Bruce Springsteen

Aug 16, 2011
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7) Born To Run (Born To Run)

Born To Run makes your heart race, and it fills you with euphoria from the very beginning. Your heart rate increases and there is an enormous grin plastered across your face that nobody can get rid of. It’s spine tingling.

From that drum opening drum roll on the snare, the horns, glockenspiel, guitar, bass and piano, the wall of sound envelops you with sheer force and unrelenting pressure, and you can't help but to be soaked up in it all. It’s hard to work out what to focus on and where to listen, all of it is so good.

The first verse takes us back to the familiar lives of blue collar workers, and these guys want to get out of their town, it’s ripping the bones from their back. They don’t want to be there still when they’re old. They want to get out while they’re young.

It’s so alike to Thunder Road – for me – where it makes you believe anything is possible. It spurs you on, it’s the sound of freedom and liberation. The passion in the vocal is exhilarating and inspiring, and I feel this only adds to the feelings produced while listening to this.

I love the hope and innocence in the words of the second verse “I want to know if love is wild, I want to know if love is real”. We’ve all been there, but there is a sweet innocence to them, and I think it’s because when it was written he was still so young, and perhaps discovering who he was as a person.

The sax solo brims with hope, then we get the bridge. I love the image of girls combing their hair in the rearview mirrors. I picture it every time in my mind without fail. The guitar break with the sax really drives things forward at the end of this verse. It’s echoing the characters conviction in the song, pushing them to go for it.

The last verse is sheer ecstasy. The whole song builds up to that point, and once you hit that final verse everything erupts and you reach the summit with joy pouring out of every pore. There is jubilation, triumph and accomplishment. Him and Wendy have made it, they’ve got out. They’ve left the town that rips the bones from their back, If you feel anything less than on top of the world at that point, you are simply not human.

Born To Run might be about escaping and running away, but there are elements of love and romance in there

Born To Run is a four and half minute exhilarating rock and roll power ride that you don't want to end. Born To Run IS Bruce Springsteen.





6) Incident on 57th Street (The Wild, The Innocent And The E-Street Shuffle)


It is simply astonishing that a song with a bar set so high was written so early not just in his career, but in his life. It makes you sit there and scratch your head how someone so young could pen an absolute masterpiece (arguably at least his third by this point in his career). The track is outstanding with its cinematic story telling. I feel as if I am there, witnessing right before my very eyes, the story told in this song.

Incident On 57th Street starts on a high and it never drops from there. The piano is so delicate and draws you in, while the guitar blows you away with its quick uppercut of power.

"Spanish Johnny drove in from the underworld last night."

What an opening line. We meet Spanish Johnny – and for me, the greatest named Springsteen character in all of his songs. Johnny is a street fighter, and he loves it. He’s offered his feelings to street workers, but they’re not interested. The pimps accusing of being both a cheater and liar. But he soon meets Puerto Rican Jane – another excellently named character – who he seems to be falling for. He wants to take her away from this dark side of town, the underworld.

I absolutely love beginning of the second verse, the phrasing, delivery and structure is perfect and I cannot put in words enough how much I love it.

Well, like a cool Romeo he made his moves, oh, she looked so fine
Like a late Juliet, she knew she'd never be true but then, she really didn't mind
Upstairs a band was playin' and the singer was singin' something about going home


He plays Romeo, to her Juliet. But as much as he loves this girl, the allure of street fighting is too hard to resist.

It’s quite sad that Johnny has found Jane, but she just can’t give him enough fulfilment. The verse where Jane wakes up to see Johnny putting his clothes in is incredibly powerful and vivid. It’s like a movie, and you’re witnessing all this, and you’re shouting at your television in vain at Johnny to not do what he’s going to do – leave Jane.

The breakdown – also in the aforementioned sectioned – with the bass is wonderful. It is like it’s the ticking of the clock, you’re just watching time pass and in this instance, the bass is the time as each note ticks on in the story. It’s also worth paying attention to the organ too throughout the track. It’s magnificent.

