Not a jukebox: Springsteen’s top 15 of the decade and the growth of an artistic voice
Whenever I give a talk or sign copies of my book, Working On a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen (Continuum Books), a reader inevitably asks me, “what’s your favorite Springsteen album?” I always give the same answer—The Rising—and get the same reaction—shock. Undoubtedly, they expect me to name Born to Run, Born in the USA or some other album released before I was born (March 22, 1985). Far too many of Bruce Springsteen’s fans fail to appreciate that the extraordinarily gifted songwriter they claim to admire has continually evolved during the past two decades, and has enhanced his legacy with deeply resonant, provocative, and evocative music. Springsteen’s recent albums draw on familiar trademarks and styles, but also inject fresh sounds and newly diversified lyrical content into his melodically, stylistically, and lyrically rich body of work.
There is no denying the enduring meaning, value, and power of Springsteen’s early work, which contains some of the best songs in rock history. However, too many fans betray the artist who created those songs, along with the values delineated in those songs, when they run for a beer at arenas after hearing the opening chords of a new song and passively demand that Bruce Springsteen, a man whose creativity and artistic boldness produced the music they celebrate, stop being an artist and adopt the static performance personality of an oldies jukebox. None of this would be very important if it had no impact on Springsteen. Disappointingly, the tour for his latest album, Working On a Dream (2009) was much more nostalgia driven than its predecessors, which focused primarily on the newer material from The Rising (2002), Devils & Dust (2005), We Shall Overcome (2006), and Magic (2007).
Therefore, the following list of Springsteen’s best songs from the current decade, compiled solely by your correspondent, seeks to have significant influence on two groups of people. First, Springsteen fans unwilling to move beyond the years of big hair, leg warmers, and the Reagan administration should turn it into a mix CD (I don’t own an I-Pod and therefore don’t know the language. Apparently, I have my own relic tendencies.) and play it regularly with an open mind to invest the same time, thought, and energy in Springsteen’s new music that they did when the old stuff was new. Second, I offer the hope that someone from Mr. Springsteen’s camp will find this list and pass it on to his or her boss—the Boss—when he is getting ready to tour again and drawing up setlists.
For those interested in a much more detailed and thorough analysis of the following songs, I recommend buying my book, which contains passages on all them, with one exception—“The Wrestler”.
Songs are listed in chronological order.
1. “Land of Hope and Dreams”—Already I will be excused of breaking the rules because this song was written in 1999. However, it was not released until 2001, as one of two new songs on the live album, Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band: Live in New York City. A spiritual locomotive of a rocker that dramatically and perfectly closed most shows on The Reunion and The Rising tours, this song was written as an inclusive rewrite of the exclusive “This Train is Bound for Glory.” Not only one of the best of the decade, but one of his best ever.
2. “American Skin (41 Shots)”—This epic rock song about race relations, racial profiling, and police brutality was also released on Live in New York City, but it was known before then as a controversial song inspired by the tragic murder of Amadou Diallo by New York City police officers. Diallo was a West African immigrant who police misidentified as a rapist. When he reached for his wallet to identify himself, the police murdered him, firing 41 shots. Musically, the song unnerves the listener with passionate vocals and the entire artillery of the E-Street Band. Lyrically, it represents, better than most songs, Springsteen’s unique ability blend political, psychological, and social themes through individual stories with empathy, complexity, and radical love.
3. “Worlds Apart”—This little known track from The Rising easily belongs in Springsteen’s top ten songs. It is his most experimental song, and is both exciting and exhilarating to hear. Combining the sounds of a hip hop beat, a Pakistani choir, and rock ‘n’ roll guitar solos, “Worlds Apart” tells the vague story of an American soldier who falls in love with a Middle-Eastern woman. However, that story, because of the deeply spiritual content of the lyrics, becomes allegorical for a nation struggling with multiculturalism, immigration, and anti-Arab hostility after the 9/11 attacks.
4. “Mary’s Place”—Also from The Rising, this is the most familiar sounding track on the album. Its gospel-energized, Asbury Park party quality harkens back to Springsteen’s first two records. Close examination of the lyrics reveals that, despite its danceability, it is actually a spiritual meditation on mourning and how one can find the strength and sustenance to “live brokenhearted.”
