Bruce Springsteen

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89) I’m A Rocker (The River)

True love is broken and your tears are fallin’ faster

The world needs more songs like I’m A Rocker. It does not take itself too seriously in the slightest, and we are better off for it.

It is impossible to listen to I’m A Rocker without getting swept away in its fun and pure ecstasy. The organ has you urging for more, and that drumming by Max is outstanding. It is unapologetically fun and while the lyrics may have you wondering how he has written some of the tracks he has, suddenly it doesn’t matter, because I’m A Rocker has full permission to be the class clown.

Enjoy the fun ride it takes you on and you won’t be without a smile on your face after about the first five seconds.



88) Rendezvous (Tracks/The Promise)

Well I'm riding on the power and livin' on the promise in your last kiss

Rendezvous is a light, fun pop song that is over pretty quickly, but that does not detract from its quality.

It brings me joy whenever I listen to it, and it’s one of those songs where less is more is clearly the case. Clocking in at less than three and half minutes, it’s over pretty quickly.

I love the joy you see on Bruce’s face performing this too.

The line “I had a dream tonight my dream comes true”. It sounds so simplistic but at the same time there is a depth to that line that lies beneath the surface.



87) Spirit In The Night (Greetings From Asbury Park)

And we danced all night to a soul fairy band

When Bruce shouts CAN YOU FEEL THE SPIRIT?! at a show, the energy soars immediately. Serotonin levels soar for the next 10 or so minutes and it’s not hard to see – or hear – why.

As like many songs on Greetings, Spirit throws so many different character names at us, but they do not get lost in the track.

The saxophone riff carries the song along joyfully – and with the evolvement of the band over the years – the extra horns live are so damn good. That sax solo halfway through just lifts the energy higher before an abrupt halt where things simmer, but not for long before everything is back in full swing.

I love the story the song tells. It’s so innocent and youthful in the pictures it paints of its characters and their shenanigans.

And this is definitely in the top tier of songs where everyone is collectively so damn happy.



86) Empty Sky (The Rising)

I hear the blood of my blood cryin’ from the ground

I would love to hear the band rip through Empty Sky at a show. The studio arrangement is very good, and the arrangement on D&D Tour completely changes the complexion of the track and the sadness in the lyrics is really magnified.

Empty Sky is moving and sad, and that harmonica solo cuts right through me as a listener, amplifying the loneliness and despondency the track carries with it.

Sadly, like the bulk of The Rising songs – and Magic for that matter – they have been completely forgotten about and relegated to history.



85) Brothers Under The Bridge (’95) (Tracks)

You were just a beautiful light, in your mama’s dark eyes of blue

I feel like Bruce could just have an album about songs that are derived from wars, whether it be Vietnam, Iraq or wherever, he could easily fill an album with that subject matter.

The fact that it’s a freakin outtake highlights how deep – and great – his catalogue truly is. Absolutely staggering.

The line about one of their friends burning death due to his own campfire is scary and confronting.

The acoustic guitar is haunting throughout and the brushes on the snare are a perfect accompaniment. The horns to close the song give it that real military feel.

The song is just hauntingly terrific.

I find the below performance to be captivating.

 

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Planet14 said:
Some nice stuff there. Walk Like a Man is a massive favourite of mine, a lovely counterpoint to most of his songs about his father. Overall, Tunnel of Love might be the best writing of Springsteen's career.

Mary's Place, like Waiting on a Sunny Day, is dead to me due to being overplayed live. I don't really rate the Rising as an album, I think it is way too long and has too much filler, so I rarely go back to the original album versions, so the overlong sermons in MP and the excruciating children singing in WoaSD are the ones burned into my consciousness. Might need to go back and listen again.

Magic on the other hand is in my opinion his best E Street album since the 80s. Last to Die is fantastic, and was great on the 07/08 tour. Shame it has disappeared since then, can't remember it coming at all in recent years.
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Magic is a great album, but hard to listen to all the way through. The recording is terrible. It's a real shame because as you say, the songs are great.
 
ExileOnArdenStreet said:
Magic is a great album, but hard to listen to all the way through. The recording is terrible. It's a real shame because as you say, the songs are great.
Click to expand...