The instrumental after the story has been wrapped up is phenomenal. The solo is freakin’ outstanding. It goes for about two and half minutes and I never want it to stop when it does. Not the song needed any more elevation, but this lifts it even higher than humanly possible. You can hear the wails of Jane, and notes tinged with regret of Johnny’s actions. It rises and rises before plateauing and eventually waivering out, to leave the piano to tell confirm our worst fears. Johnny’s gone and he ain’t coming back.





5) I Wanna Be With You (Tracks)

From its opening chords I Wanna Be With You electrifies you. I loved this song from the first moment I heard it. I fell in it love with it instantly and it’s still reeling me in.

The intro with the guitar welcomed me with open arms with its raw power and the piano made me want to stay even longer. I absolutely loved the big beat too.

It’s fun, and doesn’t take itself seriously at all. I Wanna Be With You doesn’t aim to knock you out of the ballpark. It’s a simple pop/rock song about the declaration of love for another person.

The lyrics are goofy and it’s hard not to have a smile on your face on especially in the second verse;

Now I lost my job at the Texaco station
'Cause instead of pumping gas I'd dream of you


The sax solo sparks new levels of joy, and the oomph of the guitar only adds to it.

So damn fun.




4) Growin’ Up (Greetings From Asbury Park)

Growin’ Up is the sound of youthful innocence, fun and naivety without demonstrating a care in the world that it lacks life experience.

The piano is bright and full of life. It sparks joy and a curious wonder. It’s engaging and warm. It makes you want to know what is to come. It continues through the duration of the track in the same vein.

Growin’ Up is exactly what the title alludes to. There is no hidden metaphor or meaning behind the title. And I think part of that is what makes Growin’ Up so wonderful.

The sax continues with the ride of joy and fun.

I love hearing everything musically tighten up at the beginning of the last verse, almost like it’s being constricted, only to explode again like an atomic bomb. It’s a declaration of not caring who he is, and how he is seen.

The conviction and delivery in that second line of the last verse about being the cosmic kid is a joy to behold.

The killer line though is

And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car

We’ve all got our own engine of an old parked car. I’m probably one of the youngest in this group and grew up not as long ago as some others here. But it’s a beautiful thing finding something you absolutely love that you can connect with like nothing you ever have before. As a kid, my love for music came from a very early age, and while I still can’t sing to save my life, or play any instrument – aside from the guitar and drums – the bond I developed with music early on, thanks to my dad, has been by my side for as long as I can remember.

Hearing the track on Broadway was something else altogether. The crispness of the opening notes on the acoustic guitar left me awe-struck with the clarity and its surprising power.

The best thing about Growin’ Up though is that it makes you feel OK if you’re different.




3) Lost In The Flood (Greetings From Asbury Park)

Lost In The Flood is without a doubt one of the finest pieces of work Bruce has, and will ever create. It's a dark masterpiece that uses a gunfight as its backdrop to hook us in. He's given the characters in this memorable names, and this tied in with how the song builds an incredible amount of tension make it remarkable.

The cinematic story telling which unravels, its musical nuances are incredible and the images that it allows the listener to visualise are all unbelievably powerful. To think all this is off his first album, written in his early 20s makes it all the more unbelievable.

The musical nuances in this track which I alluded to earlier – when performed live – are absolutely second to none in what I’ve heard in music. They are brilliant touches which only amplify his greatness as a musician and a songwriter.

The opening of Flood lets us know danger is in the air. It's imminent. The feedback from the electric guitar gives you the first indication you should be getting out of here as fast you can. Then you can hear it in the notes of Roy's piano. While it is not sudden, you know what follows isn't going to be good, you can almost sense it. You're made to wait to though. Roy's piano is full of swagger, suspense and tension. You can hear the drama that lies under all those notes. There’s an impending doom that is just around the corner and you’re powerless to stop it.

The story begins with the introduction of the Ragamuffin Gunner, and some religious references - to the holy stone and nuns. We meet another character - Sticker - in the first verse, but only for one line, as he smiles at our gunner. There is a narrator who poses a question to Gunner. The flood however, may be a metaphor. What for, I'm not sure exactly, but it's definitely not one of those face value statements. The vocal is powerful and it's loaded with conviction.