5. “The Rising”—Depending on its incarnation and the context of its performance, this tribute to sacrifice and meditation on the question of an afterlife, can evoke tears or fist pumping hope. It has worked equally well as a tribute to the lives lost on 9/11, an anti-war statement when coupled with Springsteen’s recent protest song “Last to Die,” and a statement of combative hope at campaign rallies for Barack Obama.
6. “My City of Ruins”—This gospel song was originally written as a prayer for Asbury Park, but became a post-9/11 anthem when used as an album closer for The Rising. Its music is straight out of a sanctified church, but its prayer acknowledges the marriage between the secular and sacred. Springsteen humbly asks divine assistance in building hope, faith, and love, and accepts communal responsibility for communal future, rather than merely looking upward for the perfect solution.
7. “Devils and Dust”—The title track of Devils & Dust is a soul stirring, thought provoking contemporary folk song about a soldier in Iraq. One of any great artist’s most valuable gifts is the capacity to present an experience he hasn’t lived with enough truth and resonance to make it seem as if he has lived it. In Working On a Dream, I compare the lyrics of this song to essays members of Iraq Veterans Against War write in Warrior Writers: Re-Making Sense (IVAW). The parallels are stunning. Beyond giving all-too often muted active servicemen and women a voice, this song also presents an examination of the unseen spiritual consequences wars have on the individuals who fight them.
8. “Black Cowboys”—This Devils & Dust ballad tells the story of a young boy growing up in the South Bronx—a neighborhood where bullets fly and families collapse. The boy’s saving grace is his mother’s love until that is taken away from him. A deeply moving trauma narrative about people who have been rendered invisible in American life, this song demonstrates how Springsteen can often write cinematically.
9. “Maria’s Bed”—The Devils & Dust track continues the long Springsteen tradition of sanctifying the flesh and giving sexuality salvific powers. It is also unbearably catchy and fun.
10. “Jesus Was an Only Son”—Another from Devils & Dust. Norman Mailer wrote a fine novel about Jesus the man, called The Gospel According to The Son. “Jesus Was an Only Son” is a moving gospel song about Jesus as a mother’s son. It demands the listener to consider Christ’s political execution as a metaphor for daily injustices that rob lives and separate mothers from children in contemporary life.
11. “American Land”—This song was written for and originally performed by the Sessions Band, and can be found on We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (Extended Edition) and Live in Dublin: Bruce Springsteen and The Sessions Band. “American Land” is Irish folk meets American rock, and it celebrates the profound influence immigrant groups have had on American culture.
12. “How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live”—Springsteen took the music from the Blind Alfred Reed folk song about the Great Depression and rewrote the lyrics to apply to Hurricane Katrina and the criminally negligent government response it provoked. He recorded it with the Sessions Band and released it on the same albums as “American Land.” It is a powerful protest song that deserves more attention.
13. “I’ll Work For Your Love”—This ebullient and bouncy rocker from Magic sanctifies the flesh and gives sexual love salvific powers just like “Maria’s Bed.” It is also equally catchy and fun.
14. “Long Walk Home”—Magic is a dark record that surveys the wreckage left from the Bush years. Close to its conclusion, the soulful rock tune “Long Walk Home” offers hope in the form forgotten civic virtues—community involvement and activism—and progressively redefined private values—family and patriotism.
15. “The Wrestler”—Written for the movie of the same name, this Golden Globe winning song was officially released on the album Working On a Dream. It is a tearful chronicle of the downtrodden, dispossessed, and dislocated. Although not as strong as “Streets of Philadelphia”—another award winning soundtrack song—it is similarly moving in its unsanitized presentation of suffering and call for empathy.
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As another younger Boss fan, I totally hear you. I’m totally convinced that the last few albums he has made are some of his best work (my personal favorite being Magic, with D+D and the Rising tying for second), but when I went to see him last year in LA I wasn’t feeling the love from the other fans. When he started to play the Rising I immediately stood up and cheered while most of the other concert go-ers I was near were still in their seats. After the first verse I was signaling for everybody to rise, yelling out “this is The Rising, come on!” but only on the 3rd Chorus (and 4th attempt) did most of the people realize what was actually going on.
