…what’s your favourite song/album ??
Always liked his music, though not a die hard fan, probably about 12 or 13 years old early 1980s
Tunnel of Love is my favourite albums of his.
🎸
Nebraska
Reason to believe
The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays... . Irritating to play on the guitar, really hard to sing, Bruce's story telling at its best.
I like the Guana Batz cover of I’m On Fire where they sing ‘At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet and I’m afraid I’ve wet my bed’. Classic
The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays…
Absolutely spot on 🙂
Born to Run
Thunder Road
Nebraska
Devils and Dust
The Ghost of Tom Joad
The Seeger Sessions
I definitely prefer his more story based chilled albums overall.
I liked that cover of With A Little Help From My Friends he did at Woodstock.
Nebraska
State Trooper
Also, a big fan of the River (the song, although I like the album too)
Thunder Road, phenomenal.
Last gig I was at* was Suede at the Barras, around 95, I'm not really into gigs at all, but Bruce came to Hampden and I just had to go.
Amazing performer.
* Pre Bruce
Thunder Road here too.
This is a fun watch. Working out how to play the song while on stage.
Some brimstone baritone anti cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east
Says dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in his funny bone and that's where they
expect it least
The River, what a bleak story.
I come from down in the valley
Where, mister, when you're young
They bring you up to do like your daddy done
.....
Then I got Mary pregnant
And man, that was all she wrote
And for my nineteenth birthday
I got a union card and a wedding coat
.....
I got a job working construction
For the Johnstown Company
But lately there ain't been much work
On account of the economy
Now all them things that seemed so important
Well mister they vanished right into the air
Now I just act like I don't remember
Mary acts like she don't care
......
But I remember us riding in my brother's car
Her body tan and wet, down at the reservoir
At night on them banks I'd lie awake
And pull her close just to feel each breath she'd take
Now those memories come back to haunt me
They haunt me like a curse
Is a dream a lie if it don't come true
Or is it something worse
Thunder Road, but in particular the live 75 version with just him and the Prof. It will be the song that plays as they burn me.
As for album, Nebraska with TOL coming close behind...possibly because the first time I saw him was the TOL tour in 88.
I fell completely and hopelessly in love with his music for ever that night.
Late convert but
and also Jungleland when Clarence's nephew plays the big man's sax solo for the first time after his death.
I know very little, as he wasn't cool when I was*, but I do listen a little when I think to, I must explore his back catalogue, discovered Western Stars recently and that's rather lovely.
* I have never been cool, even when I thought I was.
His Broadway show is a remarkable insight into the man.
He also covers other peoples songs very well, Coma Girl and Londons Calling stand out.
Favorite song varies but is often Thunder Rd, or The River, or Promised Land or Badlands.
Also My Hometown and No Surrender. Independence Day, Growin' up and Incident on 57th Street are pretty good as well.
So many great live clips on You Tube as well.
His two most recent (Western Stars and Letter to You) show he's still producing great songs.
+1 for The River.
Some try at the pathos thing, but Springsteen nails it. A hymn to broken dreams and the sorrow of remembered youth. Beautiful and timeless.
Mary's dress sways
Seen him twice live, just amazing.
As for songs, if I have to pick one, it's Born To Run. Obvious, I know, but brilliant.
Nebraska favourite album - think Born in the USA prob has better songs even than that but it doesn't sound that good nowadays (imho).
Favourite song is a tough one - man has a body of work under the belt. Rolling Stone did a top 100 list of Bruce songs and they weren't struggling for material. Racing in the Street is one of his absolute bests but there are so many.
Crikey I know who Springsteen is but cannot even recall one single song by him ... is that bad?
Pretty sure he wrote this about my brother.
Big fan.
Incident on 57th street is right up there for me.
Particularly the live version from a special Japanese exclusive live CD
Nebraska - yet again
Maybe:
Mary, queen of Arkansas
WIld Billy's circus story
or, err, Nebraska
Born to Run
The River
and Hungry Heart
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Like a river that don't know where its flowin'
I took a rong turn and I just kept goin'
Racing in the street is my favourite Western Stars I love but find it disquieting. Tunnel of love, the lyrics are fabulous but the sound and production I am not a fan of. Radio Nowhere is great, he has such a huge back catalogue.
You do realise that Bruce is taking the piss out of everyone on Never can Tell, beej. It's a Chuck Berry classic and the easiest thing you'll ever play on guitar. It's two chords, three if you're being really adventurous, Bruce uses two. Choose a chord to start in and the fifth of it is the other one you need. Chuck Berry does it in C using C and G. Bruce ends up in G using G and D, with a capo on three so he only has to move one finger and play three of the strings for each chord.
