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Bruce Springsteen
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I quite like it. Different.
90. 'Rendezvous'
Get it on: Tracks (1998) and The Promise (2010)
I'm not a literary kind of guy. Most of the reading I've done in my life so far has consisted of biographies (authorised or otherwise) and autobiographies. I'll read history books if they're not too daunting and anything to do with sport is fine by me. I've read books on singers, producers and bands and can tell you that there's no secret for success in this regard. Singers I find fascinating often put out dull books, however if I'm ever bored enough to read a book on a band or singer I despise (let's say Coldplay), then there's a small expectation that it might be an alright read. "You never can tell", Chuck Berry once sang, and he's quite right.
I also don't read fiction. For some reason, fictitious novels never reasonated with me. I'd much rather read stories of real life, because honestly, even the most fertile imagination would struggle to come up with some of the things which have happened in real life. So all this goes to say that I've never read anything by John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath? Never read it, never saw the film. Of Mice and Men? Same thing. I have no idea who Tom Joad is, short of being the character whose name graces The Ghost of Tom Joad.
'The Ghost of Tom Joad' (referring to the song, not the album) was going to be here, at #90 in this countdown. I'd started to write about the song, how it was on an album which I honestly don't like, but along with 'Youngstown', it provided one of two highlights. I was going to say how the song actually had a melody I enjoyed and how Springsteen was obviously fighting for the plight of the working man. But I couldn't be sure at all that I could reach into the guts of the song and tell you what I should have to know. I'm not really into bluffing my way through things, so I’m not including it here in my top 101. Call it my official #102.
'Rendezvous', I get. I'm a guy who was relatively unsuccessful with the ladies for a long time. I wasn't on a cold streak as such, rather I'd just go on a lot of first and second dates, never lucky enough to be in a relationship that lasted past a month. So while "waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad" may not mean that much to me... "I'm ridin' on the power and livin' on the promise of your last kiss" says a million things I can relate to. I'd break up with girls and women I had no reason to break up with and until I found another I'd live with the knowledge of me f***ing things up. "I had a dream our love would last forever". Who doesn't know this? What guy hasn't, at some point in his life, looked back at things in his darkest hour and wished things were like they were when he was at his happiest?
Besides, the 'Rendezvous' we get on Tracks is a great kick in the guts. There's a smattering of the desperation in Bruce's voice which the song requires. Be confident, but don't hide the fact that you need someone. Recorded on New Year's Eve, 1980 (the same gig as 'Held Up Without a Gun'), it's under three minutes and with the band in perfect touch, it burns along as all the great songs should.
I'm a simple guy who sometimes prefers simple songs. 'Rendezvous' is one in dozens of Springsteen songs which get bumped up a grade because it sings to me, it sings of things I've known and continue to know. Things I've lived and will always continue to live. And even though my circumstances have changed, and it's been a long time since I've sat in a room and wondered how I can get back to that last great kiss, I'll always know how it feels to want nothing more than a love that lasts forever.
The best bit: Weinberg & Tallent. Bands take their time in the studio to get their rhythm sections in sync. These guys did it night after night on stage as well. Weinberg’s drums are huge and Tallent, never one to let his bassline plod along, fills the off-beat with what he does best.
Get it on: Tracks (1998) and The Promise (2010)
I'm not a literary kind of guy. Most of the reading I've done in my life so far has consisted of biographies (authorised or otherwise) and autobiographies. I'll read history books if they're not too daunting and anything to do with sport is fine by me. I've read books on singers, producers and bands and can tell you that there's no secret for success in this regard. Singers I find fascinating often put out dull books, however if I'm ever bored enough to read a book on a band or singer I despise (let's say Coldplay), then there's a small expectation that it might be an alright read. "You never can tell", Chuck Berry once sang, and he's quite right.
I also don't read fiction. For some reason, fictitious novels never reasonated with me. I'd much rather read stories of real life, because honestly, even the most fertile imagination would struggle to come up with some of the things which have happened in real life. So all this goes to say that I've never read anything by John Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath? Never read it, never saw the film. Of Mice and Men? Same thing. I have no idea who Tom Joad is, short of being the character whose name graces The Ghost of Tom Joad.
'The Ghost of Tom Joad' (referring to the song, not the album) was going to be here, at #90 in this countdown. I'd started to write about the song, how it was on an album which I honestly don't like, but along with 'Youngstown', it provided one of two highlights. I was going to say how the song actually had a melody I enjoyed and how Springsteen was obviously fighting for the plight of the working man. But I couldn't be sure at all that I could reach into the guts of the song and tell you what I should have to know. I'm not really into bluffing my way through things, so I’m not including it here in my top 101. Call it my official #102.
'Rendezvous', I get. I'm a guy who was relatively unsuccessful with the ladies for a long time. I wasn't on a cold streak as such, rather I'd just go on a lot of first and second dates, never lucky enough to be in a relationship that lasted past a month. So while "waitin' on the ghost of Tom Joad" may not mean that much to me... "I'm ridin' on the power and livin' on the promise of your last kiss" says a million things I can relate to. I'd break up with girls and women I had no reason to break up with and until I found another I'd live with the knowledge of me f***ing things up. "I had a dream our love would last forever". Who doesn't know this? What guy hasn't, at some point in his life, looked back at things in his darkest hour and wished things were like they were when he was at his happiest?
Besides, the 'Rendezvous' we get on Tracks is a great kick in the guts. There's a smattering of the desperation in Bruce's voice which the song requires. Be confident, but don't hide the fact that you need someone. Recorded on New Year's Eve, 1980 (the same gig as 'Held Up Without a Gun'), it's under three minutes and with the band in perfect touch, it burns along as all the great songs should.
I'm a simple guy who sometimes prefers simple songs. 'Rendezvous' is one in dozens of Springsteen songs which get bumped up a grade because it sings to me, it sings of things I've known and continue to know. Things I've lived and will always continue to live. And even though my circumstances have changed, and it's been a long time since I've sat in a room and wondered how I can get back to that last great kiss, I'll always know how it feels to want nothing more than a love that lasts forever.
The best bit: Weinberg & Tallent. Bands take their time in the studio to get their rhythm sections in sync. These guys did it night after night on stage as well. Weinberg’s drums are huge and Tallent, never one to let his bassline plod along, fills the off-beat with what he does best.
89. 'Tunnel of Love'
Get it on: Tunnel of Love (1987)
It doesn't seem as though marriage worked for Bruce Springsteen the first time out. I don't know the circumstances, however it's almost as though 'Bruce Springsteen - megastar' was pressured by everyone (but no one really) into being married. So Julianne Phillips got the gig. And if I'm sounding mean to either of them, then that's not my intention at all. It obviously didn't work out. Pay her some money, move along.
Tunnel of Love, the album, is an amazing album for sense that it runs through a wider gamut of emotions than definitely any other Springsteen album ever does. It's a man looking into every aspect of his life, seeing things he doesn't like on one hand but on the other he sees hope that things could get better.
The title track, and correct me if I'm wrong, is one of the only examples of Springsteen being seemingly angry about love. From the way he sings - that gruff tone which suggests a sense of disgust within himself - to the opening verse of the song;
"Fat man sitting on a little stool
Takes the money from my hand while his eyes take a walk all over you
Hands me the ticket smiles and whispers good luck
Cuddle up angel cuddle up my little dove
We'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love"
None of that sounds exciting, he sounds pissed. For starters, he's pissed at the fat guy for checkin' out his girl and then the ride itself... "we'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love" can't just be referencing a ride.
