have the coordinates, everything. And it just worked out too perfectly. We keep looking back and there was just too many things for it to just be a coincidence.”

Credits: Images courtesy of Megan Schumacher; screen captures via kmbc.com.

Moving This Summer? Here Are the Top Tips for Keeping Your Jewelry Safe

Did you know that July 31 was the busiest moving day of the year and that the summer is the most popular moving season? So, if you're planning to resettle across town or even across the country, please consider these tips compiled by Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company and amended by our team for keeping your jewelry safe...

• Do not pack valuable jewelry in boxes and do not put your jewelry into storage. It can get lost with other items or stolen.

• If you’re moving locally, keep valuable items in a safety deposit box at a bank until you’re settled in and ready to retrieve them. If you’re moving a long distance, keep valuable jewelry with you at all times.

• Don’t wear jewelry while you’re packing, unpacking or doing heavy lifting. You may damage, bend or scratch precious metals, or chip valuable stones.

• Pack earrings, necklaces and bracelets separately so they don’t get tangled. Use zip-type small storage bags or pill organizers.

• Keep track of your items. Take a picture of each piece and create a detailed list of the items. Be sure to write a description for each piece and include serial numbers for items that have them. Make two copies of the list – take one with you when you move, and store the other one in a safety deposit box.

• Make sure your valuable items have been recently appraised to reflect their current values and replacement costs. If necessary, adjust your coverage accordingly. Make copies of appraisals and receipts. Again, take one copy with you and place the other in a safety deposit box.

• Your jewelry should be properly insured. If your jewelry is covered under your homeowners’ or rental policy, it may only be insured for up to $1,000. Also, be sure your insurance company covers "mysterious disappearance." Often, it won't.

• Resist using social media. As tempting as it is to share the excitement of your move, save the stories and photos for your housewarming party. Well intentioned posts can easily extend past your group of friends. Your family's jewels are more vulnerable during your move, so the fewer people who know about it, the better.

For more information on protecting your jewelry, visit Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company's website here.

Credit: Image by BigStockPhoto.com.

Spinel — The Great Imposter of Gemstone History — Is the New August Birthstone

Available in a rainbow of vibrant colors, but best known as a ruby doppelgänger, the spinel has joined the yellow-green peridot as an official birthstone for the month of August.

The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) and Jewelers of America (JA) delivered the surprising news in June. It was only third time in the past 104 years that the modern birthstone list had been updated.

"At certain moments in history, when there is a strong call from gem enthusiasts to expand the list of official birthstones, Jewelers of America believes in recognizing the importance of historically significant gemstones and giving gemstone lovers a choice that suits their preferences,” said JA President and CEO David Bonaparte.

The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) called spinel "the great impostor of gemstone history." That's because some of the most famous "rubies" in crown jewels around the world are actually spinels.

Prominently displayed on the Imperial State Crown of England is the 170-carat Black Prince Ruby, which is actually a uncut spinel.

The 361-carat Timur Ruby, which was presented by the East India Company to Queen Victoria as a gift in 1851, and is engraved with the names of some of the Mughal emperors who previously owned it, was later identified as a spinel.

And the 398-carat ruby-red gem that tops the Imperial Crown of Russia commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1763 turned out to be, you guessed it, a spinel.

The masquerade continued until gemologists and mineralogists finally developed the technical ability to distinguish spinel from ruby.

Chemically, the two gems are similar. Both spinel and ruby are aluminum oxides, but spinel contains magnesium and ruby doesn't.

Both spinel and ruby get their red coloring from minute amounts of chromium, which replace some of the aluminum within the crystal. The chromium so vital to the ruby’s blazing color is also responsible for causing fissures in the crystal, making rubies larger than 3 carats in size extremely rare and very valuable.

Established in 1912 by the American National Retail Jewelers Association (now known as JA), the modern birthstone list was updated in 1952 to add alexandrite (June), citrine (November), tourmaline (October) and zircon (December). The listed was amended again in 2002 when tanzanite joined the group of December birthstones.

Spinel comes in a variety of vibrant colors, including soft pastel shades of pink and purple, fiery oranges, and cool hues ranging from powdery gray to intense blue. It is a durable gem with a a hardness of 8.0 on the Mohs Hardness Scale. By comparison, diamond rates a 10 and ruby rates a 9.

Some of the most beautiful spinels — especially the pink, red and orange-red varieties — are found in Myanmar. They're also sourced from Afghanistan, Brazil, Cambodia, Kenya, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam.

