Nils Lofgren, the lead guitarist of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, came through with a new anthem for Washington Wizards fans just in time for Game 7 of the team’s playoff series with the Boston Celtics, set for Monday.
It’s called “Wizards Fever” and it’s a remix of the 65-year-old musician and long time area basketball fan’s original hit “Bullets Fever,” which, of course, was an ode to the 1978 championship team that beat the Seattle SuperSonics in seven games.
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While many of the lyrics are the same (for example, just as Lofgren sang “Bullets Fever happens to [him] every year,” now “Wizards fever, happens to [him] every year”), there is at least one key difference: The specific shout out to the pivotal place in which the Wizards now find themselves.
“Wizards fever, we’re off to Game 7 now,” Lofgren croons. “For the Eastern Title, come on and get the job done.”
That doesn’t sound like too much to ask.
That Lofgren decided to go ahead and remix his cult hit now comes as a bit of a surprise. When asked in 2008 if he ever planned on writing an updated version of the song using the team’s new name, he said, “I thought it was silly to change the name.”
“I loved the Bullets,” he continued. “Writing a song for them, that was a beautiful time. Hopefully, the Wizards will get it together.”
Apparently that clinching three-pointer hit by John Wall in Game 6 really did it for Lofgren because the Wizards got their remix without even winning the series … yet.
The Wizards will attempt to make Lofgren’s wishes come true on Monday when they meet the Celtics in Boston. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.