But you can't hate the guy for it - life isn't always a bunch of roses. The moments where you know you should be at your happiest are sometimes the moments where you look at the way you're feeling and you can't understand your malaise.
The lyrics in 'Tunnel of Love' get even bleaker;
"Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us
You me and all that stuff we're so scared of"
"it ought to be easy ought to be simple enough
Man meets woman and they fall in love
But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough"
I'm not going to analyse what's being said because please, as if that stuff needs analysing. The guy thought that by finding love he'd be happy, but in the end he found a whole new bunch of worries to think about. What I find interesting is that with all the 'Tunnel' references (funny that, with the song being called 'Tunnel of Love' and all), never once does he make reference to there being "light at the end of the tunnel".
There were some deep, dark thoughts in the head of the guy when he wrote this song. That he managed to turn into such an enjoyable tune shows more skill than I've got. Were I a songwriter, this would be a dirge the likes of which had never been seen. But I suppose that's why I'm not a musician. I get the read wrong. Well, that and the fact that I can't sing or play any instrument at all.
This is seen as his divorce album. Springsteen admits that he tried to make an album of happy songs after this but the public didn't like it. Well, that's partly true, but it also could've been (as most probably was) because the songs simply weren't as good as these, not because we didn't want to know that the guy was happy.
We idolise the guy (well, I do at least), and we can't want him to be miserable so we get the better songs out of him. That's not the way it works. We like the more 'miserable' songs because I, at least, like to know that there's someone out there who's felt the way I've felt before, who's had the same fears and doubts, and if the person who's felt that way is a rich megastar, I, at least, come away thinking that shit things don't just happen to the schmucks like me, they happen to everyone.
The best bit: "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above" is a line I don't agree with. Fight, and keep fighting if you know the fight's for real. Springsteen sings this line not as if it's a fact, but as though it's a challenge. Every time I sing the song in the car, I sing a little extra here. Sometimes it's because I want to say "f*** you, it's not true" to Bruce, but most times because it's just a damn fun song to sing. But either way, the line I disagree with is my favourite part of the song. Go figure.
Get it on: Tunnel of Love (1987)
It doesn't seem as though marriage worked for Bruce Springsteen the first time out. I don't know the circumstances, however it's almost as though 'Bruce Springsteen - megastar' was pressured by everyone (but no one really) into being married. So Julianne Phillips got the gig. And if I'm sounding mean to either of them, then that's not my intention at all. It obviously didn't work out. Pay her some money, move along.
Tunnel of Love, the album, is an amazing album for sense that it runs through a wider gamut of emotions than definitely any other Springsteen album ever does. It's a man looking into every aspect of his life, seeing things he doesn't like on one hand but on the other he sees hope that things could get better.
The title track, and correct me if I'm wrong, is one of the only examples of Springsteen being seemingly angry about love. From the way he sings - that gruff tone which suggests a sense of disgust within himself - to the opening verse of the song;
"Fat man sitting on a little stool
Takes the money from my hand while his eyes take a walk all over you
Hands me the ticket smiles and whispers good luck
Cuddle up angel cuddle up my little dove
We'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love"
None of that sounds exciting, he sounds pissed. For starters, he's pissed at the fat guy for checkin' out his girl and then the ride itself... "we'll ride down baby into this tunnel of love" can't just be referencing a ride.
But you can't hate the guy for it - life isn't always a bunch of roses. The moments where you know you should be at your happiest are sometimes the moments where you look at the way you're feeling and you can't understand your malaise.
The lyrics in 'Tunnel of Love' get even bleaker;
"Then the lights go out and it's just the three of us
You me and all that stuff we're so scared of"
"it ought to be easy ought to be simple enough
Man meets woman and they fall in love
But the house is haunted and the ride gets rough"
I'm not going to analyse what's being said because please, as if that stuff needs analysing. The guy thought that by finding love he'd be happy, but in the end he found a whole new bunch of worries to think about. What I find interesting is that with all the 'Tunnel' references (funny that, with the song being called 'Tunnel of Love' and all), never once does he make reference to there being "light at the end of the tunnel".
There were some deep, dark thoughts in the head of the guy when he wrote this song. That he managed to turn into such an enjoyable tune shows more skill than I've got. Were I a songwriter, this would be a dirge the likes of which had never been seen. But I suppose that's why I'm not a musician. I get the read wrong. Well, that and the fact that I can't sing or play any instrument at all.
This is seen as his divorce album. Springsteen admits that he tried to make an album of happy songs after this but the public didn't like it. Well, that's partly true, but it also could've been (as most probably was) because the songs simply weren't as good as these, not because we didn't want to know that the guy was happy.
We idolise the guy (well, I do at least), and we can't want him to be miserable so we get the better songs out of him. That's not the way it works. We like the more 'miserable' songs because I, at least, like to know that there's someone out there who's felt the way I've felt before, who's had the same fears and doubts, and if the person who's felt that way is a rich megastar, I, at least, come away thinking that shit things don't just happen to the schmucks like me, they happen to everyone.
The best bit: "You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above" is a line I don't agree with. Fight, and keep fighting if you know the fight's for real. Springsteen sings this line not as if it's a fact, but as though it's a challenge. Every time I sing the song in the car, I sing a little extra here. Sometimes it's because I want to say "f*** you, it's not true" to Bruce, but most times because it's just a damn fun song to sing. But either way, the line I disagree with is my favourite part of the song. Go figure.
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88. 'My Hometown'
Get it on: Born in the U.S.A (1984)
Is the beauty of Bruce Springsteen that he can write all these autobiographical songs that which make you think that his life was the perfect life to be put into song, or is it that he can create songs which are so vivid that they make you think they could only be autobiographical?
Either way, 'My Hometown' seems both autobiographical and the story of the life he eventually wants to lead. Maybe that's the beauty of his songs? He creates these songs which exist in a world where the life he had and the life he wishes he had (or would one day hope to lead in the future) all co-exist.
Album closers have never been a problem for Springsteen. He nails them nearly every time. Think about it... 'It's Hard to be a Saint in the City', 'New York City Serenade', 'Jungleland', 'Darkness on the Edge of Town', 'Wreck on the Highway', 'Reason to Believe', and then 'My Hometown' (and later 'Valentine's Day'). That's a pretty damn solid list right there. While 'My Hometown' isn't the album's best song, it's the one that feels like it belongs more than any other.
'My Hometown' is the perfect end to an imperfect album. Born in the U.S.A, for all its successes (commercially and critically), is not my favourite album. I can't pinpoint why that is. Some days I think the best songs are the songs I thought the worst on a week earlier. The album is almost too much of a good thing. I don't reach for it often, and when I do manage to listen all the way through to the end of the album I always come to the same conclusion.
It's without the bluster and adrenaline of most of the album, but 'My Hometown' stands tall above most others on its album and because of it, it's a fine addition to this list.
The best bit: The vocal melody. Easily the strongest on the album.
Get it on: Born in the U.S.A (1984)
Is the beauty of Bruce Springsteen that he can write all these autobiographical songs that which make you think that his life was the perfect life to be put into song, or is it that he can create songs which are so vivid that they make you think they could only be autobiographical?
Either way, 'My Hometown' seems both autobiographical and the story of the life he eventually wants to lead. Maybe that's the beauty of his songs? He creates these songs which exist in a world where the life he had and the life he wishes he had (or would one day hope to lead in the future) all co-exist.
Album closers have never been a problem for Springsteen. He nails them nearly every time. Think about it... 'It's Hard to be a Saint in the City', 'New York City Serenade', 'Jungleland', 'Darkness on the Edge of Town', 'Wreck on the Highway', 'Reason to Believe', and then 'My Hometown' (and later 'Valentine's Day'). That's a pretty damn solid list right there. While 'My Hometown' isn't the album's best song, it's the one that feels like it belongs more than any other.
