Springsteen

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

156. Barely scraping the Top 40 is "Independence Day," ranked no. 40.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

157. Cowboy Bruce is a brokenhearted musician on the road in "Somewhere North of Nashville." Over and done with in 2 minutes. No. 279

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

158. Another song you probably never knew existed is "Trouble River." It's a lively leftover from the HUMAN TOUCH sessions and a qualifier for the histrionic vocal playlist. Ranked 184

[metirish]

On the drive in just now I heard a lovely song I had never heard before ...She Don't Love Me Now, thought of this thread

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I don't believe there's a song by that title on the Bruce 340?

159. Today's entry is "My City of Ruins" the emotional gospelly center of THE RISING. I admire that Bruce has songwriting ability at many styles but I have a hard time not thinking of them as "Bruce does ________." Ranked No. 35

[metirish]

I looked it up, it is Brice covering Jesse Malin ( stroke ) for a benefit album

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

160. Apparently around the time of BITUSA there was some consideration of Bruce becoming an actor. This turn as a Sexy Elvis Mechanic in "I'm on Fire" could be his greatest theatrical performance. Ranked #115

[Edgy MD]

Bruce's sister Pamela was an eighties actress, most notable for the budget slasher Sleepaway Camp serial. She came in at #389 in our survey of Women of the Nu Wave/Post-Punk/Power-Pop Era, but Bruce was probably the better actor.

She was also Dina Phillips, spirit bunny, in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

161. In an effort that will never be confused with the Beatles, Bruce countries up with "Tomorrow Never Knows" (or "Manana Nunca Se Sabe" as the video shows).

That video also shows an awful lot more of Bruce's forehead than we've seen in more recent appearances. "I'm not only the boss, I'm a client." Ranked #313

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

162. "Someday (We'll Be Together)," is obviously a nod to the Supremes song of the same name. It was based on a recording dating to the Darkness sessions but recorded with Bruce's current vocalists. Ranked #301

By the way I tried to watch "Road Diary" yesterday but fell asleep on the couch and missed a bunch. It seemed to go on for a long while and was obviously a Bruce-approved product. Jury's out for now.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

163. Our third 300+ ranked Brucetune in a row is the apocalyptic love song "What Love Can Do." This is one of those Bruce songs that sounds like another artist's song and/or production. I don't find the backing vocals or the guitar sound to be Bruce-like, even though as a song its fine. #314

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

164. The suspenseful (and kinda histrionic) "Roulette" was a RIVER leftover (and flip side of "One Step Back" in 1988) and one of Bruce's early protest songs. Van Zandt encouraged Weinberg to drum like Keith Moon. Ranked #42 (now retired for Jackie Robinson)

[Edgy MD]

The crunching rhythm chords at the top are kind of Whoish too.

Great intro, but I kind of stop liking it when the minor-key lead guitar phrases come in, and Weinberg reverts back to his standard drum pattern.

Pretty good composition, but I wish they kept stomping through it and upping the ante instead of dramatically pulling back when the vocal comes in. That sort of orchestrated dramatic dynamic is certainly the Bruce Way of Histrionica, while the Who would just keep gearing up in each new section, but, you know, cocaine.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

165. Today's Springsteen Selection is "Over the Rise" an electronic soul HUMAN TOUCH leftover with despairing lyrics recalling TUNNEL OF LOVE.

Bruce seems to zero in on phrases that show up in several songs at times "Over the rise" also comes up in "Lucky Town" when he puts on his leather jacket and "it led me right past your house and on over the rise." Also comes up in in "Real World" and "Roll of the Dice" all from the same era. Ranked #236

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

166. Today's Juice of Bruce is a lesser-known HUMAN TOUCH cut, "With Every Wish," which is one of the better bongos-and-muted-trumpet songs in his canon. The last verse intentionally eschews the rhyme convention of the first two, illustrating Bobby's optimism in the face of fishing calamities and marital spats. Ranked 316. Go Bruce!

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

167. Bruce brings the Roy Orbison Energy on "The Brokenhearted" Ranked #277

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

168. Side A, Track 1 of the debut album. Also the first single.

What would have said then? I think I'd remark on the easy energy and giggle at "frozen zone"

Ranked #84



bonus throwback!

[Edgy MD]

It's a remarkable song and recording for so many different reasons. The thin, funky rhythm guitar makes it feel like an early Doobies record, but the sax instantly predicts the big jazzy R&B sound of the later seventies, kind of characterized by the SNL band. It's really not what you'd consider to be the E-Streeters' sound at all, with Clarence Clemons providing clever wall-to-wall sax figures instead of one big roaring hook and hopefully a solo at the break.

Poetry is hemorrhaging out of early Springsteen. Even if half his metaphors are dirty little young man's jokes, they are original and creative and packed in there so densely. A young rock fan with a lyrics sheet can interpret many of them pretty quickly, but enough live in that inscrutable-but-still-thoughtful territory that marks his young genius. It's hard to say how much of his later work is him consciously dialing back this prolificacy in favor of one one or two super-powerful metaphors per song, and how much is his well running dry.

Amazing and delightful that even on track one of his debut album, he's establishing this early theme of his misadventures entering into the music industry, where sexanddrugs are the alluring currency tossed around to keep young men from seeing how much they are being exploited. On one hand he's got the silicone sister vampire trying suck him dry, while on the other he's getting worked over by a British impresario with a calling card.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

That's a pretty good analysis. Bruce had a lot of those wordy songs in his early career. I suspect it was accomplishment (to him) to materure as a writer, dial it back, be more efficient, and still entertain and enlighten.

169. Way back on day 134 (page 15 of this thread) we heard the roaring "Bothers Under the Bridges ('83)." Today we get the somber "Brothers Under the Bridge" a 1995 recording not used for TOM JOAD.

This song could be an example of the less-is-more lyric style of Grown Up Bruce. There is no "last line" of the song (even though "slips" would be a rhyme for "bridge")

Come Veterans Day, sat in the stands in my dress blues
I held your mother's hand when they passed with the red, white and blue
One minute you're right there and something slips

Ranked #102

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

IMPORTANT UPDATE

170. If you've faithfully played along (has anyone been faithfully playing along?) once you listen to today's Bruce Juice you will have completed exactly one-half of his entire catalog! That song happens to be No. 333 on the countdown, "Hunter of Invisible Game." I feel like it's a story about Bruce getting old, I dunno.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

171. The second half of the Bruce 340 kicks off with an overlooked cut, "Lucky Town." Good singing, words, harmonies, guitar... deserved a better fate than being tethered to the less rocky and rolly HUMAN TOUCH. Ranked #121

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I love "Lucky Town." The live version on the MTV Plugged album is excellent.

[Edgy MD]

His would-be Texan vocal delivery was in full flower there, though. His east coast classic rawk basee couldn't help but be suspicious of his Steve Earle turn. Broooce was setting up camp somewhere outside the bubble.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

172. He's probably as distraught as you today but at least Bruce has a solid gold house.

"Western Stars" is ranked 147, and seems to be an ode to a stuntman.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

173. Bouyant but chill, Bruce is all about romantic love in " All that Heaven Will Allow.," ranked #137. The Mavericks do a good cover that brings out a little more of the humor and country bones.