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Bruce Springsteen

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60) Sad Eyes

Sad eyes never lie

One of the few I have chosen from Tracks in my list.

Polar opposite to Murder Incorporated. Nice and mellow ballad. There’s nothing amazing about this musically, or lyrically really. It’s simple, and simple is sometimes good. No crazy solos, no pounding drum beat from Max. Although the bass line is fairly prominent, and nobody ever knocked a good bass line. We get treated to Bruce’s falsetto, rather pleasant on the ear if you ask me. Doesn’t really play it much live, the only version I have found on YouTube is one from the D&D Tour and he sort of struggles with the falsetto.

Opinion is divided on the actual meaning of the song, but whatever it is, it’s an underrated tune.

[YOUTUBE]btFELvxhYUE[/YOUTUBE]
 
59) Iceman

Once they tried to steal my heart, beat it right out of my head, but baby they didn’t know that I was born dead.

A true hidden gem on Tracks IMO. When you listen to the lyrics, they are some of his darker ones. It sounds like this guy has lost everything who meant everything to him. People are trying to steal his heart, but he was born dead – making him cold. He is The Iceman.

[YOUTUBE]vWpFIIJGAjw[/YOUTUBE]
 
58) Trapped

Good will conquer evil and the truth will set me free

Yeah, I know, it’s not really a Springsteen song, but he’s released it so it gets the nod in my book.

Originally written by Jimmy Cliff, it seems to be very popular amongst Springsteen fans.

The first recollection I have of this song, I would have been about 15. My dad came home from work one day and said he’d heard a song by Springsteen on the radio. He managed to remember the “But now I’m trapped” line and I was able to do search the lyrics and I found it. Eight years later and I’m here doing this.

I’ve never really loved this song to be honest, but at the same time, I have never really had any beef with it. I find myself singing (if you can call it that) at the top of my lungs during the chorus without a worry in the world.

The Big Man’s solo in this is kick ass. You can tell he is really going for it, and he definitely owns it, and just like that, we’re back to how the song started, then we get one final chance to test our lungs.

[YOUTUBE]LesRFpv6pwU[/YOUTUBE]
 
57) For You

Your cloud line urges me and my electric surges free

Imagery. It is a powerful tool. And Springsteen uses it extremely well. This song is one of those examples.

Now, this song is at opposite ends of the Spectrum when it is played with the band and when Bruce plays it on the piano. With the band, it doesn’t sound too depressing, it bops along and you can tap your foot to it and Bruce seems happy enough when he sings it.

You put him in front of the piano and you realize how heartbreaking this song really is. But alas, it gains intimacy. Absolutely outstanding song. Lyrically it is amazing. It’s up there with his best written songs. My heart breaks every time I listen to it and I think of the male character in the song.

It sounds like it’s about a guy who is in love with a girl, and she’s tried to kill herself. And that he’ll always be there for her. But, like a lot of his songs, it is open to interpretation.

[YOUTUBE]WCY1_msUYPQ[/YOUTUBE]
 

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56) Born In The USA

BORRRRRRRRRRRRN IN THE USAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

It’s 1985. You have reached the ultimate height of superstardom and this is the song (and album) that’s got you there.

I’m not going to bore you with all the Regan stuff because we’ve all heard it a million times and it doesn’t get any more interesting. Or the meaning of the song.

This is stadium rock at its best. From the opening where Max is bashing his snare like he has a point to prove, Danny on the synths, Roy on keyboards, it has you fist pumping like no tomorrow. Then throw in 40,000 odd people screaming at the top of their lungs and you’re getting the best possible experience for Born In The USA. It’s not great lyrically, but what it is, is LOUD. This is the song you turn up if you want to piss off your neigbours – because it is that damn loud. The fact it is easy to sing along to, is probably why it is so popular, and for the fact that a lot of American’s have probably misinterpreted the lyrics, like Regan. Nonetheless though, it get’s the crowd going. Obviously not my most favourite of Bruce songs but its catchyness gets it in there.

You’re doing it now aren’t you.

BORN IN THE USA!

The crowd here is great. Italians going nuts, brilliant.

[YOUTUBE]MViG6wXsqjo[/YOUTUBE]
 
The_Big_Ship said:
never been a fan, find his music a bit on the cheesy side. but that's just me.
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Wash your mouth out!!!! :p

Outside of his bigger songs that charted and were "popular" i wouldn't know 80% of his catalog of songs :o.

Human Touch would probably be my most listened to Bruce Springsteen song.
I have a soft spot for Born in the USA and Glory Days though.
 