But overall, even with the crowd being not as into it as I was, and the lack of a subwoofer pointed in our direction, it was still one of the best nights of my life, leading me to cry twice (during Promised Land, and Land of Hope and Dreams).
We younger fans seem to have a better perspective, because we don’t have any sentimentality or emotion attached to the old material. Therefore, we are more objective and judge the music based on the merits of the music, not the experience we had when we first heard the music and the memories associated with that experience.
I’m hoping Springsteen will do something solo or with another band (Sessions Band would be great) next. Either way, I hope whatever tour comes out of it focuses more on newer material.
In response to another comment. See in context »I’m not a huge fan of the Boss (either the late great Steinbrenner, or Springsteen,) but as a young Stones Freak, I empathize. Many of the Stones’ alleged fans seem to have ignored everything after 1981’s Tattoo You – they disregard fine albums like Undercover, Voodoo Lounge, Steel Wheels, and Bridges to Babylon. Even worse are the fans who only know a few of the hits from Sticky Fingers, Some Girls, and the like. These “40 Licks” fans plague the Stones’ concerts, and, unfortunately, the set lists are primarily designed to pander to them. A shame considering the breadth of the Stones’ catalogue.
I’ve seen the Stones’ on three continents, and, unfortunately, the American crowds are the worst. They only want Brown Sugar, Start Me Up, etc. Dutch and French crowds are a bit more receptive to some of the deeper tracks.
Good luck on your book. Best–Ethan
Ethan: I read your blog pretty regularly and always enjoy your perspective. So, regardless of what anyone tells you, you do have at least one pinko fan.
As you can see in my bio, I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like The Rolling Stones. I’ve seen the Stones several times–every time in the States unfortunately–and have been annoyed by the same nostalgic hit-driven tendency you identify in your comment.
Voodoo Lounge and Steel Wheels are terrific albums. I notice you didn’t include A Bigger Bang on your list though. Not a fan? I play it pretty often. There is some great material on that album. I find it impossible to relate to anyone who claims to be a Stones fan but isn’t interested in deeper cuts from the ’60s and ’70s. Sticky Fingers and Some Girls? Those are two of the greatest albums in rock history. Who is hitting the skip button on those?
Springsteen’s American fans seem to be the worst too. I haven’t seen him overseas. But, the crowd on the Live from Barcelona DVD and the crowd on the Live from London DVD respond so enthusiastically and loudly to new songs, I can only assume European audiences are generally better.
The analysis I have of older Springsteen fans that I gave to the other commenter applies to the older Stones fans.
Thanks for the comment and the good luck.
In response to another comment. See in context »Yup, I have ignored everything the Stones did after Tattoo You. As a more loyal Springsteen fan I’ve bought his albums in the 2000s but my favorites are still Darkness on The Edge of Town, Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad. It can’t be helped. We get old and curmudgeonly.
David, I don’t mean this as a criticism but, personally, The Rising left me weeping for glory days. It’s one of only two boss albums I find actually bad. We Shall Overcome is great.
I like the post, though. Nice to meet you.
In response to another comment. See in context »Dear David:
I’ll tell you man, you sure picked a bunch of great, great songs. Of course being a 40 year fan of Bruce and The E Street Band, it’s alot tougher for me to pick my top 15. Many people who know me will ask me what my favorite song is. My answer is always – they all are. When walking out of a show they will ask me – is that the best show you’ve ever seen them do? My answer is always – I don’t know, they’re all great in their own way. I can’t criticize you with your picks, but it’s hard, also, for me to agree on all of them. There are just too many for me to make a fair judgment. Now, how about asking me to name my favorite 200. That would be easier for me. Thanks, man.
Very nice article. I am a long time fan and there is only one song from the period that I would add and that is “Girls in their Summer Clothes”. For me. oy is at or near the top of the period and I think the lyrics and sound just sum up the aging process and it is not a song that he could have sung when he was younger.
