Gary "US" Bonds had scored a string of hits on the pop and R&B charts during the early '60s with songs including Top Tens like "New Orleans," School Is Out," and the #1 "Quarter To Three." However, by the end of 1963 Bonds' career came to a halt and he would not appear on the charts for nearly twenty years when his career was resurrected by Bruce Springsteen.

Not only did Springsteen, perform on Bonds' 1981 album Dedication, Springsteen also wrote three songs and served as the record's co-producer. He also enlisted his E-Street Band to back Bonds on much of the album. One of Springsteen's songs, "This Little Girl," was tapped as Dedication's first single. It was a wise move as Springsteen was coming off his biggest commercial success to date with his 1980 release The River.

In May, "This Little Girl" entered the US Top 40. The sound drew heavily on Springsteen's love of classic, R&B-based rock from the '60s and with Bonds' gritty vocals, it garnered appeal from two generations of music fans. It steadily climbed the chart through the summer, finally stalling just short of the Top Ten in July. The song did even better at album rock radio formats as it reached #5 on that chart, making Bonds' one of the more unexpected comeback stories of the '80s.

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