There is only a brief break in vocals but, barely enough time to catch our breath. We're introduced to a street racer - Jimmy the Saint (which will forever remain one of the all time great Springsteen characters). Jimmy the Saint's whole introduction is fantastic. Yeah, we know he is a street racer. But we are awarded with this extraordinary image of his racer, how it looks, and how he regales stories. And during this, Bruce's vocals go up a level and you can hear him really going for it. Immediately following, The E-Street Band announce themselves, charging in at full force, like an unexpected crack of thunder and flexing all their muscles while doing so. It’s almost as if the band’s introduction signals the beginning of the peril that is alluded to in the song’s introduction. The drums crash, the organ wails, the piano screams, and we're fully aware of the The E-Street Band's omnipotence. There is a wall of sound that is unrelenting and it completely swallows you whole.

We meet the blaze and noise boy straight after Jimmy The Saint, who is reckless and holds no fear, though it becomes his own undoing. The imagery to describe his downfall is nothing short of spectacular. I mean, riding head first into a hurricane. How powerful is that? It paints the character with this don't-give-a-s**t-attitude, while at the same time it progresses the song to its next point, his death. The drums continue to boom, the piano pins us down, forcing us to watch the carnage unfold before us.

By this point, I'm so far invested in the song, I need to know how this street tragedy unfolds. I'm engrossed in this story. I feel like I'm right there, hiding behind a dumpster watching this all unfold in front of my own eyes, and I’m unable to look away, no matter how much fury is to come. I need to know more. I have to know more.

Things have begun to simmer. The chaos has subsided, but only temporarily. By the third line however, we're hit smack bang in the face with another standout line - And Bronx's best apostle stands with his hand on his own hardware. Isn't the imagery there outstanding? The image it paints is stark and doesn't leave anything to spare. I have this incredible image sitting at the forefront of my mind with this character, facing up to the enemy with his hand on his holster, ready to have a gun fight. He's going for it. He's not going to hold back. One of the musical nuances is put to good use here – the lyrics “you hear five quick shots and the cops come up for air” immediately following the five quick shots line, you hear Max bash the snare to represent the five shots. BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG, he’s dead. It only adds to the spectacle and engrosses you further.

The last half of the third verse is where things definitely reach a climax. The Whizbang Gang (another excellent name for some characters) are now brought to the fore, and they're creating all sorts of chaos and havoc. The gang are now unleashing their fury, Roy tickles the ivories to echo Bruce's words of the gang shooting up the street. The cat tries to retaliate, but it's all in vain and he's quickly dealt with, and just like that, he's dead, much like the kid who comes blasting round the corner.

We're are yet again presented with some more fantastic imagery, with the boy laying on the street holding his leg. It's a deep lyric and is quite confronting given the circumstances around it. Yet again, another musical nuance announces itself. Max's drums thunder to resemble the thumping of the body hitting the ground. Again, another great lyric. This track is littered with them, and they're all outstanding. While it may only be subtle, these nuances add another dimension to the song and take it to the next level.

Bruce's solo at the end is searing and unforgiving. His playing describes the chaos that has ensued. It’s wild, reckless and merciless. The drumming only echo the points the guitar is making, and the piano hammers the point home some more just in case you didn’t quite get it. It slowly winds down, though it does take its time getting there however .Hearing that organ slowly fade out just before the closing piano is fantastic.. And just like that the song ends with Roy, just as it begun. A very clever touch.

It astounds me how someone so young, and so innocent in that time of their life was able to produce such a masterpiece. It leaves me flawed and amazed that something so intense was portrayed with such ease, and in a fantastic amount of detail.




2) Jungleland (Born To Run)

Whatever anybody says about Jungleland will never do the song the justice it truly deserves. It will forever be the greatest song I’ll ever hear in my life and nothing else will ever come close.