Well, just so ya know we’re out here…I’m a long-time Springsteen fan from way back. Been listening to him seriously since the Darkness era, haven’t missed a tour since 1980. Of course, I love the old records in my soul, Born To Run, Darkness, The River, Nebraska, U.S.A. but I also appreciate everything he’s done since. I particularly think his output this past decade has been amazing and on par with the classics in his catalog. Magic and Working On A Dream burn with the same fervant fire that Born To Run and Darkness did, the updates on his classic sound are wonderful and his recent embrace of his pop sensibilites is thrilling. Devils & Dust and The Seeger Sessions are evidence that Bruce fially found a way to make his folk music really work. The Rising? It’s a masterpiece of mourning. Good article, good picks but shame on you for leaving off Last To Die.
[...] Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen author rates modern-era Springsteen songs (and scolds Bruce a [...]
David, I’ll be at your presentation tonight at Revolution Books. When I met you last month at the Printers Row event, I assumed that you were in your 30’s like me. I am now feeling very old knowing that you’re only 25 even though I turned 36 a couple of weeks ago. Regarding your list, this is a very good one. However, I think that I would add “Long Time Coming,” which was originally written and performed in 1996 but not released until 2005. Also, “Wrecking Ball” from last year is a great song even if he intended it to be a song of tribute to acknowledge the end of Giants Stadium.
I know that The Rising is your favorite Springsteen album of the past decade, but I really think that Magic is the best thing Bruce has done with the E Street Band since The River album of 1980. The melodies and hooks of Magic are a welcome return to his songs of the 1970’s, the songwriting is stellar, and it features some of the best production one of Bruce’s albums has gotten since Born to Run; this is the best thing Brendan O’Brien has done in collaboration with Bruce. However, the Working On a Dream album is Bruce’s weakest effort since the Human Touch album of 1992. You are correct in the fact that “The Wrestler” is the best song on the new album, but it wouldn’t have even been written without the encouragement of Mickey Rourke. I think that after a few months on the road in 2009 in support of the new album, Bruce recognized that the songs from it did not hold up well, especially in comparison with his older and better material. So, Bruce abandoned the new material and began performing his older albums in their entirety. Given his impressive catalog, you can’t blame Bruce for playing what most of his fans really wanted to hear and what the E Street Band does best. I hope that the next tour will be with the Seeger Session Band again given what a wonderful tour it was in 2006. I’ll see you tonight! Paul
Hey David- Really cool post! Like you, I’m a younger Springsteen fan (28) and naturally love a majority if not all of his early work. I’m also of the mindset that what he’s produced over the past 10 years can go toe-to-toe with his earlier works and in many cases exceedes it.
I saw a number of concerts on the Working on a Dream tour and to be honest, despite all the shows being amazing, I too was upset at the lack of material highlighted from W.O.A.D., Magic, and The Rising.
One thing your article made me realize is that I really need to go back and give Devils & Dust the attention it deserves. I probably haven’t listened to it in 4 years, so I need to go back to it. There’s no good reason for this, I liked the album just fine when it came out.
I think one of the weirdest thing about Springsteens songs is that he writes songs as the product of the times that we’re living in, with hopes that things will be better and different down the road, and that we would have learned from past mistakes. Yet here we are today and a song like Born in the USA applies just the same as it did when it was orginally written. Land of Hope and Dreams is a song you would have thought he wrote over the past two years, but it’s over 10 years old. And it’s scarey to think a song like Long Walk Home could still ring true 10 years from now.
I was glad you included Long Walk Home, personally it’s my favorite Springsteen song. And again, it was written probably 3-4 years ago and includes the line, ‘That you know flag flying over the courthouse/ Means certain things are set in stone/Who we are, what we’ll do and what we won’t.” Yet it applies even more today with the recent Arizona immigration law.
Again, great article!
Matt
Man, those are some pretty weak songs, for the most part. You don’t even include “Radio Nowhere”? I guess I don’t understand what you mean by “Bruces’s hits.”
Was “Youngstown” a ‘hit’? ‘Ghost of Tom Joad’? Why not list those? (The decade?) Both those are better than anything on your list (and mine the territory I think you sought to mine).