Credits: Spinel crystal by Smallru (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons; Imperial State Crown of England by Cyril Davenport (1848 – 1941) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Timur Ruby via the Royal Collection Trust © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2012; Smolensk Diamonds' modern interpretation of the Imperial Crown of Russia by Shakko (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Music Friday: Elvis Presley Croons, 'That's Why I Sing, Because She Wears My Ring'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you awesome throwback songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we feature Elvis Presley singing about the powerful symbolism of a wedding ring in his 1973 cover of "She Wears My Ring."

To a smitten Presley, the ring he placed on his love's finger is not only an expression of his commitment, but also a signal to the world that "she's mine eternally."

Presley sings, "This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion / An endless pool of love that's as deep as the ocean / She swears to wear it with eternal devotion / That's why I sing, because she wears my ring."

Reinterpreted with English lyrics by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant in 1960, "She Wears My Ring" was adapted from a Spanish-language song, "La Golodrina." That song was penned by Mexican physician Narciso Serradell nearly 100 years earlier, when the doctor had been exiled to France during the French intervention in Mexico. He wrote "La Golodrina," ("The Swallow" in Spanish) as a fond tribute to the country he left behind. The song is about a migrating bird yearning to return to her homeland.

Although Presley's rendition of "She Wears My Ring" is the most memorable, the song was originally performed by Jimmy Bell in 1960 and covered by Roy Orbison in 1962 and Ray Price in 1968.

"She Wears My Ring" appears as the fifth track of Good Times, Presley's 20th studio album.

Born in Tupelo, Miss., in 1935, Elvis Aron Presley ascended to stardom in the mid-1950s with his good looks, silky voice and outrageous performance style. Not only did he top the charts during the 1950s and 1960s, but he also starred in more than 30 movies, including Jailhouse Rock (1957) and Viva Las Vegas (1964).

Presley met Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in 1960 and married her after a seven-and-a-half-year courtship. The ceremony took place at the Aladdin hotel in Las Vegas and, yes, she wore his ring.

"The King," as he was known, would eventually become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music, with more than 600 million records sold worldwide. His Memphis home, Graceland, is still a major tourist attraction.

Elvis died in Memphis on August 16, 1977, at the age of 44.

Please check out the audio track of Presley performing "She Wears My Ring." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"She Wears My Ring"
Written by Felice & Boudleaux Bryant. Performed by Elvis Presley.

She wears my ring to show the world that she belongs to me
She wears my ring to show the world she's mine eternally
With loving care I placed it on her finger
To show my love for all the world to see

This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion
An endless pool of love that's as deep as the ocean
She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring

She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring

This tiny ring is a token of tender emotion
An endless pool of love that's as deep as the ocean
She swears to wear it with eternal devotion
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring
That's why I sing, because she wears my ring

Credit: Wedding image in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons; Jailhouse Rock publicity pic by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Do Diamonds Rain on Jupiter? On the Planet's Doorstep, NASA's Juno Space Probe May Find Out

Earlier this month, NASA's Juno space probe successfully entered Jupiter's orbit after a 365-million mile trek that took nearly five years. For the next 20 months, Juno will discover what's hiding under the planet's thick clouds and transmit that information back to Earth. Don't be surprised if Juno encounters diamond crystals the size of hailstones along the way.

Two prominent scientists — Dr. Kevin Baines of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Mona Delitsky from California Specialty Engineering — made headlines three years ago when they floated the idea that diamonds rain on Jupiter.

In 2013, at the 45th annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society, they outlined the circumstances under which Jupiter's atmosphere would rain down thousands of tons of ring-sized diamonds every year.

It all boiled down to chemistry...

Many readers already know that the Earthly diamonds form naturally when carbon is heated to an extreme temperature and put under intense pressure about 100 miles below the surface. The diamonds find their way to the surface via kimberlite pipes — the equivalent of volcanic superhighways.

While diamonds on the Earth come from the bottom up, diamonds on Jupiter come from the top down, say the scientists.

Baines and Delitsky believe the tremendous gravitational pull of Jupiter results in a super-dense atmosphere of extreme heat and pressure — the same conditions found deep within the Earth.

Lightning storms in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter are responsible for initiating the process that eventually yields a diamond. When lightning strikes, methane gas is turned into soot, or carbon.

"As the soot falls, the pressure on it increases,” said Baines. “And after about 1,000 miles it turns to graphite — the sheet-like form of carbon you find in pencils."