'My Hometown' is the perfect end to an imperfect album. Born in the U.S.A, for all its successes (commercially and critically), is not my favourite album. I can't pinpoint why that is. Some days I think the best songs are the songs I thought the worst on a week earlier. The album is almost too much of a good thing. I don't reach for it often, and when I do manage to listen all the way through to the end of the album I always come to the same conclusion.
It's without the bluster and adrenaline of most of the album, but 'My Hometown' stands tall above most others on its album and because of it, it's a fine addition to this list.
The best bit: The vocal melody. Easily the strongest on the album.
87. 'Real World'
Don't Get it on: Human Touch (1992)
Get it instead from any bootlegs of the November 16th, 1990 show at the Shrine Auditorium. Here might be a good start:
The common consensus among the music lovin' folk is that Bruce Springsteen, instead of releasing Human Touch and Lucky Town on the same day in 1992, should have instead taken the title track off the former and placed on the latter to make one, solid album. Human Touch is generally thought of as his worst album, and now that Mr. Hindsight has come into play, we can see that it's the right opinion. Coming off the back of a stretch of great albums from 1973, listening to Human Touch for the first time would have been jumping from a sauna to an ice bath. Which makes Rolling Stone's initial four-and-a-half star review by Anthony DeCurtis all the more jarring. Who can't see that the album is completely terrible? It's far too long, and it's filled with songs such as 'Pony Boy', 'Man's Job' and '57 Channels (and Nothin' On)'. If it were a lesser artist, it would be unforgivable. With someone like Springsteen, it's just something you pretend didn't happen.
You could hope once upon a time that the years would ease the scorn placed upon this album, but that isn't so. Time hasn't been kind to the album at all, but it has allowed us to gain insight into the man. We've learned a few things:
But that's not the full story. In November of 1990, Bruce made his first live appearances for the Christic Institute along with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. It was just him up on the stage with guitar and piano and a voice which has probably never been better. There was something in his voice... I'm not sure whether it was fear or trepidation, but it rang out live never before, and certainly never since. He debuted a few new songs at these gigs, and 'Real World' was one of them. The November 16 performance ranks right up there with my favourite Springsteen moments. Sure, the piano playing is clunky (to say the best), but the words ring out so clear and alive that you can't help but be lifted up.
Comparing it to the studio version isn't necessary. This (the Christic version) is the version to have. It's a completely different song almost, and if judging the song purely on its studio incarnation was a rule of this thread, then it would rank somewhere near the bottom. If basing solely on the Christic version, it would rank higher, but I've included all I know so it's here at #87. Considering the reputation of the album it came from and the songs which will miss out on my list, it's a somewhat surprising achievement. But I love this version to death and I'll defend it until my last breath.
"Well I run that hard road outta heartbreak city
Built a roadside carnival out of hurt and self-pity
It was all wrong well now I'm moving on"
It's the song of a man who doesn't want to be feeling the way he feels any more. He wants out, and he knows who he wants to pull him out of the mess he's in. Springsteen's thankful for what he's got, for all that's around him and he knows the bad days are soon to be behind him.
Listening to 'Real World' from that November 1990 night, he sings as though he finally believes what he wrote.
The best bit: Bruce's voice is magical throughout, bellowing as though he's exorcising long-held demons, but it's very early on the piece when he sings "Year gone by feels like one long day, But I'm alive and I'm feelin' all right" that gets me smiling. It's the "I'm alive" which isn't a bellow at all, rather a sigh of relief almost as though he needed to sing it to himself to finally make it so.
Don't Get it on: Human Touch (1992)
Get it instead from any bootlegs of the November 16th, 1990 show at the Shrine Auditorium. Here might be a good start:
The common consensus among the music lovin' folk is that Bruce Springsteen, instead of releasing Human Touch and Lucky Town on the same day in 1992, should have instead taken the title track off the former and placed on the latter to make one, solid album. Human Touch is generally thought of as his worst album, and now that Mr. Hindsight has come into play, we can see that it's the right opinion. Coming off the back of a stretch of great albums from 1973, listening to Human Touch for the first time would have been jumping from a sauna to an ice bath. Which makes Rolling Stone's initial four-and-a-half star review by Anthony DeCurtis all the more jarring. Who can't see that the album is completely terrible? It's far too long, and it's filled with songs such as 'Pony Boy', 'Man's Job' and '57 Channels (and Nothin' On)'. If it were a lesser artist, it would be unforgivable. With someone like Springsteen, it's just something you pretend didn't happen.
You could hope once upon a time that the years would ease the scorn placed upon this album, but that isn't so. Time hasn't been kind to the album at all, but it has allowed us to gain insight into the man. We've learned a few things:
- The man wrote the most of Human Touch while in the aftermath of personal upheavel. He'd divorced his first wife and hooked up with Patti Scialfa.
- He'd jettisoned the E Street Band, taking only Roy Bittan with him in the next step of his journey. He then hired studio musicians such as Randy Jackson to record.
- He had, for the first time in his life, writer's block. Although the lyrics were there, the music wasn't.
But that's not the full story. In November of 1990, Bruce made his first live appearances for the Christic Institute along with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt. It was just him up on the stage with guitar and piano and a voice which has probably never been better. There was something in his voice... I'm not sure whether it was fear or trepidation, but it rang out live never before, and certainly never since. He debuted a few new songs at these gigs, and 'Real World' was one of them. The November 16 performance ranks right up there with my favourite Springsteen moments. Sure, the piano playing is clunky (to say the best), but the words ring out so clear and alive that you can't help but be lifted up.
Comparing it to the studio version isn't necessary. This (the Christic version) is the version to have. It's a completely different song almost, and if judging the song purely on its studio incarnation was a rule of this thread, then it would rank somewhere near the bottom. If basing solely on the Christic version, it would rank higher, but I've included all I know so it's here at #87. Considering the reputation of the album it came from and the songs which will miss out on my list, it's a somewhat surprising achievement. But I love this version to death and I'll defend it until my last breath.
"Well I run that hard road outta heartbreak city
Built a roadside carnival out of hurt and self-pity
It was all wrong well now I'm moving on"
It's the song of a man who doesn't want to be feeling the way he feels any more. He wants out, and he knows who he wants to pull him out of the mess he's in. Springsteen's thankful for what he's got, for all that's around him and he knows the bad days are soon to be behind him.
Listening to 'Real World' from that November 1990 night, he sings as though he finally believes what he wrote.
The best bit: Bruce's voice is magical throughout, bellowing as though he's exorcising long-held demons, but it's very early on the piece when he sings "Year gone by feels like one long day, But I'm alive and I'm feelin' all right" that gets me smiling. It's the "I'm alive" which isn't a bellow at all, rather a sigh of relief almost as though he needed to sing it to himself to finally make it so.
86. 'Ramrod'
85. 'Two Hearts'
Get them both on: The River (1980) and Live in New York City (2001)
Interjection: Just before I go on a bit more, you might find me making mention to the 1999/2000 tour regularly in these pages. From purely listening to the shows, I don't rank it up as high as the '78 or '80 tours. However the tour will always hold a special place in my heart. As I said before, I became a Springsteen fan sometime in late 1997 or early 1998. This tour was the first tour I could follow, if not in person, at least online. It's no coincidence that this is around the time where I finally got a net connection at home. Back then, it wasn't message boards where I got my information, it was the rec.music.artists.springsteen newsgroup (remember those?). Anyway, following that tour on that newsgroup begat the beast you read today.