The_Big_Ship said:
never been a fan, find his music a bit on the cheesy side. but that's just me.
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Understandable. And I'd rate him merely as 'competent' in the vocal stakes. But if you look beyond the razzamatazz it's obvious that Springsteen is an amazing entertainer with a talent for penning quite profound lyrics.

Cruyff14 said:
What are your guys thoughts so far on my list?
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Not a fan of Murder Inc, sounds a bit forced to me. But it's a serious catalogue that has Born In The USA at #55. Keep going!

One point you make: Bruce does 'simple' amazingly well. Factory...
 
Ron The Bear said:
Not a fan of Murder Inc, sounds a bit forced to me. But it's a serious catalogue that has Born In The USA at #55. Keep going!
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Don't get me wrong, it's not the greatest of his songs, but it's got that power that he's known for. Had it been on Darkness I think it would get a lot more recognition.

I shall post some more tonight.

Factory is okay, I don't hate it, nor do I love it. I play it sometimes but not often.

Re: Well musically, chords wise, (not that I am a musician by any means), they are all fairly simple. But when you listen to the piano and drums and so on, that's when it gets complex. He has a lot of simple, but **** me, when he gets complex, it's ****ing awesome.
 
Born To Run has is one of my favourite albums of all time.
He would probably be my 1st choice to see live. Friend got to see him in England...played for 5 or 6 hours.
 
55) Youngstown

I pray the devil comes and takes me, To stand in the fiery furnaces of hell

My first choice from Nebraska.

When I first heard Youngstown on the Live In N.Y.C. DVD I did not like it. At all. I don’t know what it was, I think it was that it was a little too heavy for me at that stage and I was still pretty much into mainstream Bruce and was still delving into his catalogue yet to discover his true potential.

But the years wore on and I thought I’d give it a go. Then it started to grow on me. Basically it’s about a steelworker who works in Youngstown, Ohio.

And it revisits a common theme in Bruce’s song – the division between the poor and wealthy.

Once I made you rich enough, rich enough to forget my name

Bruce sounds really throaty when he sings this. Having said that though, I think he delivers a great vocal performance. We are treated to Danny, or Charlie, now, on the accordion. And The Professor on keyboards. The highlight is obviously Nils’ solo. Probably his most famous one. It’s blistering. He is such an underrated guitarist it isn’t funny. Max delivers yet another more than convincing performance behind his drum kit too.

[YOUTUBE]P9FgwO1ysNM[/YOUTUBE]
 

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54) Lonesome Day

Better ask questions before you shoot, deceit and betrayal's bitter fruit

Number 53 presents us with the most recent selection in terms of age of songs so far.

Straight out of the blocks, this one doesn’t leave anyone left standing still. The opening track off the 2002 album The Rising, is yet another foot tapper. It will have you screaming ‘YEAH!’ whether you’re in the confides of your car or living room or at a concert. One to really get the crowd going. I think its best place was second song into the set straight after The Rising.

I have read in a few different places that it was a little overplayed, which is probably a fair call considering it made 313 straight appearances in set lists stretching back from July 2002 to November 18, 2009, the third last show of the WOAD tour. Bruce must love it.

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53) Atlantic City

Everything dies, baby, that's a fact, but maybe everything that dies someday comes back

The original version, which appears on Nebraska, is of course an acoustic. Fast forward to the Reunion Tour and we see a full band version, to which I prefer. The acoustic is okay, but I think the band version owns this song. There is the Sessions Band version too, but I am just not a fan of anything of that album (sorry).

Max with a commanding beat grabbing our full attention to open the song. Snare/bass/snare/bass and so on. Then when we hit the chorus, the rest of the band comes in and we are in for a real treat. This song is meant to be angry and that’s exactly what you get.

Random fact: The Chicken Man mentioned in the first line was about a Mafia Boss who was killed back in 1981 after a nail bomb exploded on his porch after he walked out of his front door.



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52) Devil’s Arcade

They said heroes are needed, so heroes get made

This is the first of four songs from Magic to appear on my list. And boy is it a ripper. The swirling of Danny’s organ draws us in then Soozie’s violin carries us further.

This is not a song that will have you smiling for joy by any means. However, it will make you smile due to the sheer fact it is that damn great of a song. I can’t really find any flaws in it. Musically I find it to be very haunting; the notes on the organ are perfect. Combined with the guitar, and violin, along with Max’s little flurries, it all fits so well together to combine a song so good I am not sure why I have not polled it higher.

Sounds like a soldier who has gone to war and possibly died, or dying. What the Devil’s Arcade is exactly, remains unknown.

[YOUTUBE]dMN3RYMeHnE[/YOUTUBE]
 
Um...you are counting down to No 1? Fair effort that...do you work?

Anywho, really like 'Living Proof' at the moment.