As it falls farther — 4,000 miles or so — the pressure is so intense that the graphite toughens into diamond, strong and unreactive, he said.

The biggest diamond crystals falling through the atmosphere of Jupiter would likely be about a centimeter in diameter — "big enough to put on a ring, although, of course, they would be uncut," said Baines.

Because Jupiter is made of gas and is hotter than the Sun at its core, what happens next to the falling diamonds is the saddest part of the story. As they descend another 20,000 miles into the core of the planets, they eventually melt into a sea of liquid carbon.

"Once you get down to those extreme depths, the pressure and temperature is so hellish, there's no way the diamonds could remain solid,” he said.

In 2013, skeptics asked Baines, "How can you really tell? Because there's no way you can go and observe it."

At the time, he answered, "It all boils down to the chemistry. And we think we're pretty certain."

Now, with Juno on Jupiter's doorstep, we may know for sure...

Credit: Illustration courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Determined 9-Year-Old Future Geologist Lands 1.53-Carat Diamond at Crater of Diamonds State Park

Blazing temperatures topping 100 degrees couldn't keep aspiring geologist and gem lover Grace Houston from uncovering the find of a lifetime during her family's vacation to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas. On Saturday, the nine-year-old from Missouri landed a 1.53-carat diamond while wet-sifting with her grandma.

Despite a National Weather Service Heat Advisory, the determined young lady insisted on going back to the park for a second day of prospecting after the first day failed to yield the gemstone she so desperately wanted.

Houston's family had planned the trip to Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro six months in advance, but decided to keep it a secret so the fledgling geologist would be surprised.

After finding the diamond, the young girl's elation nearly turned to disappointment when she fumbled her pea-sized precious discovery back into the soil. Never deterred, Houston went back to work and found it again.

Park interpreter Betty Coors snapped the reaction of Houston's mom (orange shirt) when she learned of her daughter's discovery.

Coors reported that Houston wants to keep the diamond in its natural state. When pressed about whether she would possible use it in an engagement ring when she was older, the youngster responded, "No! I would never put such a rare and special and precious thing into an expensive piece of jewelry!"

Hmmm. We think there's a fair chance she could change her mind.

Treasure hunters visit Crater of Diamonds State Park year round to try their luck at bagging a precious gem at the only diamond site in the world open to the general public.

Only last year, Bobbie Oskarson made international headlines when she found an icicle-shaped 8.52-carat diamond at the park. Dubbed the “Esperanza,” the rough diamond was eventually crafted into an elongated briolette by master cutter Mike Botha. He called the unique shape the "Esperanza Cut."

The entry fee to Crater of Diamonds State Park is a modest $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Kids under 6 get in for free.

The 37½-acre search field in Murfreesboro, Ark., is actually the eroded surface of an ancient diamond-bearing kimberlite pipe.

The park maintains a generous finder’s keepers policy and even provides experts to help amateur prospectors identify what they’ve found. Besides diamonds, the search field often yields amethyst, garnet, peridot, jasper, agate, calcite, barite and quartz.

More than 75,000 diamonds have been pulled from the Murfreesboro site since farmer John Huddleston, who owned the land, found the first precious gems in 1906. The site became an Arkansas state park in 1972. The largest diamond ever discovered in the U.S. was unearthed here in 1924. Named the Uncle Sam, the white diamond with a pink cast weighed an astounding 40.23 carats.

Credits: Images by Betty Coors, Crater of Diamonds State Park.

Supermodel Miranda Kerr's New Ring From Snapchat's Evan Spiegel Is the 'Quintessence of Classic Style and Understatement'

Wedding bells will be ringing for supermodel Miranda Kerr and Snapchat Founder and CEO Evan Spiegel. The former Victoria’s Secret Angel took to Instagram to announce their engagement and show off the ring on July 20.

Kerr, 33, shared the good news by posting a photo of her beautiful bauble, with a custom Snapchat filter (of course). The photo is captioned, “I said yes!!!” and features a Bitmoji cartoon depiction of the proposal, with the words “Marry Me!" in the bubble text. A cartoon version of Spiegel kneels in front of his bride. According to People, Bitmoji is now the property of Snapchat.

After a year of dating, Spiegel, 26, put a ring on it — and what an epic ring it is. Described as a “stunning super sparkler,” the gorgeous ring features a classic, round-cut center stone embraced by two elegant tapered baguettes.

"Miranda's ring is the quintessence of classic style and understatement," celebrity stylist Michael O'Connor told Us Weekly. "It's a classic round diamond of about 2.5 carats. The value of the ring would be approximately $55,000."