Oh, well. I appreciate your column, even if I disagree.
Two questions David.
1) Where is “Devils Arcade” ? One of the most hauntingly breathtaking songs ever (regardless of Bruce) that builds to an amazing crescendo and it’s a hair on the back of the neck song when played live. If ever there was a song that mirrors the pains of war in Iraq & Afghanistan, this is it. I’m amazed that between US and British TV that this song has not been picked up on and turned into a poster song for their troops coming home, one way or another…
2) Where is “Kingdom of Days” ? A true gem in these days of dross, just a beautiful beautiful song. My friend is playing this as his Wedding song in October. When Bruce does love he talks about nature and this song evokes all the seasons and the senses. I seen him play this live to 40,000 people last year in Dublin. He dedicated it to Patti and he played it with such passion it was like she was there (even though she wasn’t). The clip is on youtube and it’s an amazing 5 minutes that I highly recommend
Footnote: Where’s “Long Walk Home” – masterpiece !
I agree with a lot of your choices…you could have gone further and thrown in the 90’s – Human Touch, Wish I were Blind, If I should fall behind, Blood Brothers, Secret Garden…..
Robbie – Ireland
Imagine how much different “Radio Nowhere” would have sounded if it came AFTER “Devil’s Arcade.” As it was, it sounds like a song about driving around wishing there were something good on the radio. In another position, it would sound like the last man in the platoon standing, desperately calling for help, while “I just want to hear some rhythm” would hearken back to “the beat of your heart, the beat of your heart.”
Oh, he was being sneaky with that song!
In response to another comment. See in context »As a devoted fan of 25 years I hear you!
As much as i loved to discover Bruce’s body of work through the 70s i loved listening to him growing over the years.
As with anyone, it depends on the mood, but The Rising is more often on my turntable than any other album.
At concerts i always get frustrated at people who just come to the concert to hear ‘Born in the USA’ (and coming from Austria, THAT is the only album which stayed in people’s mind)
Imagine a silent moment when the band starts ‘Jungleland’ or ‘41 Shots’ or ‘Outlaw Pete’ or….and people around you start to shuffle around you and go for a beer………
One thought though: it might be a ‘national’ thing! at last year’s tour i could compare within a few days a concert in Vienna with one in Italy.
The audience was totally different! in Austria it was the ‘expected’ 40somethings, the majority still in a 1985-mood going crazy at ‘Dancing in the Dark’
In Italy the majority was young, 20something, knowing all the lyrics of the new album and actually going quiet at old ‘house rockers’!
that was quite an experience!
as a side note: here in Austria i blame mostly the radio stations! Bruce gets played, but never ever anything newer than ‘Streets of Philadelphia’.
not even in the week of a new release, not even in the week of a hugely advertised concert in town! how the heck should the young find out?
I applaud your desire to get “older” fans to re-listen to Springsteen’s newer work and hopefully rediscover his and the band’s talent on these newer songs.
Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion and out of your list of 15, I think most die hard fans (even those stuck in the 70s) recognizes that several of the songs you call out will stand the test of time and be considered classics from Bruce’s catalog.
However, I must say that as a big fan, 5 of the 15 songs you list have been in heavy rotation in setlists from the Rising through WOAD: Land of Hope and Dreams, Mary’s Place, The Rising, American Land and Long Walk Home.
For the next tour, I’d love to see Bruce mix it up more. I understand the challenge he has of creating a list that isn’t a “greatest hits” while blending in the newer songs. But he also has to try mixing other songs than the handful of new ones we’ve heard over the past 3 tours.
Or follow the Stones model from a few years back and in major cities, do a special show for the “die hards” comprised of older songs and possibly other rarities (in a smaller arena).