Cars and girls. Cars and girls. That's what the naysayers will have you think. That Bruce Springsteen is only ever interested in writing about cars and girls. The most offensive of these viewpoints was in some crappy 1000 best albums of all time book that came out in the mid-to-late 90s. It was a British publication, and apart from having Oasis in the top 10 of all time and albums by Kula Shaker high up, the author (who I think was called Colin Larkin) would have all these snide remarks about how Springsteen would only write songs about cars and girls, and the reasons behind his albums not being as high up as previous editions was that "his pink cadillac had stalled".
Very witty indeed.
But guess what? Even if you do only write about cars and girls (which he doesn't), what the f*** is wrong with that? 90% of popular songs are probably about a guy trying to get the girl, and writing about cars wasn't really a Springsteen innovation was it?
So here, in honour of Colin Larkin, we have a song about a car, and a song about love.
Initially, I was never really a fan of 'Ramrod'. I thought it to be one of the definite filler songs on The River, and that its appearance on the second disc of that album was an affront to all the serious songs on there. Its tone bothered me. But then again, I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes.
So - the 1999/2000 tour. Bruce and the band did a 15-night stand at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and in one of the shows, 'Ramrod' was played. I didn't really think too much about it as they'd played other, less favourite songs on the tour. But as it turns out, the song was a request from a band member - Max Weinberg. Now, I'm no drummer, but I don't really think this is the hardest song to play on the drums. So I was surprised by Max's request. As the tour progressed, the song got regular airings so much that by the end of the tour (and the NYC stand), it was a regular in the encores.
And you know what? I was a convert. The song is just too damn fun to be ignored, and fun means something. Max Weinberg probably knows this, and just wanted to have fun up there. "Go ramroddin' tonight", is just one of the lyrics and I'd be hard pressed to honestly tell you what it means, but it doesn't matter in this song. It's probably something about hopping in the car with your girl and going out on the town, but I can't say that with any conviction. Sometimes it doesn't matter and you just go with the flow. Well, 'Ramrod's flow is akin to a rollicking ride on a packed bus with thirty of your friends as you head for the horizon after dark, beers in hand.
'Two Hearts' is probably getting a little bit of a bad rap by saying it's simply a song about love. The guy in the song knows that there's something different about being with someone, that "two hearts are better than one". It's the "and" principle. As a single man (or woman), you go through life looking for that one person to be your "and". Until that day, you're always just yourself. When people spoke of the single me, they'd say stuff like "what's X doing?", but as a couple, you get the "and". You're two people, but one couple, one entity - "X and Y".
In my wedding speech earlier this year I relayed the story of how two weeks before I was cooking a steak and I messed it up. It was the worst steak of all time. I threw a mini-tantrum and for the next ten minutes there wasn't anything which wouldn't get me riled up. Without wanting to subject my then-fiancee to me being an idiot, I just took the car keys and went for a drive. I wasn't having second thoughts at all - I've never wanted anything more in my life to marry that girl, I was just worrying about my abilities to be the perfect husband. I drove past the house I lived in for the first 22 years of my life and wondered if I'd believe myself if I could go back in time and tell my past self that one day I'd be gearing up for a wedding to the most beautiful woman I'd ever meet. I wanted things to be perfect and I didn't think I could make that happen. Then it dawned on me that my married life wouldn't and couldn't be perfect. I wouldn't want it to be that way.
I stood in front of my wife, her family, my family and all our friends that night and said I didn't want a perfect life. I wanted the good times and the bad, because that's the way life works. It's not perfect and there are the days where you feel like shit. I wanted the bad days because it meant that not only did I have someone to see me through the bad times, we could appreciate the good days even more, having known what it was like to be in the dumps.
Bruce is right, two hearts are always better than one.
The best 'Ramrod' moment: The entire, rip-roaring version on Live in New York City. Maybe not the best rendition, but damn they have fun.
The best 'Two Hearts' moment: "Some day these childish dreams must end, to become a man a grow up to dream again. I believe in the end that two hearts are better than one." Well said.
85. 'Two Hearts'
Get them both on: The River (1980) and Live in New York City (2001)
Interjection: Just before I go on a bit more, you might find me making mention to the 1999/2000 tour regularly in these pages. From purely listening to the shows, I don't rank it up as high as the '78 or '80 tours. However the tour will always hold a special place in my heart. As I said before, I became a Springsteen fan sometime in late 1997 or early 1998. This tour was the first tour I could follow, if not in person, at least online. It's no coincidence that this is around the time where I finally got a net connection at home. Back then, it wasn't message boards where I got my information, it was the rec.music.artists.springsteen newsgroup (remember those?). Anyway, following that tour on that newsgroup begat the beast you read today.
Cars and girls. Cars and girls. That's what the naysayers will have you think. That Bruce Springsteen is only ever interested in writing about cars and girls. The most offensive of these viewpoints was in some crappy 1000 best albums of all time book that came out in the mid-to-late 90s. It was a British publication, and apart from having Oasis in the top 10 of all time and albums by Kula Shaker high up, the author (who I think was called Colin Larkin) would have all these snide remarks about how Springsteen would only write songs about cars and girls, and the reasons behind his albums not being as high up as previous editions was that "his pink cadillac had stalled".
Very witty indeed.
But guess what? Even if you do only write about cars and girls (which he doesn't), what the f*** is wrong with that? 90% of popular songs are probably about a guy trying to get the girl, and writing about cars wasn't really a Springsteen innovation was it?
So here, in honour of Colin Larkin, we have a song about a car, and a song about love.
Initially, I was never really a fan of 'Ramrod'. I thought it to be one of the definite filler songs on The River, and that its appearance on the second disc of that album was an affront to all the serious songs on there. Its tone bothered me. But then again, I'm a bit of an idiot sometimes.
So - the 1999/2000 tour. Bruce and the band did a 15-night stand at the Meadowlands in New Jersey and in one of the shows, 'Ramrod' was played. I didn't really think too much about it as they'd played other, less favourite songs on the tour. But as it turns out, the song was a request from a band member - Max Weinberg. Now, I'm no drummer, but I don't really think this is the hardest song to play on the drums. So I was surprised by Max's request. As the tour progressed, the song got regular airings so much that by the end of the tour (and the NYC stand), it was a regular in the encores.
And you know what? I was a convert. The song is just too damn fun to be ignored, and fun means something. Max Weinberg probably knows this, and just wanted to have fun up there. "Go ramroddin' tonight", is just one of the lyrics and I'd be hard pressed to honestly tell you what it means, but it doesn't matter in this song. It's probably something about hopping in the car with your girl and going out on the town, but I can't say that with any conviction. Sometimes it doesn't matter and you just go with the flow. Well, 'Ramrod's flow is akin to a rollicking ride on a packed bus with thirty of your friends as you head for the horizon after dark, beers in hand.
'Two Hearts' is probably getting a little bit of a bad rap by saying it's simply a song about love. The guy in the song knows that there's something different about being with someone, that "two hearts are better than one". It's the "and" principle. As a single man (or woman), you go through life looking for that one person to be your "and". Until that day, you're always just yourself. When people spoke of the single me, they'd say stuff like "what's X doing?", but as a couple, you get the "and". You're two people, but one couple, one entity - "X and Y".