The magazine also reported that the couple will have “an extravagant wedding, in true Evan style."

The Australian beauty and the media mogul first met at a Louis Vuitton dinner in New York in 2014. They were first spotted as a couple in June of 2015. In May of this year, they bought a sprawling $12 million dollar home in L.A.’s chic Brentwood neighborhood.

Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of the mobile app Snapchat, created the platform with Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown while they were all students at Stanford University. According to TechCrunch, Snapchat has a valuation of more than $22 billion.

“He’s 26, but acts like he’s 50,” said Kerr to Net-a-Porter’s The Edit. “He’s not out partying. He goes to work in L.A.’s Venice. He comes home. We don’t go out.” Kerr revealed to People that the pair are “decidedly low key.”

“We’d rather be at home and have dinner, go to bed early,” she said.

The Australian beauty and style icon was previously married to actor Orlando Bloom, with whom she shares a 5-year-old son, Flynn. After the split, Kerr established rules with her ex for introducing Flynn to a significant other. “We had to know the person for six months and feel good about them,” she said. “Evan met Flynn, so, yeah, things are going well. Orlando thinks he’s great. We’re just a modern family now!”

Credits: Ring photo via Instagram/mirandakerr; Miranda Kerr photo by Eva Rinaldi [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons; Evan Spiegel by cellanr [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Music Friday: Bruce Springsteen Knows That Some Day 'Jersey Girl' Will Wear His Ring

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fabulous songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, music legend Bruce Springsteen performs "Jersey Girl," a tender ballad about falling head-over-heels in love with a gal from New Jersey. She's so spectacular in so many ways that Springsteen is confident that some day he'll ask for her hand in marriage.

He sings, "You know she thrills me with all her charms / When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms / My little girl gives me everything / I know that some day she'll wear my ring."

Although Springsteen released "Jersey Girl" as the B-side to his 1984 hit "Cover Me," the song had became a fan favorite three years earlier when he began performing it during encores of his River Tour. The song generated so much emotion from the concertgoers that it became a set list staple — frequently opening or closing his shows. "Jersey Girl" was selected as the final track of Springsteen's 1986 box set Live/1975-85 and was the final song performed by Springsteen at New Jersey's Giants Stadium before its demolition in 2009.

The Boss' fans may be surprised to learn that although Springsteen was born in Colts Neck, N.J., and his rocker wife, Patti Scialfa, was born in Deal, N.J., "Jersey Girl" was actually penned by Californian Tom Waits in 1980. Waits revealed in an interview that he wrote the song with his future wife and Jersey girl, Kathleen Brennan, after she came into his life and "saved him." Waits included the song on his 1980 album Heartattack and Vine.

A master storyteller and poet, Springsteen rarely releases covers of other artists' songs, but "Jersey Girl" remains an exception. He recognized the main character in the song as the same guy from his own "Sandy" and "Rosalita."

In August 1981, Waits and Springsteen — both of whom would later enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — performed "Jersey Girl" together at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

We hope you enjoy the audio track of Springsteen’s live performance of "Jersey Girl." The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along.

"Jersey Girl"
Written by Tom Waits. Performed by Bruce Springsteen.

I got no time for the corner boys
Down in the street making all that noise
Or the girls out on the avenue
'Cause tonight I want to be with you

Tonight I'm gonna take that ride
Across the river to the Jersey side
Take my baby to the carnival
And I'll take her on all the rides

'Cause down the shore everything's all right
You and your baby on a Saturday night
You know all my dreams come true
When I'm walking down the street with you

Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la I'm in love with a Jersey girl

You know she thrills me with all her charms
When I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms
My little girl gives me everything
I know that some day she'll wear my ring

So don't bother me man I ain't got no time
I'm on my way to see that girl of mine
'Cause nothing matters in this whole wide world
When you're in love with a Jersey girl

Sha la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la I'm in love with a Jersey girl

I see you on the street and you look so tired
I know that job you got leaves you so uninspired
When I come by to take you out to eat
you're lyin' all dressed up on the bed baby fast asleep

Go in the bathroom and put your makeup on
We're gonna take that little brat of yours and drop her off at your mom's
I know a place where the dancing's free
Now baby won't you come with me

'Cause down the shore everything's all right
You and your baby on a Saturday night
Nothing matters in this whole wide world
When you're in love with a Jersey girl

Credits: Bruce Springsteen image by Manuel Martinez Perez [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.