In 1980, the New Jersey State Assembly decided to repay Bruce Springsteen by introducing a resolution officially naming him the "New Jersey Pop Music Ambassador to America" with "Born to Run" as the "unofficial 'rock' theme of our state's youth."
Carol Miller, a DJ at 95.5 WPLJ-FM, which was New York's key rock station until its transition to Top 40 in 1983. Carol always prefaced the airing of the song with "NJ's State Anthem".The previous December, a newspaper article noted that New Jersey was looking for an official anthem.
The resolution passed the Assembly on June 12, 1980, by voice vote.
But it never made it through the state Senate, presumably because the senators listened to the lyrics and realized that the song is about a desire to get out of New Jersey.
I designed and sold this shirt 40 years ago, mainly to running stores, and here is your chance to get one.