In my wedding speech earlier this year I relayed the story of how two weeks before I was cooking a steak and I messed it up. It was the worst steak of all time. I threw a mini-tantrum and for the next ten minutes there wasn't anything which wouldn't get me riled up. Without wanting to subject my then-fiancee to me being an idiot, I just took the car keys and went for a drive. I wasn't having second thoughts at all - I've never wanted anything more in my life to marry that girl, I was just worrying about my abilities to be the perfect husband. I drove past the house I lived in for the first 22 years of my life and wondered if I'd believe myself if I could go back in time and tell my past self that one day I'd be gearing up for a wedding to the most beautiful woman I'd ever meet. I wanted things to be perfect and I didn't think I could make that happen. Then it dawned on me that my married life wouldn't and couldn't be perfect. I wouldn't want it to be that way.
I stood in front of my wife, her family, my family and all our friends that night and said I didn't want a perfect life. I wanted the good times and the bad, because that's the way life works. It's not perfect and there are the days where you feel like shit. I wanted the bad days because it meant that not only did I have someone to see me through the bad times, we could appreciate the good days even more, having known what it was like to be in the dumps.
Bruce is right, two hearts are always better than one.
The best 'Ramrod' moment: The entire, rip-roaring version on Live in New York City. Maybe not the best rendition, but damn they have fun.
The best 'Two Hearts' moment: "Some day these childish dreams must end, to become a man a grow up to dream again. I believe in the end that two hearts are better than one." Well said.
84. 'Factory'
Get it on: Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Darkness on the Edge of Town is often hailed as a brilliant album, and if everyone got in a line to shout this sentiment, you'd have me join in. However, there's always a however. The album isn't without its flaws. I don't think the album flows together seamlessly and there's some songs where Bruce is a little too exuberant with his vocals to the point where he occasionally sounds like someone trying to do a Bruce Springsteen impersonation. If they were doing an impersonation, they do it pretty well though.
'Factory', although obviously not my favourite song on the album, is by no means my least favourite. It takes the place on the album that 'Night' did on 'Born to Run'. Stand it next to the album's dead-set masterpieces, it can't help but be the poorer cousin. Stand it on its own and take it for what it is and you get a cleaner idea of the song and what it's about.
I can't really explain what it means to me to like this song as much as I do. There should be words to describe the vibe of the music, I just don't know them, can't articulate them enough to make my point. There should be ways for me to relate the lyrics to my life, but there isn't. It's a song about a guy's factory working father.
This song is about the feeling of despair, and Bruce does that better than most. Well, maybe it's not despair, but futility that he sings of in 'Factory'. He's singing of a glamor-less life. Springsteen songs are often about the things in life which cause your character to be tested, whether it's the dropping of wheat prices in 'Highway Patrolman' through to marrying young because of an unwanted pregnancy in 'The River'. But even in these songs, the despair is tinged with some hope, even if it's the smallest glimmer (such the dance with Maria in 'Highway Patrolman').
'Factory' is 2:20 of gloom. There's no sunrise, only darkness in the lives of these men, just waiting for the next worker to die and everyone hoping that it's their loved one who makes their way through the gates at night, having lasted at least one more day.
That's not much of a working life.
The best bit: "Early in the morning, factory whistle cries. Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes."
Get it on: Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Darkness on the Edge of Town is often hailed as a brilliant album, and if everyone got in a line to shout this sentiment, you'd have me join in. However, there's always a however. The album isn't without its flaws. I don't think the album flows together seamlessly and there's some songs where Bruce is a little too exuberant with his vocals to the point where he occasionally sounds like someone trying to do a Bruce Springsteen impersonation. If they were doing an impersonation, they do it pretty well though.
'Factory', although obviously not my favourite song on the album, is by no means my least favourite. It takes the place on the album that 'Night' did on 'Born to Run'. Stand it next to the album's dead-set masterpieces, it can't help but be the poorer cousin. Stand it on its own and take it for what it is and you get a cleaner idea of the song and what it's about.
I can't really explain what it means to me to like this song as much as I do. There should be words to describe the vibe of the music, I just don't know them, can't articulate them enough to make my point. There should be ways for me to relate the lyrics to my life, but there isn't. It's a song about a guy's factory working father.
This song is about the feeling of despair, and Bruce does that better than most. Well, maybe it's not despair, but futility that he sings of in 'Factory'. He's singing of a glamor-less life. Springsteen songs are often about the things in life which cause your character to be tested, whether it's the dropping of wheat prices in 'Highway Patrolman' through to marrying young because of an unwanted pregnancy in 'The River'. But even in these songs, the despair is tinged with some hope, even if it's the smallest glimmer (such the dance with Maria in 'Highway Patrolman').
'Factory' is 2:20 of gloom. There's no sunrise, only darkness in the lives of these men, just waiting for the next worker to die and everyone hoping that it's their loved one who makes their way through the gates at night, having lasted at least one more day.
That's not much of a working life.
The best bit: "Early in the morning, factory whistle cries. Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes."
83. 'Merry Christmas Baby'
Get it on: A Very Special Christmas (1988) and probably 100 other Christmas albums by now
Well, Christmas is over for another year. I've just spent the last four days in a town called Hopetoun, about 600 kilometres south-east of Perth, Western Australia. It's the place that's so far south that when you go swimming in the ocean, you realise the next stop is Antarctica. Now, being one who has a phobia of the ocean anyway (too large, too many unknowns beneath the surface), it's a little daunting every time you set foot in the Southern Ocean (or any other ocean for that matter).
So... back to Christmas. One of my least favourite times of the year. The majority of my life is spent working too hard in a job that pays far too little and is a forty minute drive from where I live. My hours are too long and all I ever want is a day to sit back, relax and throw a movie or three on the DVD player and chill out. But that day never arrives. I'm too busy saving up leave for holidays that are always too far away, or am too guilty to take a sick day. Cruelly, as someone would have it, the days when I wake up and can't possibly be assed going to work so I call in sick, I actually make myself sick with guilt, thereby ruining my day.
But every year, Christmas rolls along. And each and every year, it rolls along quicker and quicker. I turned 31 a month or so ago and the year feels like it takes about 14 weeks to complete itself. I think by the time I'm 71, each year will take so little time to finish, that I could fill my year with a quick run-through of the first four Ramones albums.
Christmas arrives and my work shuts down - giving me enforced leave for a week or so. Others see this as heaven sent, and while I'm not adverse to the idea, I realise that I have to deal with Christmas. Each and every damn year it's the same thing over and over. See my parents, open presents, go for Christmas lunch somewhere. Then, on Boxing Day, it's a Christmas dinner with my father's extended family. The worst thing is that here in Perth, Christmas Day just happens to be smack-bang right in the middle of a week where temperatures are at the hottest since the last Christmas. So instead of sitting back, enjoying the day and taking stock of all that's good in my life with a cold beer or four, I'm sitting there in whatever shirt is designed to make me sweat less, thinking of how much better it would be if I just went and jumped in a bathtub of ice blocks.
Honestly, the only thing which I look forward to at Christmas time is Christmas music. Not the shit kind of Christmas music... I obviously mean the good stuff. I saw about ten copies of Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You in a store the other day going cheap and I just thought about buying them all and giving them to random strangers.
(Having said all that - there's nothing worse than a bad rendition of a Christmas song - you know, the ones sung in shopping malls by choirs of twelve year olds who are obviously there at their parents' behest)
Bruce Springsteen knows that Christmas time is supposed to be a magical time. He sings Christmas songs like one morning, when he was five, he woke up, ran down stairs and saw a real-life Santa Claus stuffing his stocking full of gifts and was injected with so much Christmas spirit that its flame can never be diminished. And the world needs people like that.
It was honestly a choice between this and 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', and I know the latter is probably more iconic, but I heard 'Merry Christmas Baby' first, and I loved Bruce's version of the song even when I didn't love Bruce's music. In a tiebreaker situation, you've always gotta go with nostalgia.
