We Couldn’t Choose

We knew we would have to write about The Boss eventually, but we have been putting it off because we couldn’t answer two questions: what would we say that hadn’t already been said; and how could we pick one album from a back catalogue like Bruce Springsteen’s?

Bruce Springsteen’s influence on our musical tastes runs deep and wide. We grew up listening to Springsteen, in the car or in the house, and his songs helped us forge familial bonds in times of deep despair and in times of joy.

We did some quick maths and worked out that nearly 4% of the songs we’ve favourited are his, which is nearly double the next most favourited artist (Spanish Love Songs if you were wondering). So instead of taking a single album out of the Vault we have picked eleven songs from across ten albums that mean the most to us. Maybe one day we’ll be brave enough to write the article about why Nebraska or Born In the U.S.A. or Tunnel of Love is our favourite album. Until then, here is our ode to Springsteen, and all of these songs are Taped

Note – This is our order today, but it changes from day to day, month to month.

11 “American Skin (41 Shots)” High Hopes

Written in response to a fatal shooting of an unarmed man by police officers in New York, “American Skin (41 Shots)” puts us right in the middle of the scene and forces us to take a closer look at our society. It is still as provocative and relevant today as it was in 2000.

“American Skin (41 Shots)” was a song Springsteen performed live, appearing only on live albums, until it was released on High Hopes in 2014.

10 “The Wrestler” Working On a Dream

Written for the movie of the same name, “The Wrestler” tells the story of a man who’s taken a lot of knocks but ultimately, what you see is what you get. My only faith’s in the broken bones and bruises I display sums it better than we ever could.

9 “The River” The River

We worry that we don’t have the chops to even think about writing about “The River” and that it would be a fool’s errand to try. So we’ll say that this tale of love and romance meeting the reality of life can be summed up in the line: Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true / Or is it something worse?

8 “I’m On Fire” Born In the U.S.A.

“I’m On Fire” is one of the darker tracks on Born In the U.S.A. At just over two and a half minutes, it captures the feelings that burn inside when lust and love mix.

7 “Terry’s Song” Magic

A song about a deeply personal loss, it includes the achingly beautiful line: They say you can’t take it with you, but I think that they’re wrong / ’Cause all I know is I woke up this morning and something big was gone. “Terry’s Song” is mournful but to us it shows that being able to remember how much of an impact someone had on our lives can help bring about catharsis.

6 “Born In the U.S.A. (Live at the L.A. Coliseum)” Live / 1975-85

Is there a more misunderstood song in the history of rock and roll than “Born In the U.S.A.”? For us, “Born In the U.S.A.” should have had a question mark in the title, then perhaps the intent would have been clearer. This is a song about expectations and realities. The protagonist was born in the Land of the Free, and yet nothing is free. They did everything that was expected of them, but the opportunities just aren’t there. I was born in the U.S.A. but where are the things that I was promised? “Born In the U.S.A.” is a patriotic song, not because it is pro or anti-America but because it is a song about making things better, so that our expectation becomes reality.

We picked the live version of this song because for us it’s easier to hear what Springsteen really wanted “Born In the U.S.A.” to be.

5 “Dancing In the Dark” Born In the U.S.A.

Give any Springsteen fan one wish and we are pretty sure they’d ask to be the one who gets to dance with Bruce on stage when he and the E Street Band play “Dancing In the Dark”.

This is the anti-pop song on an album filled with anti-pop songs. Written in a fit of pique, “Dancing In the Dark” burns white hot with resentment and restlessness. It holds a special place in our hearts for many reasons, not least because it’s a song we’ve actually sung at a karaoke bar.

4 “Brilliant Disguise” Tunnel of Love

Reflecting on the unravelling of his own marriage, “Brilliant Disguise” is about the corrosive effect doubt can have on a relationship. Doubt leads to a loss of trust and when that happens, as Springsteen attests to here, the relationship is doomed.

3 “Thunder Road” Born to Run

“Thunder Road” was always a stand-out song for us, and we turned to it during one of our darkest moments. It is one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time, capturing that eternal urge to jump in a car with your love and tear off into the horizon.

2 “Atlantic City” Nebraska

For a long time, “Atlantic City” was the Springsteen song as far as we were concerned. It is a song about the lengths that a man will go to in order to give him and his family a fighting chance in life. We know that it is likely to be a futile exercise but perhaps in trying he can achieve a kind of salvation that would have otherwise been elusive. “Atlantic City” is not a love song and yet it speaks to the same part of us that wants to see love triumph. Meet me tonight in Atlantic City is a request, a demand, a prayer for one last chance. If you haven’t listened to “Atlantic City” you should stop what you’re doing and listen to it now. We mean it.

1 “Darkness on the Edge of Town” Darkness on the Edge of Town

We were lucky enough to see this album performed in full during the 2013 Wrecking Ball tour and the sound of the crowd when the band played the first chords of “Darkness on the Edge of Town” was a life-changing moment. This is an angry song, this is a song about everything falling apart, but it is also a defiant song, a song about standing up against all the challenges that lurk around the corner.

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