The introduction is stunning. The violin is perfect, as is the piano, and neither give any indication of the havoc that is to follow. I get this whimsical feeling, and feelings of joy and intrigue. The swirling organ only adds to the charm and mystery.

Another one of the great Springsteen characters is introduced virtually right away – The Magic Rat. The lines immediately following about the Barefoot Girl are a brilliant piece of imagery. It’s such an innocent image. Then, they’re driving away together.

The organ during this first verse is exceptional. While the piano may be standing ever so delicately in the spotlight, the organ slowly builds with each line from about halfway through and you can hear the force behind it as it races to join up with the band. The piano also generates more drama and tension in its playing, and come those first words of Jungleland, The E-Street Band have taken off and are on an ascension to greatness like you’ve never heard before.

That third verse is exceptional as a whole (especially the organ!). I can’t pinpoint one line that’s better than the others. But I do love the story it tells. It begins with The Midnight Gang (another excellent name – I wonder if they share turf with the Whizgang Bang from Lost In The Flood?), selecting a meeting point for a deal of some sort. The line about the Exxon sign is yet again another excellent use of imagery and it’s hard not have this at the forefront of your mind as soon as you hear it. I love the use of both opera and the ballet to describe vastly different situations.

Kids flashing guitars like switchblades is an excellent command of the English language and I love that the guitar is being used like it’s a weapon. I just love the line “the hungry and the hunted explode into rock and roll bands”. It just sparks so much joy and enthusiasm inside me.

The guitar solo is clinical and as it sends us to the bridge, and I think the bridge highlights that if you’re away from the thick of it, you can be completely oblivious to what is occurring in the outside world.

The saxophone solo almost creates the bridge in the song which takes us from the rock opera, to the drama that unfolds in the back end. It starts slowly, climbing a staircase ascending to the heavens, and then soars – incredibly high – and hovers there for some time, before slowly descending to the chaos back on street level. The piano leads us down a darkened path, and it is from there we gain a deeper understanding of what is going on.

But I’ll leave the interpretations of this track to each individual.

The E-Street Band don’t just make music, they make magic.





1) Backstreets (Born To Run)

From the opening bars of Backstreets it’s clear that you’re in for a spectacle. The piano demands attention during the stirring introduction it provides. The rumbling of the floor tom give the intro more power and drive, with the bass lending a strong a hand. The organ is exquisite and only adds to the awe-inspiring wall of sound as it swirls around everything. But when the guitar comes in, it’s like a giant wave has just crashed. You can feel the intensity rise with each note and the song is demanding your full attention as you’re engulfed in the wall of sound. There is no greater moment for me in music when I hear the combination of everything, it is perfect in every sense of the word.

Backstreets is full of hurt, pain, anger, sorrow and a whole heap of disappointment. The exclamation in the chorus is powerful and it’s easy to sympathise with our narrator when he proclaims “hiding on the backstreets”, and having a love so hard, but being filled with defeat is so bittersweet.

That pain and hurt I mentioned earlier is ever present in the bridge. The intensity and pain is pouring out the lyrics and you can hear it in the delivery. The shift in music also demonstrates this. You can hear the instruments tighten, and we’re taken away from the thumping drums – but only momentarily. The stability is still there, but the command isn’t quite as strong. The piano charges forward, and the power in the guitar is taken all the way up to 11, in between remarkable flurries on the piano and organ. Those final lines of the bridge stained with resentment and betrayal set up the solo perfectly.

The guitar solo is full of torment and heartbreak. You can hear the tears pouring out of some those notes as they fly out rapidly at you. It’s undoubtedly one of his best solos.

The breakdown is stunning. The vocal is full of soul, passion and longing, and the slow build gets better and better as each second passes. The piano slowly building with the vocal gaining that little bit more intensity each time, and hearing the drums thump, and thump and thump, all before reaching a brilliant crescendo where The E-Street Band knock you out with their all encompassing power.

Backstreets is flawless when looked at in every light. There are no blemishes or imperfections.

I’d have listened to this song easily – with no exaggeration – over 2000 times, and I never tire of it. And I never will.