The perverse greatness of 'Merry Christmas Baby' (well, maybe not perverse, just coincidental) is that this version was recorded on December 31, 1980 (yep - the same gig as 'Rendezvous' and 'Held Up Without a Gun'), a full week after Christmas. So Bruce had done all the dinners, lunches, present opening and the like and still found enough Christmas joy in his heart to knock out a perfect rendition of a great Christmas song.
Each and every year, I start listening to this song more and more, and I hope that one day down the track when I'm not yet old and wrinkly, I'll be spreading the same Christmas cheer to anyone and everyone.
The best bit: A tie between the 'Jingle Bells' sax interlude by Clarence Clemons when Bruce sings that he's got "music on the radio", or the groove the band are in for the whole song. Never discount a great groove, especially at Christmas time.
Get it on: A Very Special Christmas (1988) and probably 100 other Christmas albums by now
Well, Christmas is over for another year. I've just spent the last four days in a town called Hopetoun, about 600 kilometres south-east of Perth, Western Australia. It's the place that's so far south that when you go swimming in the ocean, you realise the next stop is Antarctica. Now, being one who has a phobia of the ocean anyway (too large, too many unknowns beneath the surface), it's a little daunting every time you set foot in the Southern Ocean (or any other ocean for that matter).
So... back to Christmas. One of my least favourite times of the year. The majority of my life is spent working too hard in a job that pays far too little and is a forty minute drive from where I live. My hours are too long and all I ever want is a day to sit back, relax and throw a movie or three on the DVD player and chill out. But that day never arrives. I'm too busy saving up leave for holidays that are always too far away, or am too guilty to take a sick day. Cruelly, as someone would have it, the days when I wake up and can't possibly be assed going to work so I call in sick, I actually make myself sick with guilt, thereby ruining my day.
But every year, Christmas rolls along. And each and every year, it rolls along quicker and quicker. I turned 31 a month or so ago and the year feels like it takes about 14 weeks to complete itself. I think by the time I'm 71, each year will take so little time to finish, that I could fill my year with a quick run-through of the first four Ramones albums.
Christmas arrives and my work shuts down - giving me enforced leave for a week or so. Others see this as heaven sent, and while I'm not adverse to the idea, I realise that I have to deal with Christmas. Each and every damn year it's the same thing over and over. See my parents, open presents, go for Christmas lunch somewhere. Then, on Boxing Day, it's a Christmas dinner with my father's extended family. The worst thing is that here in Perth, Christmas Day just happens to be smack-bang right in the middle of a week where temperatures are at the hottest since the last Christmas. So instead of sitting back, enjoying the day and taking stock of all that's good in my life with a cold beer or four, I'm sitting there in whatever shirt is designed to make me sweat less, thinking of how much better it would be if I just went and jumped in a bathtub of ice blocks.
Honestly, the only thing which I look forward to at Christmas time is Christmas music. Not the shit kind of Christmas music... I obviously mean the good stuff. I saw about ten copies of Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You in a store the other day going cheap and I just thought about buying them all and giving them to random strangers.
(Having said all that - there's nothing worse than a bad rendition of a Christmas song - you know, the ones sung in shopping malls by choirs of twelve year olds who are obviously there at their parents' behest)
Bruce Springsteen knows that Christmas time is supposed to be a magical time. He sings Christmas songs like one morning, when he was five, he woke up, ran down stairs and saw a real-life Santa Claus stuffing his stocking full of gifts and was injected with so much Christmas spirit that its flame can never be diminished. And the world needs people like that.
It was honestly a choice between this and 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town', and I know the latter is probably more iconic, but I heard 'Merry Christmas Baby' first, and I loved Bruce's version of the song even when I didn't love Bruce's music. In a tiebreaker situation, you've always gotta go with nostalgia.
The perverse greatness of 'Merry Christmas Baby' (well, maybe not perverse, just coincidental) is that this version was recorded on December 31, 1980 (yep - the same gig as 'Rendezvous' and 'Held Up Without a Gun'), a full week after Christmas. So Bruce had done all the dinners, lunches, present opening and the like and still found enough Christmas joy in his heart to knock out a perfect rendition of a great Christmas song.
Each and every year, I start listening to this song more and more, and I hope that one day down the track when I'm not yet old and wrinkly, I'll be spreading the same Christmas cheer to anyone and everyone.
The best bit: A tie between the 'Jingle Bells' sax interlude by Clarence Clemons when Bruce sings that he's got "music on the radio", or the groove the band are in for the whole song. Never discount a great groove, especially at Christmas time.
82. 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart'
81. 'I'm on Fire'
Get 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' on: Tracks (1998)
Get 'I'm on Fire' on: Born in the U.S.A (1984)
A few things I know in life to be true. One is that you can never please everyone. And so it came to 1982 and Bruce Springsteen was coming off an international tour, his first ever #1 record (The River) and his highest ever charting single ('Hungry Heart'). Faced with this, some would say "We've hit one height, let's see how high we can go", while others take a look at the world from their view at the top and decided that they like things better when they were simpler.
In a sense, Bruce took both roads. He tried the road less traveled and released the brilliant Nebraska album in 1982, all the while working on a more 'commercial' follow-up to The River, one which would improve on the sales and the impact of his previous full studio album.
I hate that word - 'commercial'. What the hell does it mean and how the hell can you decide what makes something commercial or not? Isn't that decided after the fact? I mean, you can label a song with great commercial potential, but until it actually does something like chart well, it's just another song. If I knew what made a song commercial then I wouldn't be in the job I am and I'd probably have more money than I do right now.
Here we've got two songs. One, a single... the other a B-side.
'I'm On Fire', from what I can tell, really shouldn't have been a hit single. Put it on any other Bruce Springsteen album and it would just be another song. Actually, can anyone picture this song on any other Bruce Springsteen album? I can't. It just wouldn't fit, which makes its inclusion on Born in the U.S.A just that little bit more intriguing.
Intriguing as it is, it not only got a place on the album, it became a single. All of a sudden, it gets its own video - complete with Bruce the mechanic lusting after either a woman or her car. Perhaps he lusts after the woman in the song, and the car in the video. I don't know, I don't make it habit to sit and watch the videos from this era. It's almost too painful. All I do know is that for years I liked this song, but never knew it to be a Springsteen song. It was just one of those songs which appeared on the radio from time to time, you sang along with it and then tuned in to another station.
Its strengths lie in so many areas. You've got Bruce's voice in great form, and correct me if I'm wrong, but he really hadn't sung like this before. It's almost as though Bruce decided to find out what he'd sound like if he sang like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash on the same track. There's the synths which bubble under the surface the whole song and that guitar... perfect.
What we're left with is a far more polished version of the demos Bruce was recording around 1982/83. There's no flourishes anywhere in the song, and I don't think I'm stretching things too far by saying that 'I'm on Fire' is an attempt to recreate the Nebraska sound with the E Street Band.
'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' is a whole other kettle of fish. Originally a B-Side to a song ('I'm Goin' Down') that should never have been a single (and would never have been a single on any other album), it had one or two live performances at the tale end of the Born in the USA tour, another in 1993 and then stayed in the vaults until Tracks came out.
It's a cousin of 'I'm on Fire' inasmuch that it was recorded around the same time frame. Musically, although it's slight in time, it's the opposite of 'I'm on Fire'. The synths punch you in the side of the face straight away, Weinberg pounds the drums throughout and the Big Man chimes in with a great little sax solo. There's no subtlety in the band when they play this song.