Always disliked Mary’s Place and it’s the type of song live that is the best for a drink break
 
ExileOnArdenStreet said:
Magic is a great album, but hard to listen to all the way through. The recording is terrible. It's a real shame because as you say, the songs are great.
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What’s wrong with the recording? I listened to it on a cd in the car during that time and never noticed anything

Girls in their summer dresses has an awesome Beach Boys sound in the background especially that part where it shifts to “you went away, cut me like a knife..” Never get tired of listening to that song


Long walk home…same…would need to go back for the rest
 
Gasometer said:
You say the Rising and Magic have been mostly been relegated to history

I think they’re two of the bands best post BUSA albums

Why do you think that is the case Cruyff14 ?
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Not sure, but his catalogue is so deep it's inevitable.

ExileOnArdenStreet said:
Magic is a great album, but hard to listen to all the way through. The recording is terrible. It's a real shame because as you say, the songs are great.
Click to expand...
I disagree, the sound is so full and rich. Brendan O'Brien produced - same guy who did The Rising
Gasometer said:
Always disliked Mary’s Place and it’s the type of song live that is the best for a drink break
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It's fun, I like it.
Gasometer said:
What’s wrong with the recording? I listened to it on a cd in the car during that time and never noticed anything

Girls in their summer dresses has an awesome Beach Boys sound in the background especially that part where it shifts to “you went away, cut me like a knife..” Never get tired of listening to that song


Long walk home…same…would need to go back for the rest
Click to expand...
Lots of Magic tracks to follow!
 
Gasometer said:
What’s wrong with the recording? I listened to it on a cd in the car during that time and never noticed anything

Girls in their summer dresses has an awesome Beach Boys sound in the background especially that part where it shifts to “you went away, cut me like a knife..” Never get tired of listening to that song


Long walk home…same…would need to go back for the rest
Click to expand...
It sounds very compressed, with no instrument separation. You'll Be Comin' Down and Livin' In The Future especially. The Rising sounds a lot better.
 
84) Out In The Street (The River)

Meet me out in the street little girl tonight

How can you listen to Out In The Street and not be happy? It’s a song that signals the end of the working week and getting ready to party on the weekend.

Like a lot of tracks from The River, it’s a fun sounding pop song, full of energy, joy and liveliness with Roy’s piano playing a key figure, and Max’s steady beat urging the song on. The woah oh trade offs at a live show are always fun.

The lead up to the sax solo where he proclaims “meet me out in the street I’ll be waiting for you!” is so full of exuberance and happiness.

A simple pop song that makes you smile. The world can never have enough of these.



83) The Price You Pay (The River)

Any song with a 12 string guitar gets a big thumbs up from me.

Roy’s piano work is great and hearing it paired with Bruce’s 12 string guitar is a great listening experience.

The imagery in that opening verse is so succinct, and I really admire the picture of how together this couple is in this song

The highlight of this track for me is the big note at the end.



82) Independence Day (The River)

Independence Day is an outstanding song.

The intro sounds so warm and tender, the organ riff carries through the song is a joy to listen to.

The sax solo wields some pain and longing, and it’s powerful but not forceful, yet still makes you feel warm and comforted with its tenderness.

His story leading in to the song here is great; worth the watch

“This song is a story about two people who love each other, but fail to understand one another”



81) Radio Nowhere (Magic)

I want a million different voices speaking in tongues

What a way to open an album. Radio Nowhere charges at you like a raging bull, ready to knock down whatever in its way. The song’s power is relentless and unforgiving. The intro is kickass, and it’s got a great hook.

Radio Nowhere is one of the very few tracks where I think the studio cut is greater than the song is live. That probably comes down to the production of it. I feel there is just more power behind it.

The drums pound, the guitars are loud and the vocal is delivered with venom and conviction, Radio Nowhere certainly.

Max is the conductor of this track, absolutely stellar.

This song kicks a whole heap of ass, it does not leave anyone or anything in its path!



80) I’m On Fire (Born In The USA)

There is a lot to like about I’m On Fire. The soothing synth riff, the beautiful vocal and equally beautiful falsetto, or even the soothing rim shots throughout.

I’m On Fire may be a short song but it’s the perfect example of less is in fact, much, much more. It shows you don’t need to be flash all the time, or a solo to grab people’s attention. It sits, front and centre, and commands your attention, without having any of that.

Crazy to think this was nearly given away as well.

 

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Gasometer said:
You say the Rising and Magic have been mostly been relegated to history

I think they’re two of the bands best post BUSA albums

Why do you think that is the case Cruyff14 ?
Click to expand...