So he could have easily played it without a capo but was given a guitar which made it even easier to play the song on. All pre-planned, he was having a laugh, the band and techs knew he was going to play it and in which key.
Mary’s dress sways
Ta, haven't played in for while.
The Fuse
Hello Sunshine
I’m on Fire.
All pre-planned, he was having a laugh, the band and techs knew he was going to play it and in which key.
Was the sign in the crowd a plant?
None of the things you say are evidence for it being planned. Equally, I've got no evidence that it wasn't. I just enjoy it for what it is.
Streets of Philadelphia
The River
Atlantic city
Can’t believe no ones mentioned outlaw Pete yet!
None of the things you say are evidence for it being planned
Why else would the tech have handed him a guitar with the capo on three? When you put a capo on a guitar it affects the tuning very slightly so ideally the tech tunes the guitar with the capo in the place it will be used. The tech handed him a guitar with the capo on three, he knew that's what Bruce would want for playing the song in G so all the nonsense about which key to do it in was just that, a wind up.
Singers know their vocal range, and how to make the most of it. When Noel Gallagher does Wonderwall he does it a fret higher than when Liam sang it. Whatever he does two frets up. Ozzy does Paranoid in D or E flat now because he can no longer get up to E. In a guitar band it doesn't matter what key you use, however the keyboard and horn players are not going to be happy if you announce you're doing the song in E flat rather than E today.
Edit: I doubt the sign was a plant, it was the reaction to a song from his repetoire that was a wind up. All the musicians would have seen it and not flinched, "know that", but then Bruce started messing about and talking about choosing a key. If I'd been in the band at that point I think I'd have have fallen for it and started mentally transposing my part into each key he announced 'G' yeah that's the usual, 'A' Ok that's A and E and two frets down for the solo - for some of the band it would have been an uncomfortable moment.
Nebraska. Atlantic City makes me cry my eyes out. Miss my old man
Album … easy …. The River
Track …mmmmm
Far more difficult as I have so many and the list keeps changing but at any time it would probably be 1 of
Jungleland
Thunder Road
Atlantic City
Streets of Philadelphia
Ah yes I remember that one ...
I ****ing love Racing In The Street. It’s the build from solo piano through to full band.
“I got a 69 Chevy…” oh man ❤️
I realise BTR and TR are probably his “best” songs but Racing… breaks my ****ing heart every time. Cracking key change too. 😀
^ you're right about Racing. First song I learned when I bought a lockdown piano.
Was never really into him.
Then I listen to Tunnel of Love on a 40k Naim/Linn system back in 2000. Hooked. Hooked. Hooked.
The older I get the more Glory Days haunts me. On the bright side, it drives me to do new stuff to bore people with
I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it
But I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
A little of the glory of, well time slips away
And leaves you with nothing mister but
Boring stories of
Glory days
EDIT - Forgot how old it is / he looked then
Was the sign in the crowd a plant?
Of plants in the crowd- it was only a couple of years back that I realised who was dragged on stage from the crowd in the video of 'Dancing in the Dark' - in my naivety I'd assumed for the last 35 years (bloody hell, it's that old) it was a random...
She was a random - that is what made her famous, right?
Well it is what I told my sister and I heard her repeat it to her children a couple of years back 🙂
Racing… breaks my **** heart
This, so another vote for 'Racing' here.
Best album is hard - worst is easy, it's Born in the USA, but best, so many great albums. Force me to choose and I'd probably say The River, but ask me tomorrow and I might say Born To Run.
My favourite album is still Asbury Park. So much of that seems like poetry set to music.
song New York City Serenade here too short at over 9 minutes long
Album Nebraska
My favourite song up to a few weeks ago is Thunder Road, just takes you to that place amazing.
However I heard The Wish for the first time recently and I was reduced to tears thinking about my Mum. Unbelievably powerful song
worst is easy, it’s Born in the USA,
why's that then? genuinely curious as why to you (alone in the world, it seems) it's the obvious choice.
On a basic level I've always found his music massively overrated. However, most folk I know that are really into music are besotted. Time I gave him a proper go, from his first album
Love this particular anthem.
Thunder Road live from Hammersmith probably my all time favourite, though.
All that heaven will allow.
Mrs Sandwich and I went to Aston Villa to see him play with Ms Sandwich as a passenger. A sunny day and our first concert as a married couple.
And then there's this one - so much emotion in such a simple song.
On a basic level I’ve always found his music massively overrated.
He's written a massive number of songs. A handful are great. A lot are good. Inevitably, some will be dross.