Whereas 'I'm on Fire' could be termed almost as an accidental single, you never get the feeling that 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' was destined for anything other than a tilt at the charts. That it never made the final cut for Born in the USA, got relegated to a B-Side, and ended up being 'lost' for over a decade shows the fine line that Bruce straddles when deciding what makes the cut and what doesn't.
Thankfully, I don't have to make that distinction. Here they both are. Enjoy.
The best 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' bit: "Til every river baby, it runs dry. Until the sun honey's torn from the sky. 'Til every fear you felt burst free, has gone tumblin' down into the sea" Nils Lofgren and Bruce himself give an eerie backing vocal.
The best 'I'm on Fire' bit: Has to be "Sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull. At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet and a freight train running through the middle of my head and only you can quell my desire... ooh I'm on Fire." A lot of words, powerful punch.
81. 'I'm on Fire'
Get 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' on: Tracks (1998)
Get 'I'm on Fire' on: Born in the U.S.A (1984)
A few things I know in life to be true. One is that you can never please everyone. And so it came to 1982 and Bruce Springsteen was coming off an international tour, his first ever #1 record (The River) and his highest ever charting single ('Hungry Heart'). Faced with this, some would say "We've hit one height, let's see how high we can go", while others take a look at the world from their view at the top and decided that they like things better when they were simpler.
In a sense, Bruce took both roads. He tried the road less traveled and released the brilliant Nebraska album in 1982, all the while working on a more 'commercial' follow-up to The River, one which would improve on the sales and the impact of his previous full studio album.
I hate that word - 'commercial'. What the hell does it mean and how the hell can you decide what makes something commercial or not? Isn't that decided after the fact? I mean, you can label a song with great commercial potential, but until it actually does something like chart well, it's just another song. If I knew what made a song commercial then I wouldn't be in the job I am and I'd probably have more money than I do right now.
Here we've got two songs. One, a single... the other a B-side.
'I'm On Fire', from what I can tell, really shouldn't have been a hit single. Put it on any other Bruce Springsteen album and it would just be another song. Actually, can anyone picture this song on any other Bruce Springsteen album? I can't. It just wouldn't fit, which makes its inclusion on Born in the U.S.A just that little bit more intriguing.
Intriguing as it is, it not only got a place on the album, it became a single. All of a sudden, it gets its own video - complete with Bruce the mechanic lusting after either a woman or her car. Perhaps he lusts after the woman in the song, and the car in the video. I don't know, I don't make it habit to sit and watch the videos from this era. It's almost too painful. All I do know is that for years I liked this song, but never knew it to be a Springsteen song. It was just one of those songs which appeared on the radio from time to time, you sang along with it and then tuned in to another station.
Its strengths lie in so many areas. You've got Bruce's voice in great form, and correct me if I'm wrong, but he really hadn't sung like this before. It's almost as though Bruce decided to find out what he'd sound like if he sang like Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash on the same track. There's the synths which bubble under the surface the whole song and that guitar... perfect.
What we're left with is a far more polished version of the demos Bruce was recording around 1982/83. There's no flourishes anywhere in the song, and I don't think I'm stretching things too far by saying that 'I'm on Fire' is an attempt to recreate the Nebraska sound with the E Street Band.
'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' is a whole other kettle of fish. Originally a B-Side to a song ('I'm Goin' Down') that should never have been a single (and would never have been a single on any other album), it had one or two live performances at the tale end of the Born in the USA tour, another in 1993 and then stayed in the vaults until Tracks came out.
It's a cousin of 'I'm on Fire' inasmuch that it was recorded around the same time frame. Musically, although it's slight in time, it's the opposite of 'I'm on Fire'. The synths punch you in the side of the face straight away, Weinberg pounds the drums throughout and the Big Man chimes in with a great little sax solo. There's no subtlety in the band when they play this song.
Whereas 'I'm on Fire' could be termed almost as an accidental single, you never get the feeling that 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' was destined for anything other than a tilt at the charts. That it never made the final cut for Born in the USA, got relegated to a B-Side, and ended up being 'lost' for over a decade shows the fine line that Bruce straddles when deciding what makes the cut and what doesn't.
Thankfully, I don't have to make that distinction. Here they both are. Enjoy.
The best 'Janey Don't You Lose Heart' bit: "Til every river baby, it runs dry. Until the sun honey's torn from the sky. 'Til every fear you felt burst free, has gone tumblin' down into the sea" Nils Lofgren and Bruce himself give an eerie backing vocal.
The best 'I'm on Fire' bit: Has to be "Sometimes it's like someone took a knife baby edgy and dull and cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull. At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet and a freight train running through the middle of my head and only you can quell my desire... ooh I'm on Fire." A lot of words, powerful punch.
mansize rooster
Club Legend
can you create an updated spotify playlist with these son?
Should be able to pretty easily -
Edit: Thought I had the playlist, but not. I'll just recreate it.
RussellEbertHandball
Flick pass expert
I don't know if this has been posted before but I only found it on Friday night. An extraordinary performance - and video - of Drive All Night from Gothenburg in July 2012. My late Swedish brother inlaw had seen him play at Gothenburg as well as Stockholm several times in the 1980's and 1990's. Vividly described the concerts to me before I saw the whole band for the first time in 2003. ( Saw him solo in Brizvegas in 1997).
DonDraper UpForGrabs
DonDraper UpForGrabs
- Thread starter
- #6,089
- Thread starter
- #6,091
aaaaaaaaaaaand it's the case.
ManWithNoName
TheBrownDog
You weren't exactly out on a limb there.
- Thread starter
- #6,093
True
DrVanNostrand
Premiership Player
Just got back from the second Auckland show, did both shows. I rate tonight as easily the better show, but I think I was down on Auckland1 because I'd just come from the Wednesday night show in Brisbane which was just ridiculous.
Had my first enocampaignerer with this Graham guy...what a dickhead!! I lined up for the second show straight after the first, scored number 77. Got told 8am was the first roll call...**** THAT. Got to the stadium around 4pm, and was two metres behind where I would have been with that number. Ended up 5 people deep dead centre in the front zone.
My City of Ruins tonight...just wow. Best High Hopes yet, I'd never had Seeds before, and Seven Nights to Rock is heaps of fun. Backstreets and Jungleland thanks to BTR album show, and Meeting Across the River always gives me chills. This Hard Land was a perfect closer. I was surprised he went with Royals as the opener again, was hoping for a Split Enz song or something, but I liked it tonight now that I knew what it was!! The crowd loved it. I could never get tired of hearing Bobby Jean, got it at all three of my shows and I just love that song to death. Easy my favourite of the 'obvious' set choices.
But where are the new songs?? Only High Hopes, JLFW and electric Tom Joad at my three shows. For those who got This is Your Sword, Heaven's Wall, and Hunter of Invisible Game...they're great songs, how did they go down live?? At least we got Wrecking Ball songs at the Auckland gigs because Bruce didn't visit here last year.
Great moment tonight during the encore when Bruce went to rub the guitar strings on the mic stand with his back turned to it...and nothing happened. And Tom played the solo in Tom Joad differently both nights, tonight he even took out the plug and did 'something' with it...I know nothing about music so I can't really describe it. ..
Plenty more thoughts that will come into my head later on, I'm sure. Next show: Pittsburgh, 22 April.
Had my first enocampaignerer with this Graham guy...what a dickhead!! I lined up for the second show straight after the first, scored number 77. Got told 8am was the first roll call...**** THAT. Got to the stadium around 4pm, and was two metres behind where I would have been with that number. Ended up 5 people deep dead centre in the front zone.