 
I think the top 20 are ******* rad to be honest. Majority would feature in most people's top 20 too I reckon.

I could find many songs in your top 50 that would be in the top 20 without argument. That's the greatness of Springsteen.
 
Born to Run greatest album ever. And sorry to disagree but Born to Run greatest song of all time.

But they're all just our opinions in the end.

Has been a wonderful ride. Thank you for taking the time Cruyff14


 
Aug 16, 2011
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I could find many songs in your top 50 that would be in the top 20 without argument. That's the greatness of Springsteen.
Please share your top 20 if you can be bothered?

What surprised you? What made you roll your eyes? What would you not have in the list (overall)?
Born to Run greatest album ever. And sorry to disagree but Born to Run greatest song of all time.

But they're all just our opinions in the end.

Has been a wonderful ride. Thank you for taking the time Cruyff14



Agree on greatest album ever.

I think Jungleland is his best song.
 
Please share your top 20 if you can be bothered?

What surprised you? What made you roll your eyes? What would you not have in the list (overall)?

Agree on greatest album ever.

I think Jungleland is his best song.

Give me a bit of time to have a think. And I will admit I'm not good at these because I change my mind from day to day as well as liking so many songs equally.

Don't get me wrong either, I wasn't criticising your top 20. More that if you had some songs well outside the top 20 in it, I would still agree.

I wouldn't have rolled my eyes, just thought I need to listen to that song more.

Absolutely love your top 3.

Backstreets is one of my all time favourite songs. Jon Bon Jovi agrees with me. Not sure it's good that I know that ;)
 
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Give me a bit of time to have a think. And I will admit I'm not good at these because I change my mind from day to day as well as liking so many songs equally.

Don't get me wrong either, I wasn't criticising your top 20. More that if you had some songs well outside the top 20 in it, I would still agree.

I wouldn't have rolled my eyes, just thought I need to listen to that song more.

Absolutely love your top 3.

Backstreets is one of my all time favourite songs. Jon Bon Jovi agrees with me. Not sure it's good that I know that ;)
If I did this again today the order will be different. It got to the point where I just said * it, if I did it again, the song would be roughly in the same place or thereabouts etc.

Oh, I know. It was more me expressing myself as saying, where would you place that song etc.

Haha.

Flood is a masterpiece. That and Tunnel were my two favourite write ups.
 
If I did this again today the order will be different. It got to the point where I just said fu** it, if I did it again, the song would be roughly in the same place or thereabouts etc.

Oh, I know. It was more me expressing myself as saying, where would you place that song etc.

Haha.

Flood is a masterpiece. That and Tunnel were my two favourite write ups.

Jimmy the Saint, oh yeah!

He leans on the hood telling racing stories, the kids call him Jimmy the Saint
Well, that blaze-and-noise boy, he's gunnin' that bitch loaded to blastin' point
He rides head first into a hurricane and disappears into a point
And there's nothin' left but some blood where the body fell, that is, nothin' left that you could sell
Just junk all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell

I shiver when I hear that lyric
 
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Jimmy the Saint, oh yeah!

He leans on the hood telling racing stories, the kids call him Jimmy the Saint
Well, that blaze-and-noise boy, he's gunnin' that bitch loaded to blastin' point
He rides head first into a hurricane and disappears into a point
And there's nothin' left but some blood where the body fell, that is, nothin' left that you could sell
Just junk all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell

I shiver when I hear that lyric
The song is a piece of perfection. Its power is overwhelming, and the imagery is incredible. Like I said, I feel like I'm hiding behind a dumpster watching this street fight unfold.
 
OK Cruyff14 here you go. I want you to know this was torture and I have even more appreciation for what you did.

A couple of caveats - I haven't included anything from Tracks or Western Star because I haven't listened to them enough. Sorry, just not enough time in the day any more. So I lean towards the older albums that I spent many of my idle more youthful hours listening to.