For me, Born to Run is the perfect album, it's more than just a collection of songs, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Thunder Road is the song I always think of when his name comes up, absolutely perfect song. If you don't like that song, you aren't going to like Springsteen.
Born to Run was commercially bigger (both the album and song). I think the song is often misunderstood, it's an ironic song that people think is a flag-waving patriotic anthem. It's a decent song, but not his best by far. The album has some pretty decent songs but it doesn't hang together as an album the way Born to Run does.Glory Days and My Hometown seem a bit more typical Springsteen songs to me than Born to Run
worst is easy, it’s Born in the USA
😂😂😂
There's literally not a bad track on it
The misappropriation of the title track by idiots that don't understand the meaning of the song is the only reason that album gets bad press
I like most of his stuff, but Nebraska always stands out. It might be to do with being a teenager in the North of England in 1982, almost shared misery. Post punk Americana?
Thunder Road is the song I always think of when his name comes up, absolutely perfect song. If you don’t like that song, you aren’t going to like Springsteen.
Err.. I don't like Thunder Road and I like Springsteen. People say Thunder Road is his best song but IMHO its not even the best song on the album its from.
Loads of great stuff above - I have a suggestion from a much more recent album - I absolutely love Ghosts:
i was at hard rock hyde park when he came on with roy and opened with Thunder road , will never forget it, seen him 13 Times , 3 times in 10 Days on the wrecking Ball tour ,was there when he done the tribute to Clarence was Dusty that night Badlands live version will be played when i go,
Dunno what favourite song is, probably the river but I'm not that clued up.
The blonde woman that appears out if the crowd at about 2:50 and holds his hand on the vid below is my mum though, and she's on my shoulders! Cov 2016. I'd deff go and see him again.
I saw him at St James Park with the full line up, Clarence, Nils, Miami Steve..
He brought some joy to the Toon.
The first three are my favourites, a lighter tone, and more poetic. From ‘The Wild, The Innocent…’ there’s ‘The E Street Shuffle’, which has such a great groove, and the horns are superb.
‘Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)’ has a similar feel, just grooving on hope and high spirits.
Then there’s ‘Blinded By The Light’, ‘Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street’ and ‘Spirit In The Night’ from ‘Greetings…’ and finally, from ‘BTR’, ‘Thunder Road’, ‘Night’, ‘Backstreets’, ‘Born To Run’…, frankly that whole album is about as good as it gets, not a duff track; all killer, no filler! It’s an album that demands to be played from beginning to end. Still got my original vinyl from when I bought them when they were released.
On a basic level I’ve always found his music massively overrated.
Well, the huge amount of hype that surrounded ’Born To Run’ when it was released, with a quote from a writer from ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine saying ‘I have seen the future of rock and roll, and his name is Bruce Springsteen’, really didn’t help matters! But it’s worth remembering that Springsteen released the first two albums in 1973, then followed with ‘BTR’ in 1975, and there wasn’t really anything quite like him at the time, along with an outstanding band and three hour concerts he caused a sensation. It wasn’t really until Nirvana appeared that a single band made such an impression. And both continue to influence other artists as well.
Err.. I don’t like Thunder Road and I like Springsteen.
Your name has been added to the list. Expect a visit from the music appreciation police in the near future.
Not listened to Bruce for a long while then stumbled across this on night ...
Adam Raised a Cain
Phew, saw the thread title and thought maybe Bruce had been cancelled for being a boomer who once drove a gas guzzling Chevy with fuelly heads and referred to a female as baby...
Racing in the street is the one for me, just magic!
The nice thing about Bruce from my perspective is that his songs and albums seem to have accompanied me on my own journey. My favourite album is usually the one I'm listening to.
The River - endless hours dreaming as a kid watching the disc spin
Born in the USA - St James' Park 1985/6 I'm a bright eyed 6th former let loose.
Magic - living the dream, working in Melbourne with wife and 3 young children
Western Stars, the kids are grown up, still happily married, plenty to reflect on and hopefully more to come.
Favourite song - perhaps Independence Day, I always liked Bobby Jean too
St James' Park 1985 - Born in the USA tour
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
why’s that then? genuinely curious as why to you (alone in the world, it seems) it’s the obvious choice.
It's his most deliberately commercial release. Like Bowie's Let's Dance. While I can certainly admire the skill with which both artists made these records, and the massive sales figures that they achieved, it didn't result in stuff that I would call my favourite.
I think Thunder Road is his 'best' song, as the lyrics and atmosphere is everything he stands for (more so than Born to Run, for me), and you just can't see anyone else singing it and getting anywhere close to him for impact and connection.
But New York City Serenade is my favourite song. I like the early stuff.
