In April of 1972, Bruce began recording demos with Jim Cretecos. (Bruce would sign on with Cretecos and Mike Appel in May.)
One of those songs–recorded sometime between April and July of that year–was the ironically named “No Need.”
It’s not clear when exactly Bruce wrote “No Need”–the only known instance of him performing it live was just a couple of months earlier in February–but it feels like a less mature piece of songwriting than, say, “Jesse,” which was recorded around the same time. Which is not to say it’s without merit–it’s just not as confident and skillful as some of his other contemporary songs.
Bruce delves into his utility belt of songwriting devices from the get-go, starting with the biblical imagery (angel, Bible, Jesus, Satan) that run rampant throughout the first verse:
She’s a broken-winged angel, refugee from things her Mama knew
And she’s done everything, ooh, the Bible said not to do
Well I don’t know if she believes in Jesus, the good book, or even Satan you see
I’m just trying to get her to believe in me
Oh ’cause when I see her face no matter where I am I’m in the right place
And the girls I left behind, oh, they never satisfied me, it’s so true
But baby, baby, you do
Performed on piano (one of Bruce’s earliest recorded piano tracks) and sung at the top of his register with an increasingly dramatic and impassioned vocal, this first verse is the strongest verse of the song (although it doesn’t contain the best lines). The song loses cohesion a bit as it progresses and Bruce searches for more ways to convey his devotion. In the second verse, Bruce switches from religious to street imagery:
She’s the belle of Eighth Street, high society’s midnight vamp
Oh she’s my queen, yeah and I’m her tramp
Yes she’s a free-falling flyer and she flows whichever way that the wind blows
And she’s the only woman I ever knew
Who could teach me more about me, bind me in chains and still let me be free
There’s a notion in that last line–being bound but free at the same time–that also surfaces in “Mary, Queen of Arkansas:” I don’t understand how you can hold me so tight and love me so damn loose.
Both songs were recorded around the same time, so it’s clear that either Bruce was taken by or struggling with this notion, or (equally likely) that it’s just one of the first examples of one of Bruce’s songwriting trademarks: an element of an earlier song working its way into a later one.
It’s also of interest to note that at no point do we learn anything at all about this woman, other than the fact that she appears to be something of a rebel. Unlike “Mary, Queen of Arkansas,” the narrator of “No Need” appears to be more self-obsessed than love-obsessed, which may or may not be intentional.
At this point in the confessional, Bruce takes a turn toward melodrama and becomes a bit too overwrought for my tastes:
Oh and my heart swells up inside, starts beating like I’m gonna die
And my body breaks in pain as she falls down on me like the rain
It’s only her and my songs that keep me from going insane
But the bridge that follows abruptly abandons all metaphor and lays bare the singer’s psyche with remarkable and startling transparency:
And I guess I’m one of those people who measures love in pain
You see, I never had too much personal success
And to me there’s nothing sweeter than a teardrop of rain
I just love that feeling of sadness
Oh and it worries me so
It’s hard if not impossible to look back on those lines and not see them as an early grapple and dawning self-awareness. I’m not suggesting that Bruce was ever in a relationship like the one he sings about, but that bridge stands apart, so clear and forthright that the rest of the song seems like merely a delivery vehicle for it.
The opening lines of the final verse ring with truth as well:
She’s my West Side angel, she looks so funky in her Hollywood wings
And she knows how I stumble when I talk, so she says, “Don’t talk at all babe, just sing”
That’s another great line born from personal experience. (Listen to early interviews of Bruce and it’s startling how inarticulate he was back then, especially compared with his eloquence today.)
But unfortunately, the song again tips toward desperation, and in its final lines the song loses all melodic, metric, and poetic coherence:
And I have seen her body in candle glow in the deep heart of the night when you finally let loose of everything
Oh and she loves me like such a good woman and still, oh, she’s just a sweet young thing
And I know this might sound crazy or untrue or maybe just the words of a young fool
But I swear I’d be on the floor if she ever walked out the door
I swear I’d wish that she would shoot me first
And I know that sounds insane but sometimes I believe it’s true
And that’s what scares me worst
After that soul-baring confessional comes a quiet capstone, as Bruce recognizes and acknowledges the depth of his addiction:
‘Cause I dance for her, take any chance with her
And I pray for her, Lord God knows I pray for her
And I need for her, and I bleed for her
It isn’t clear why Bruce chose to entitle the song “No Need.” Was he going for irony? Was the song-writer offering an editorial comment about the song’s protagonist? We don’t know. To the best of my knowledge, Bruce hasn’t been asked about the song let alone addressed it. And anyway, who among us could reliably remember what we were thinking when we wrote something almost a half-century ago without revisiting it since?
But what is clear is that “No Need” feels more in keeping with some of Bruce’s earlier songs than it does with the material that would surface just a few months later on his first album. His lyrics would grow more dense and alliterative, his inner demons shielded by more craftful metaphor.
I consider “No Need” to be a stepping stone on Bruce’s songwriting journey, but an important one that offers fascinating insight into the artist at a young and pivotal age.
No Need
Recorded: April-July 1972
Never released
First performed: February 17, 1972 (Freehold, NJ)
Last performed: February 17, 1972 (Freehold, NJ)
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