Agree that 'Magic' is one of his best albums of late. 'Girls in their summer dresses' reminds me of Brian Wilson and 'Long Walk Home' is awesome as well.

Pretty sad that we are starting to lose members of the EStreet...Clarence was a huge loss. :thumbsd:
 
bradrowe#32 said:
Have a listen to "Nebraska", "Darkness on the Edge of Town" or "Ghost of Tom Joad" and tell us if that's cheesy.
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listened to nebraska, less cheese in that one (though he still insists on that damn harmonica :p) but still does nothing for me. just not my thing at all.

he falls under my 'artists generally considered good, but i can't stand' category.
 
Gasometer said:
Um...you are counting down to No 1? Fair effort that...do you work?

Anywho, really like 'Living Proof' at the moment.

Agree that 'Magic' is one of his best albums of late. 'Girls in their summer dresses' reminds me of Brian Wilson and 'Long Walk Home' is awesome as well.

Pretty sad that we are starting to lose members of the EStreet...Clarence was a huge loss. :thumbsd:
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Yeah I do, but not full time.

Girls In Their Summer Clothes is the perfect song to play on a sunny day. Puts a massive smile on my face and there is no way anything is wiping it off when that's playing.

Yeah a huge loss with C dieing. I ****ing hope they come here, but the loss of C throws a real spanner in the works. He is irreplaceable.
 

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51) Seaside Bar Song

The radio man finally plays something you can move to

With song number 50 we see another addition from Tracks make its way onto my list.

I didn’t know this even existed until a little over a year ago when I stumbled across it on YouTube after he played it in Philly.

It’s catchy, it bops along, it gets you smiling. It’s a song that’s appropriate if you’re driving along the coast, or if you’re just chilling at the beach. Or if you’re sitting outside on a summers day. It works anywhere. Most importantly – it’s fun. Got to love the addition of horns too. The breakdown towards the end too is great with the drums.

[YOUTUBE]qylAN0-IdnM[/YOUTUBE]
 
Massive fan. Too many favorites to list, but I just love the way he knows how to tell a story. Would love to see him live, but with the passing of Clarence and the band getting on, I doubt they'll make another trip out here, unfortunately.

I have most of his catalog and a stack of DVD's to keep me occupied for the time being.
 
50) Because The Night

Love is a banquet upon which we feed

Personally, this song has seen inconsistent views with me. When I first heard it, I thought it was okay, nothing special. It would sit in my playlist and not really garner many plays. I think it’s because the only version I had was 75-85 version. And for me, I prefer Bruce’s voice more as he got older.

Then the Darkness Box Set came out and the original was on there. I listened to it the whole way through and discovered it really is a great song. I know this completely contradicts what I said about Bruce’s voice. I have just never been that big on his 75-85 voice, even though many think it’s when he sounded best.

I managed to find a bootleg version from the WOAD Tour and it achieves some plays here and there.

Love the piano intro. You know what I am working my way to. I don't even need to say anything about it. It's a ripper.There is a version floating around on YouTube where he spins around eight times and then does a somersault…. While playing the solo. Such a talented guitarist.

I am surprised Bruce gave this to Patti Smith to be honest. Another song that would have been at home on Darkness.


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The flip happens around 3.40. First video is better all round IMO though.



[YOUTUBE]GTP2jWJZTVw[/YOUTUBE]
 
49) Take Em As They Come


Little girl, gone are the days, faded away into a clear blue night

The only reason I know about this song is because I was downloading a bootleg from a torrent for some tracks I wanted better quality of and I thought I’d give this a go anyway.

How this is on Tracks I do not know. It is a testament to how good his albums are if this does not make it on. (And the fact that Tracks has four discs). For those playing at home, it didn’t make the cut on The River. And to add that they’re still better than most of the garbage released today. Mind boggling. Only been played nine times live too. An extremely rare gem.

Sounds like this guy is going to do whatever he can to protect his girl too.

[YOUTUBE]DJQSApYUPhk[/YOUTUBE]
 
48) My Love Will Not Let You Down

I got a time bomb tickin’ deep inside of me, I wanna tell you what I wanna say

The first song that opens on the Live In N.Y.C. DVD. I must admit, I had not heard it until I purchased it. But I know as soon as it started, I really liked it.

Max gets the beat rolling then everyone else is involved before you know it. This is intense. It’s got a quick beat. The piano adds a nice element. It’s a great show opener in my opinion. It picks them up and takes them for a ride and has the heart beating and more importantly, the fist pumping. Exactly what you want to start a show.

The message is fairly straightforward and the lyrics aren’t really too complex. Yet another song that should have been on The River but didn’t make the cut. Speaks volumes.

[YOUTUBE]kmjLVDWVCtg[/YOUTUBE]
 

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