I am an old fan who was not crazy about the WOAD tour for several reasons. First, he barely played anything from that cd and what he played was the worst songs from it. Not his best collection of songs. But that said, I loved Magic and loved that tour. Bruce played from that and mixed in some of the better known songs.I loved the Seeger Sessions tour as well. His interpretations brought us new takes on his own music while opening our eyes to our own history of music. Second was that he did turn WOAD into a nostalgia tour of greatest hits. What made the Reunion Tour so great was the rarities that were played and the brilliant and foolishly left off the first time around Tracks songs. My pet peeve was people running out to get beer or talking through songs like Back in Your Arms Again. Bruce is still a great writer and his audience should realize that the new material is just as good as the early days. Different, yes, but equally deserving of the respect that an artist of his caliber deserves. Okay that all said, one of the best shows that Bruce has done in a very long time was the River show at MSG. Sorry that it dates prior to your birth and was not from the last decade but that was one helluva show! We even could handle Waiting on A Sunny Day!
There are quite a few points here, I guess. Having read (and enjoyed) your book and this article, here is my personal European/German perspective:
Concert Goers disappointingly get a beer during “The Rising” while they frantically celebrate “Born To Run” for the 12th time in their lives? They seem to deal superficially with what they have payed loads of money for. Last time I have seen Bruce was exactly one year ago in Frankfurt. Going there by train I travelled with quite a lot of “40 plus” people. I expected them to act the same way. I can’t exactly tell you why, but they wouldn’t. If Bruce would have played 15 instead of 8 songs of the last decade, some might have said it could have been better. But they would still cheer as you can see from the DVDs mentioned before. Audience disparities between US and EU is a fascinating thing. And it must be to the artists. I may add U2 to Bruce and the Stones having the same “noble” setlist choice after having made some real fine records in their “Post-Joshua Tree- Era”, too.
What I am trying to say is that nobody but the artists (those who are not their own jukeboxes…) themselves not only realize but care about both, the noble setlist problem and its reception and the cultural difference between US and EU concert goers. Remember: the last three (!) Springsteen DVD-Concert releases are European concerts. Isn’t that a statement? Isn’t that asking the US guys for a/to dance?
Meanwhile we (the EUs) are the dumb ones: partly bad English speakers, no US citizen (which might be a certain criteria listening to Bruce) and in Germany patriotism has still a negative connotation.
I feel that Bruce’s setlists the last tour have been a very conscious compromise for all visitors. He has done a lot in the past years for those who care about his more recent work, doesn’t he? The intimate and introverted D & D-Tour, the musically brilliant Seeger Sessions etc.
Well, talking about Springsteen over here these times is very much about the progressive, politically ambitious, very true-to-himself star. It is not talking about the Born-in-the-USA-bloke to which he was connected to for some ten or twenty years.
In my opinion he has an important impact on EU-audience: especially during the Bush-era, Springsteen’s American success represented that not all US citizen must have gone mad. Don’t get me wrong. But there is always a (dangerous) tendency of lumping together. He brought the important message that there is much more between Bush-Americans and Anti-Americans. And he artificially filled the gap, he represented it.
Doing this he must serve these EU-40plus-Born-To-Run- Jeeres as well as these US-Get-Me-A-Beer-During-The-Rising-Guys, too. He wants them to come. And he tries to convince them from what we think there should be more of. I am convinced that Bruce is very conscious and knowing about this. Maybe this is the fuel in his tank…
Very, very seldom to I see a list like this to which I come so close to complete agreement on the song selection. I might have swapped out “Worlds Apart” for something off of Magic, but other than that, well done.
If one browses Springsteen message boards, there’s certainly an epidemic of people who judge every new work by whether it makes them feel like they’re 16 again. Actually, this carries over to most other acts over the age of, say, 25. If you’re going to a rock concert for nostalgia, you’re too old to go to a rock concert.
I, for one, hope he brings the Seeger Sessions band back next – the last tour seemed like it was verging on a merger. Obviously he’ll want to keep playing with Clarence while he still can, but, frankly, the E Street Band hasn’t played with as much spirit and vigor as the Sessions Band since about 1974.
david….i completely agree with your observation about older fans, and the last tour being almost an “oldies” show….i’m an old fan…began listening to “asbury park” as a kid in cleveland on wmms….seen him live almost every tour since 73….i too have been increasingly disappointed…though his performances are always top notch, really, i’m not that thrilled to hear “badlands” again….his recent (last 10 years) has been almost as good as 74-85, but we get to hear less and less of the newer stuff…on his last tour, in san jose, imho the most interesting thing he played was “good eye,” because i had never heard it live, and he was playing into new territory…it was truly exciting, and i wished he had played ALL new material…..