A bit of background, I probably really locked onto Springsteen around the Born in the USA days. I knew of him before then mainly through friends at uni who lived for everything he released. But he hadn't taken hold of me then. I was more into punk (Pistols, Clash, Stranglers, Ramones, Sham 69, you know the deal) and new wave as well as pub rock. Also being a bit of a natural contrarian, could I really be into the same music as my mates lol.

But once I really became a Springsteen fan, oh wow what a world he opened up for me. His lyrics are astonishing and his musical diversity is compelling and entrancing. The world's he creates of ordinary and extraordinary people and situations sweep you up in their magic and grandeur.

Anyway, here's my top 20 which could change in an hour. Just a note on each song, I won't be doing grand write ups. And as my background explains, biased towards his seminal albums.

20 Outlaw Pete - I love the story this tells, the change ups, the landscape it traverses. It's funny, it's sad, it's ultimately harrowing.

19 Better Days - Just a guy tired of his life and looking to do something better sharing it with the girl he loves. We can all relate. The lyric of Now a life of leisure and pirate's treasure, Don't make much for tragedy, But it's a sad man my friend who's livin' in his own skin, And can't stand the company is a brilliant touch of self-deprecation of a man who is coming to grips with his own life.

18 Wrecking Ball - I really like this album and could have included a few songs from it. Toss of the coin between this and We Take Care of Our Own. The sporting analogy gets me and the driving beat.

17 Badlands - It's like being at the wheel of a V8 muscle car and storming into the night of a cyclone. Bring it on man, we're gonna rumble.

16 Racing in the Street - I'm a rev head so the car racing song from the guy who couldn't drive is an initial catch. But the story it tells of young and maybe rash decisions made and failing dreams but ultimately a pact to go into the night together is compelling

15 The Ghost of Tom Joad (High Hopes) - The turbocharged guitar of Tom Morello really brought this song to life for me. Maybe unfairly I wasn't the biggest fan of the eponymous album. Springsteen's political commentary of current times reflecting Depression days tells the story of an America or any wealthy 'first-world' country people don't want to look too closely at. Much like the grime and pain the lives under the surface of John Connelly's Charlie Parker series of books. I loved the live version with Springsteen's and Morello's guitars almost in flames at the Adelaide concert.

14 The River - I have The River, Hungry Heart and Darkness on the Edge of Town together in a group because the 3 are inextricably linked to me. Man falls in love with high school sweetheart and makes a rash decision (Is a dream a lie if it don't come true, or is it something worse? - is there a more haunting lyric), man realises he has made a mistake and hits the road searching for something, man comes back with most everything lost and lives a life of loss and regret hoping to recapture something of what could have been.

13 Hungry heart

12 Darkness on the Edge of Town

11 Nebraska
- So evocative. Inspired by the Starkweather homicides, inside the mind of a killer. It's a chilling song, stark (pardon the pun) and moody. "I guess there's just a meanness in this world"

10 Tunnel of Love - A recurring Springsteen theme - young people falling in love. It should be a simple thing but we make mistakes and what was something beautiful easily finds a way to become something scary. But we have to find ways to make it work. Well, 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, And you've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above, If you want to ride on down, down in through this tunnel of love.

9 Tenth Avenue Freeze Out - I just really enjoy this. The story it tells, the imagery of fun and underlying menace before it is all resolved in a joyous outcome - The Big Man joined the band!

8 The Rising - An album that signalled the return of Springsteen as a political and social commentator. Searing commentary, heartbreaking landscapes painted through song lyrics. So many beautiful songs some of despair, some of hope, some of destruction, some of rebirth and reconciliation. Bruce the evangelist. Massive fan of Mary's Place, Waiting on a Sunny Day, You're Missing and Into the Fire.

7 Lost in the Flood - as we have discussed, what a story, what a landscape, what characters.

6 Rosalita - A classic, another song of joy and tension a supporting cast of teenage acolytes and you guessed it, unlikely young love facing many obstacles. A younger less cynical Springsteen found hope for his lovers with a record company's big advance.