I'm no Boss expert but to me it seems The Rising just isn't in the discussions when people talk about his albums.

I really got into it at the time , it was a success with the critics and he was very popular during that period.

It's heavily themed about 9/11 so maybe that has something to do with it.
 
Here is the next batch guys!

79) We Take Care of Our Own (Wrecking Ball)

The road of good intentions has gone dry as bone

The opening track of the Wrecking Ball album certainly knew how to grab people’s attention after a three year break between albums.

It’s a great stadium rocker and you can’t help but get caught up in the chorus and want to shout it as loud as you can at the top of your lungs.



78) Leah (Devil’s & Dust)

I wanna find me a world where love's the only sound

If there were a handful of songs that I could choose people to appreciate more, Leah would be among the bunch. I’ve often overlooked it myself, but I’ve always known it’s there, and whenever I come back to it, I’m always pleasantly surprised at how well it stands up.

Leah has such a warming and gentle feel to it. The vocal is tender, and the acoustic guitar is the perfect foil.

Leah’s lyrics detail the story of a man who wants to find a world with love, with Leah. He’s been waiting, and he’s been ready for this, and he’s finally ready to pounce.

The essential lyric though, as said by the man himself is the below

I walk this road, with a hammer and a fiery lantern
With this hand I've built, and with this I've burned

As described in the beginning of the video “We carry with us the seeds of our destruction. A part of the human package are one of the seeds that bring life and good things into the world. But it is a very big tug of war all the time. It’s very hard to come down on uh…. We have a hand that builds and we have a hand that burns. So, this song is about a man who just figures out how to come down on the side hopefully, the hand that builds.”



77) Candy’s Room (Darkness On The Edge Of Town)

There's a sadness hidden in that pretty face

How can you not enjoy the intensity, power and fury created in Candy’s Room?

That opening with Max running on the hi-hat is a great start. In fact, Max is the star of this track. His drum roll is excellent and drives the pace of the song. Candy’s Room is unrelenting from start to finish and it won’t let you catch your breath.

From the frenetic intro, to the drum roll that follows, the wild guitar solo, the pounding toms, then the drum rolls again, Candy’s Room is like a one way rollercoaster ride, but then it suddenly comes to crashing halt.

The song really surges to its peak when the band is involved and everything is happening



76) My City of Ruins (The Rising)

Without your sweet kiss my soul is lost, my friend

Whichever way you cut My City Of Ruins, it’s a powerful song. It gives you a sense of fighting hope and wants to pick you up when you’re down, drag you back onto that horse, and pat a hand on your back and let you know everything will be OK, even if it isn’t right now.

You can hear the anguish and pain in the vocal early on, but toward the end, you can feel the sense of hope and fight urging you on with the music matching it.

The song has evolved since its original arrangement on The Rising tour. The breakdown we were privy to a few tours back when the roll call commenced was incredibly moving. It played on emotion to create a poignant feeling before the band build back up collectively and came crashing in with purpose and conviction, helping us rise up through those tough times.

Whether it be organ, the horns, or the piano, all at various points which both can drag you down and lift you up, they’re all great at what they do in their own way.

The organ is the star of this track though, magnificent. Absolutely magnificent.



75) Reason To Believe (Nebraska)

People find some reason to believe

I yearn for the day we get a full electric version of Nebraska. I feel it’d set my ears on fire listening to it.

Reason To Believe – the full band version – is out of this world good. The bluesy guitar, the harmonica, the conviction in the vocal, the organ sitting back in the mix, the conviction in the vocal, all of it is just so damn good.

The song is very dark if you really look into it and there is no positivity in it. A dead dog, a man leaving his partner, death, and a groom standing alone. It’s utterly grim on all fronts.

Steve’s bluesy guitar work is the hero of the track though for me. It has a real edginess to it that adds another layer to the song.

Dave Marsh even wrote “it’s a road map to depression”. Not hard to see why either.

 
RussellEbertHandball said:
Cruyffie is this a reworking of your 2013 and 2020 top 100 list, and things have changed because you have relistened to a lot of songs and changed your ranking or is there a bit of a different theme from those lists??
Click to expand...
A lot has changed really, still the same criteria, IE favourites, not best.
 
Cruyff14 said:
Here is the next batch guys!