…i agree “the rising” is fantastic (as is d&d) and stand up to btr, etc….(there’s just that brief la detour!)….
i’ll offer my 15 best of the last decade, in no particular order:
you’re missing
1) devils and dust
2) american land
3) girls in their summer clothes
4) kingdom of days
5) lonesome day
6) worlds apart
7) you’ll be comin’ down
9) long walk home
10) the rising
11) my city of ruins
12) the wrestler
13) matamoras banks
14) empty sky
15) into the fire
i believe this could almost complete a set, adding a few old ones, new ones? and covers!…i can dream can’t i?….
thanks for your article
Having read comments from younger Springsteen fans I felt it was time for an older one to chime in. Although I agree with the different perspective enjoyed by the newer “converts”, I must point out that a lot of us “seasoned” admirers do in fact have great fondness for the material of the last decade. I am approaching 50 and became a fan in the late 70’s. While I believe the albums from The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle through Tunnel of Love are Bruce’s artistic peak, there is much to love about Bruce’s more recent material. I just think that he was more consistent back then. I would never skip a track when listening to those older albums. But the only recent album I listen to in its entirety is Magic, which I feel is just as strong as anything from that earlier period. Still, The Rising, Further on up the Road, My City of Ruins, Devils and Dust, Maria’s Bed, My Lucky Day and The Wrestler are great songs and stand up easily to earlier material. Let’s Be Friends, The Fuse, Reno, Outlaw Pete, Queen of the Supermarket, not so much.
David,
Really interesting article and I love that you selected the fantastic “Worlds Apart” and “American Skin” songs for your list.
I’m an old-timer fan, fifty years old, and I think that “The Rising” is one of Bruce’s best albums ever. While I see “Magic” as more of a hit and miss record, I do absolutely love several of its songs.
I can’t agree with you on using “The Rising” song for something else, like President Obama’s campaign. To me that song is such a powerful and spiritual tribute to the firefighters who died on 9/11, I find sticking it into another context cheapens it.
The problem with “Working on a Dream” is that it’s simply a bad album, although it contains one of my top ten Springsteen songs ever: “Life Itself”. Of course it also contains the embarrassing “Queen of the Supermarket”, and the less said about that train wreck, the better.
I think Bruce himself realized the weakness of the material fairly quickly into his tour, which was why the new tunes fell by the wayside and he was forced to become an “oldies” act. The only “one-legged dog” I’ve ever seen is Bruce trying to sell these inferior songs.
I don’t think the older fans are the problem at Springsteen shows. I remember when the BUSA stadium tour started. Suddenly there were all of these people talking through songs, milling around, going to the concession stand during “Racing in the Street” or “Independence Day”. But fire up “Darlington County” or “Glory Days” and they were right there. It was awful.
While I understand your point in saying that younger fans have a perspective that lets them be more clear-eyed because they’re not emotionally attached to the older stuff, it still ticks me off.
I am emotionally attached to the older songs. They spoke to me, resonated in me, and they still do. So do some of the newer tunes though, and I’m emotionally attached to them as well. They don’t all carry the same weight, they don’t all impact equally, but then the old songs don’t do that either.
It’s heartening to see younger people on board and passionate about the music. I’m a Springsteen fan to the end and if I’m next to you at the next concert, you can count on me being engaged and slapping a high five with you when “Worlds Apart” starts up. I’ll be thrilled if Bruce debuts a never before heard song, and my request will be something like “The Iceman” or “Frankie” or “Thirty Days Out”, not the done to death “Glory Days” that you newer fans clamor for.
See, I remember a time before you whippersnappers came along when Bruce delved deeply into his catalog and the requests he took were little known tunes. Each tour focused on the current album, supplemented by songs that complemented the message of that specific tour. You could hear a pin drop during the quiet songs, the spoken intros and the breaks, and everybody there knew every song.