5 Jungleland - such a layered complex song with a cast of amazing characters flitting across a city landscape chasing their dreams and not always finding them. A world of hope and kids after their dreams, a portrayal of life that scans across your eyes like a super 8 film. Until in the tunnels uptown, the Rat's own dream guns him down.

4 Born in the USA - A blistering commentary on the treatment of returned Vietnam war veterans in the USA. So often misunderstood as an American anthem because of its stunning but ironic chorus. Probably the song that helped bring Bruce into the mainstream of political discussion as Reagan misappropriated the chorus for an election campaign as a badge of honour. Brilliant in it s message and dichotomy even if lead to misunderstanding. It wsa also a favourite of wrestling crowds in the old Iron Shiek and Nickolai Volkoff days ... but that's another story ;)

3 Thunder Road - What can I say? There are songs that just touch your heart with their personal imagery. Mary, the girl with torn hopes and dreams, Bruce as her saviour/not a saviour offering redemption through escape in a car. Burned out cars the imagery of broken dreams to be redeemed by Bruce.

2 Backstreets - the most haunting and powerful of love stories. The shattering of a dream of worlds to be spent together, memories of times together torn apart through an act of betrayal. Musical power matched to soaring heart rending lyrics. A gem.

1 Born to Run - The greatest rock song even written. I break out in goose bumps every time I hear that intro. Rampaging guitars, driving drums, rock and roll and subtlety all rolled together. Street poetry of familiar Springsteen themes, love, cars and characters promenading through a city landscape that entraps them and trying to carve out a life. The hope of love lifting you above everything. Born in the USA drew me to Springsteen, Born to Run enraptured me and does to this day. Together Wendy we can live with the sadness, I'll love you with all the madness in my soul.
 
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revo333

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Do you guys know a die hard Springsteen fan that would have 'Dancing in the Dark' in their top 10 or 20 favorite Springsteen songs?
 
I really like Darlington County, Dancing in the Dark and Glory Days.

I can't decide if they're great songs or great FM radio songs (which was Bruce's aim for a mega hit album).

They were on my list of 35 that I chose my top 20 from. I know the lyrics to them all lol.
 
I really like Darlington County, Dancing in the Dark and Glory Days.

I can't decide if they're great songs or great FM radio songs (which was Bruce's aim for a mega hit album).

They were on my list of 35 that I chose my top 20 from. I know the lyrics to them all lol.
I love Darlington County, for what I assume was a bit of a throw away song it's a ripper. Our pa's each own one of the World Trade Centres. For a kiss and a smile I'll give mine all to you. It's the tale of a couple of bullshit artists on a bender. Extremely relatable.
 
I love Darlington County, for what I assume was a bit of a throw away song it's a ripper. Our pa's each own one of the World Trade Centres. For a kiss and a smile I'll give mine all to you. It's the tale of a couple of bullshit artists on a bender. Extremely relatable.


Drivin' out of Darlington County
I seen the glory of the comin' of the Lord
Drivin' out of Darlington County
Seen Wayne handcuffed to the bumper of a state trooper's Ford

:D
 
I listened to Wrecking Ball again yesterday and remembered how much I enjoy Death To My Hometown and American Dream.

Death To My Hometown is such a visceral slap in the face to rich and fat bankers and the destruction they wrought in the global financial crisis.

American Dream is such a jaunty Celtic-sounding song of hope for the immigrants. It is to me Wrecking Ball's Cadillac Ranch in the way its bouncing joy pulls you in.

Also a fan of Shackled and Drawn and Michelle Moore's rap in Rocky Ground.
 
I listened to Wrecking Ball again yesterday and remembered how much I enjoy Death To My Hometown and American Dream.

Death To My Hometown is such a visceral slap in the face to rich and fat bankers and the destruction they wrought in the global financial crisis.

American Dream is such a jaunty Celtic-sounding song of hope for the immigrants. It is to me Wrecking Ball's Cadillac Ranch in the way its bouncing joy pulls you in.

Also a fan of Shackled and Drawn and Michelle Moore's rap in Rocky Ground.
I assume you mean American Land, not American Land of Hope and Dreams. ;)
 
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