79) We Take Care of Our Own (Wrecking Ball)

The road of good intentions has gone dry as bone

The opening track of the Wrecking Ball album certainly knew how to grab people’s attention after a three year break between albums.

It’s a great stadium rocker and you can’t help but get caught up in the chorus and want to shout it as loud as you can at the top of your lungs.



78) Leah (Devil’s & Dust)

I wanna find me a world where love's the only sound

If there were a handful of songs that I could choose people to appreciate more, Leah would be among the bunch. I’ve often overlooked it myself, but I’ve always known it’s there, and whenever I come back to it, I’m always pleasantly surprised at how well it stands up.

Leah has such a warming and gentle feel to it. The vocal is tender, and the acoustic guitar is the perfect foil.

Leah’s lyrics detail the story of a man who wants to find a world with love, with Leah. He’s been waiting, and he’s been ready for this, and he’s finally ready to pounce.

The essential lyric though, as said by the man himself is the below

I walk this road, with a hammer and a fiery lantern
With this hand I've built, and with this I've burned

As described in the beginning of the video “We carry with us the seeds of our destruction. A part of the human package are one of the seeds that bring life and good things into the world. But it is a very big tug of war all the time. It’s very hard to come down on uh…. We have a hand that builds and we have a hand that burns. So, this song is about a man who just figures out how to come down on the side hopefully, the hand that builds.”



77) Candy’s Room (Darkness On The Edge Of Town)

There's a sadness hidden in that pretty face

How can you not enjoy the intensity, power and fury created in Candy’s Room?

That opening with Max running on the hi-hat is a great start. In fact, Max is the star of this track. His drum roll is excellent and drives the pace of the song. Candy’s Room is unrelenting from start to finish and it won’t let you catch your breath.

From the frenetic intro, to the drum roll that follows, the wild guitar solo, the pounding toms, then the drum rolls again, Candy’s Room is like a one way rollercoaster ride, but then it suddenly comes to crashing halt.

The song really surges to its peak when the band is involved and everything is happening



76) My City of Ruins (The Rising)

Without your sweet kiss my soul is lost, my friend

Whichever way you cut My City Of Ruins, it’s a powerful song. It gives you a sense of fighting hope and wants to pick you up when you’re down, drag you back onto that horse, and pat a hand on your back and let you know everything will be OK, even if it isn’t right now.

You can hear the anguish and pain in the vocal early on, but toward the end, you can feel the sense of hope and fight urging you on with the music matching it.

The song has evolved since its original arrangement on The Rising tour. The breakdown we were privy to a few tours back when the roll call commenced was incredibly moving. It played on emotion to create a poignant feeling before the band build back up collectively and came crashing in with purpose and conviction, helping us rise up through those tough times.

Whether it be organ, the horns, or the piano, all at various points which both can drag you down and lift you up, they’re all great at what they do in their own way.

The organ is the star of this track though, magnificent. Absolutely magnificent.



75) Reason To Believe (Nebraska)

People find some reason to believe

I yearn for the day we get a full electric version of Nebraska. I feel it’d set my ears on fire listening to it.

Reason To Believe – the full band version – is out of this world good. The bluesy guitar, the harmonica, the conviction in the vocal, the organ sitting back in the mix, the conviction in the vocal, all of it is just so damn good.

The song is very dark if you really look into it and there is no positivity in it. A dead dog, a man leaving his partner, death, and a groom standing alone. It’s utterly grim on all fronts.

Steve’s bluesy guitar work is the hero of the track though for me. It has a real edginess to it that adds another layer to the song.

Dave Marsh even wrote “it’s a road map to depression”. Not hard to see why either.

Click to expand...


We take care of our own

First listen at the time and I thought it was a shoutout to the assistance offered during the GFC but on closer listens thereafter it’s a whack to the failures of the Bush/Obama era to address the poverty that pervaded the USA in that 2005-2010 era

Its a ripper of a song and this is a great read on its origins and meaning

estreetshuffle.com

Roll of the Dice: We Take Care of Our Own | E Street Shuffle

estreetshuffle.com estreetshuffle.com
 
pjcrows said:
Feb/Mar this year was almost over the line (again) - but that was back in September. Patti's health prevented it, understandably.
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Unless the planning started back in September and venues and all the promo work is ready to go, then a 6-8 week turn around is unrealistic…and surely someone/thing would have leaked

It’s just lazy and I would expect more from him tbh; it’s almost like chat gpt generated it
 

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