But then he expanded his fan base and well, we’re also living in a different world now anyway. I’m old enough to know thems the breaks and I don’t blame you for it; I’d appreciate the same courtesy in return.
Take it from this “live in the past,those were the good old days” fan: in modern times Bruce has put out a recent masterpiece(The Rising)and some great and very good songs. But he has also put out some lesser stuff, and that’s just the way that goes too.
Nobody does it any better or more consistently than the Boss, and my advanced age has given me the wisdom to know that my favorite musician, while oft-times brilliant, can also really stink it up sometimes.
“BTR”, “Darkness”,”Nebraska”, Tunnel of Love”,”Lucky Town” and “The Rising” are flat-out masterpieces.
Can I still appreciate the other stuff? Damn right I can. He’s written plenty of great songs since the old days, just not with the same consistency of the older records.
Doesn’t matter. He’s the Boss and I can’t wait for the next album. I expect a masterpiece every time, and if I don’t get it, I simply enjoy what I can and wait for the next one to roll around.
Looking forward to reading your book,
Bobbi
I am an older Bruce fan, but I agree with your perspective. One of the reasons I have gone to see Bruce (with and without the band) so many times over the past 30+ years is because his music continues to evolve. Times change, people change, my own perspective changes, etc.
I have experienced what you mention, going to concerts and being surrounded by people who only want to hear Born to Run or Born in the USA. I love those albums, but the work Bruce and the band have produced since then is incredible. I believe that The Rising is one of the greatest albums of all time, and the albums since then are as good or better than anything he released before.
My biggest disappointment in the last tour was that so little of the Working on a Dream album was played. That is an incredible album! Kingdom of Days is one of the most beautiful songs, and every song on the album is great (par for the course for Springsteen).
Starting with The Rising, and accelerating with We Shall Overcome, I have been delighted by the growing proportion of younger folks in the crowd. It assures me that there are a lot of people that will listen if you have something important to say. And Bruce still does, 40 years down the road. As long has he has something to say, I will be there to listen. When I want to hear about the past I watch the History channel, when I want to hear about today and dream about tomorrow I listen to Bruce.
And I love your list, although mine would (of course) be different. I think that Land of Hope and Dreams is one of the greatest songs ever, and Maria’s Bed is one of my personal favorites.
In short (too late?), I am old, but I ain’t dead yet! In my fifties now, but still so much to learn, to see, to experience. And still a great deal of growing left to do. I am glad that Bruce’s music continues to grow with me.
David – nice article.
However, I spotted a contradiction. You plea that “Disappointingly, the tour for his latest album, Working On a Dream (2009) was much more nostalgia driven than its predecessors, which focused primarily on the newer material from The Rising (2002), Devils & Dust (2005), We Shall Overcome (2006), and Magic (2007).”
That is true. But the reason is that Working on a Dream is the weakest of Bruce’s album by a distance. That you didnt cite ANY of the songs from this album in your top 15 of the decade tends to affirm that you think that too. I discount the Wrestler as it wasnt really supposed to be on ‘Dream’ (and actually think is is a pretty weak song too, relatively speaking).
For me, the best song Bruce has written in the last 10 years is ‘Leah’. The third verse is a killer.
cheers
Jonny
Having seen tons of shows on multiple tours, I can do nothing but agree about American Audiences, or the older generation of fans. Look at the way the Sessions Band was received in America, and look at the way they were received in Europe. Springsteen said it time and time again, the people in Europe were more receptive to the music that wasn’t even about them. That music was about America and hard times and government, yet people over there sang every word and hung to every note. Americans went to grab beer and take a piss. Hands down The Rising is in the top three records the man has ever made. It’s one of the very few studio albums I still listen to on a constant basis. I actually think Born To Run is one of the worst records ever made, but then again, I’m only 30………
First, I like A Bigger Bang quite a bit as well. It’s just an awesome album.
Also, I just picked up a copy of your book from my school library (UC San Diego) and I was just reading the section “Stripping the Earth To It’s Bone”, and was curious if you have ever read the book “Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscious of a Nation” by Jonathan Kozol? Bruce has said in concert that this book was the main inspiration for the song “Black Cowboys”.