My City of Ruins tonight...just wow. Best High Hopes yet, I'd never had Seeds before, and Seven Nights to Rock is heaps of fun. Backstreets and Jungleland thanks to BTR album show, and Meeting Across the River always gives me chills. This Hard Land was a perfect closer. I was surprised he went with Royals as the opener again, was hoping for a Split Enz song or something, but I liked it tonight now that I knew what it was!! The crowd loved it. I could never get tired of hearing Bobby Jean, got it at all three of my shows and I just love that song to death. Easy my favourite of the 'obvious' set choices.
But where are the new songs?? Only High Hopes, JLFW and electric Tom Joad at my three shows. For those who got This is Your Sword, Heaven's Wall, and Hunter of Invisible Game...they're great songs, how did they go down live?? At least we got Wrecking Ball songs at the Auckland gigs because Bruce didn't visit here last year.
Great moment tonight during the encore when Bruce went to rub the guitar strings on the mic stand with his back turned to it...and nothing happened. And Tom played the solo in Tom Joad differently both nights, tonight he even took out the plug and did 'something' with it...I know nothing about music so I can't really describe it. ..
Plenty more thoughts that will come into my head later on, I'm sure. Next show: Pittsburgh, 22 April.
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ManWithNoName
TheBrownDog
Heaven's Wall was fine but got a bit boring IMO.
This Is Your Sword was ok but they stuffed it up because Stevie didn't know the words and the horns were off. "We haven't done this one much yet"
Hunter of Invisible Game was superb.
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- #6,096
Heaven's Wall is great live, gets everyone going down the front of the pit. I really like it.
Bobby Jean. Ugh. If he never played that for a long time, not many people would be disappointed.
DonDraper
Premiership Player
- Thread starter
- #6,099
I figure as opposed to writing about each show, I will do my favourite moments from the tour
What were your top five moments of the tour - song wise? I saw five shows - Melbourne through Hunter.
1) Backstreets.
It has been my favourite song for nearly eight years now and when I saw he played it in Adelaide, I thought I'd missed my chance to hear it again. (I also missed it in Sydney last year), so when I heard he was doing BToR at Melbourne 2, I was beyond ecstatic. Those nine minutes were among the greatest of my life. Just phenomenal.
2) Jungleland
It's always special, greatest song I have heard, and will ever hear in my life. It was special last year at Melbourne 3 and was just as special again. One of the songs that nobody tires of hearing and has a special aura about it. Seeing it lead in from Meeting Across The River was magical.
3) Dream Baby Dream
Sydney was a special show for many reasons. The Friday On My Mind opening, Darkness in its entirety, the cover of Don't Change, and the finale, Dream Baby Dream. Bruce alone on the stage with just a pump organ. It was a highlight of the tour for many people. The stage presence he commanded not only behind the organ, but when he left towards the last part of the song was fantastic. He had everyone in the palm of his hand and the people around me at the front of pit were in silence. It was a moment of pure magic. And to top it off with saying (like he does at the end of every show) with "The E-Street Band loves ya" was the icing on the cake.
4) Don't Change
I was there, and I feel privileged to say that, like I'm sure a lot of others do who attended the Sydney show. It was one of those moments that absolutely blew the roof off the Allphones Arena. Four electric guitars, and Bruce delivering an intense, gritty vocal performance. The energy was explosive and is something I won't forget. One of the best covers he has done IMO.
5) Sandy
For someone who wasn't familiar with the song, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I was personally captivated, as were those around me. An outdoor venue and mild night air combined with Bruce's story telling ability made this one of those moments that you feel blessed to see. The accordion adds to the beauty and feel of the song. Just great. And whether the sound of the fireworks near the beginning of the song was intentional or not - it didn't matter, it just added to the spectacle.
Other highlights include -
Thunder Road - both full band and acoustic.
Seeing him close with Thunder Road most nights in the lead up to the shows I was doing, I was a little err about it and wasn't a fan of it. Well, that all changed after Melbourne 1. The acoustic Thunder Road was one of the most beautiful moments. You could hear a pin drop as everyone was giving Bruce their complete and undivided attention. The full band (particularly during Melbourne 2) was amazing not for the fact he was playing it with the band, but you knew what was coming, Backstreets, Jungleland (and the fact the encores would be different). But being able to belt Thunder Road out at the top of your lungs with everyone else is something really special.
Racing In The Street
One of the songs I really wanted to hear, as I also missed it last tour, it was finally great to witness it. Roy's playing is beautiful and the outro takes the song into a completely different world. Fantastic.
Lost In The Flood
Gritty, intense, powerful. Flood delivered spectacularly again and had I not heard it last year, would have been in the top five this year. It did not disappoint and Bruce's solo to take the song out is off the hook. By the time the band comes into it you can tell he is ready to explode.
What were your top five moments of the tour - song wise? I saw five shows - Melbourne through Hunter.
1) Backstreets.
It has been my favourite song for nearly eight years now and when I saw he played it in Adelaide, I thought I'd missed my chance to hear it again. (I also missed it in Sydney last year), so when I heard he was doing BToR at Melbourne 2, I was beyond ecstatic. Those nine minutes were among the greatest of my life. Just phenomenal.
2) Jungleland
It's always special, greatest song I have heard, and will ever hear in my life. It was special last year at Melbourne 3 and was just as special again. One of the songs that nobody tires of hearing and has a special aura about it. Seeing it lead in from Meeting Across The River was magical.
3) Dream Baby Dream
Sydney was a special show for many reasons. The Friday On My Mind opening, Darkness in its entirety, the cover of Don't Change, and the finale, Dream Baby Dream. Bruce alone on the stage with just a pump organ. It was a highlight of the tour for many people. The stage presence he commanded not only behind the organ, but when he left towards the last part of the song was fantastic. He had everyone in the palm of his hand and the people around me at the front of pit were in silence. It was a moment of pure magic. And to top it off with saying (like he does at the end of every show) with "The E-Street Band loves ya" was the icing on the cake.
4) Don't Change
I was there, and I feel privileged to say that, like I'm sure a lot of others do who attended the Sydney show. It was one of those moments that absolutely blew the roof off the Allphones Arena. Four electric guitars, and Bruce delivering an intense, gritty vocal performance. The energy was explosive and is something I won't forget. One of the best covers he has done IMO.
5) Sandy
For someone who wasn't familiar with the song, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I was personally captivated, as were those around me. An outdoor venue and mild night air combined with Bruce's story telling ability made this one of those moments that you feel blessed to see. The accordion adds to the beauty and feel of the song. Just great. And whether the sound of the fireworks near the beginning of the song was intentional or not - it didn't matter, it just added to the spectacle.
Other highlights include -
Thunder Road - both full band and acoustic.
Seeing him close with Thunder Road most nights in the lead up to the shows I was doing, I was a little err about it and wasn't a fan of it. Well, that all changed after Melbourne 1. The acoustic Thunder Road was one of the most beautiful moments. You could hear a pin drop as everyone was giving Bruce their complete and undivided attention. The full band (particularly during Melbourne 2) was amazing not for the fact he was playing it with the band, but you knew what was coming, Backstreets, Jungleland (and the fact the encores would be different). But being able to belt Thunder Road out at the top of your lungs with everyone else is something really special.
Racing In The Street
One of the songs I really wanted to hear, as I also missed it last tour, it was finally great to witness it. Roy's playing is beautiful and the outro takes the song into a completely different world. Fantastic.
Lost In The Flood
Gritty, intense, powerful. Flood delivered spectacularly again and had I not heard it last year, would have been in the top five this year. It did not disappoint and Bruce's solo to take the song out is off the hook. By the time the band comes into it you can tell he is ready to explode.
The Old Dark Navy's
Moderator
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- #6,100
I love it. Probably more fans than you think.