Album? Hard call that one.
Further on up the Road, from the Dublin Sessions, is getting a lot of play recently too.
The thing I find incredible (I only found out the other day) is that Bruce has never had a number 1 either here or on the other side of the pond.
For an artist with such a huge fan base I fine that a little mad.
Thunder Road is good, the River is better but I've a soft spot for Candy's Room.
No idea why.
Bruce has never had a number 1 either here or on the other side of the pond.
He was big in New Zealand though.
I'm not a huge Springsteen fan, but like a lot of 'classic' songs I don't think I really hear the songs from Born in the USA, if that makes sense? It's like their ubiquity when I was just getting into music means I kind of learned to tune them out as soon as they come on.
Agree he is a great story teller though. The lyrics on One Step Up always stand out to me for some reason.
Album - Darkness
Song - Youngstown, Downbound Train or Racing, depending on the mood I'm in.
If you've read his autobiography it's well worth watching the video for Brilliant Disguise again, it's clearly a nod to his father but before he went through all the therapy sessions that brought all that out into the open in his mind.
The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays… . Irritating to play on the guitar, really hard to sing, Bruce’s story telling at its best.
This. Darkness on the Edge of Town is probably my favouriteist album of all time. Partly because I remember listening to it for the very first time when I was about 16 with a really nice girl.....
For me, Born to Run is the perfect album, it’s more than just a collection of songs, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Thunder Road is the song I always think of when his name comes up, absolutely perfect song. If you don’t like that song, you aren’t going to like Springsteen.
Absolutely. It's a fantastic piece as a whole. I've never got through most of his discography (one of those artists where there is just so much it's hard to sift) but Born to Run (the album) is one of my all time favourite pieces of culture.
if you've never seen it, I bought a CD box set way back that came with a DVD of the 1975 Hammersmith show and it's one of the few live concert recordings I've ever sat through once, let alone more than once. Brilliant.
He was a complete disappointment when I saw him at Glastonbury - had no idea how to play to a festival crowd that wouldn't know much of his work.
One of the two artists I've seen that can have an entire stadium hanging on his every word. Freddie Mercury was the other.
Am not a massive Bruce fan but do have most of his live stuff which is where he really shines I reckon. The Seeger Sessions recording is my favourite, with the 1975 Hammersmith one a close second.
Shat myself there, thought he was dead.
Nebraska for me, I love the quiet reflective stuff, no time for the bombastic stuff (which is most of it I think).
Never really thought of myself as a fan, but then realised that Arcade Fire is Springsteen for people who don't know they like Springsteen.
The track of his I like best is Thunder Road, but not his original - the cover by Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Billy on The Brave and The Bold is amazing. I'd loved that for years without ever really paying Springsteen much heed. Had the radio on one night and heard what I thought was a hideous, overblown, over-produced cover. Was the original.
the cover by Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Billy on The Brave and The Bold is amazing
I'm sorry, I find that unlistenable. Really, really awful.
The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays… . Irritating to play on the guitar, really hard to sing, Bruce’s story telling at its best.
My first post-lockdown gig was to see a singer songwriter from Cardiff, Martyn Joseph. He's an excellent performer in his own right, loves Springsteen (it shows) and has done an album of BS covers. Part way through the gig he started playing...
The screen door slams,
..stopped and started talking about the song as he strummed. He deconstructed the lyrics, talked about the chords used, how to play the song, and that it was such a simple song - 3 chords! A simple description of a man and a relationship. There's nothing complicated in this song at all, but it is the most perfect song. He finished the song by mentioning how much talent Springsteen has, finishing with 'Bastard!'. It was a brilliant few minutes.
Aww, go on, the lyrics to that cover are great! 😉 I listened all the way through so it must have something.
Like some of you people I have the original Born To Run vinyl, what do you think of it? Mine was and obviously still is a lousy pressing and the production is wall of sound taken to far. The later albums were much better vinyls. Perhaps that's why people like the live versions so much.
3 chords!
There are 5/6 in the intro alone and they're all used later in the song. On a guitar in standard tuning and without a capo they're chords that aren't that easy to link together. I cheat and play much of the song strumming only 4 or 5 of the strings rather than trying to form and hold down complete chords.
Here's tab which is pretty close to the original and in the right key:
https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/bruce-springsteen/thunder-road-chords-344758
And another tab, also standard tuning and no capo but slightly simplified, it's pretty much what I play. I worked out the the song by ear in the days before the Net then forgot about it untill I started busking with a mate who played the River. I wanted a positive song to balance his sad one.
https://www.e-chords.com/chords/bruce-springsteen/thunder-road
