Cover Me: Tupelo Honey

Van Morrison may have always had a few bones to pick with Bruce Springsteen, but Bruce only ever had homage to pay.

Springsteen named Morrison’s “Madame George” one of his desert island discs, and although he credits the song for inspiring “New York City Serenade,” we can also hear an unmistakable imprint on “Drive All Night.”

Bruce has often cited Morrison’s Astral Weeks album as a huge influence on his work, but his admiration for Morrison extends beyond 1968. Greil Marcus suggests that “Racing in the Street” is structurally based on Morrison’s 1972 single, “Tupelo Honey.”

That may or may not be true, but it’s certainly clear that Bruce was an admirer of Morrison’s Tupelo Honey album.  The title track never cracked the Top 40, but Morrison’s romantic lyrics and impassioned vocals made it a favorite of both fans and artists.

When Bruce took the E Street Band on tour in support of his Tunnel of Love album in 1988, he frequently added romantic covers into his setlists and sound checks. At a couple of early sound checks, he led the band through not one but three of Morrison’s hits: “Brown Eyed Girl, “Crazy Love,” and “Tupelo Honey.” The latter two actually share the same melody, so Bruce performed them as a medley as Morrison often has in concert.

It probably would have been too delicate and tender to include in arena shows (let alone European stadiums), but in an empty hall, “Tupelo Honey” enchanted.

We’re still waiting for a proper concert cover and likely will continue to, but these two 1988 soundcheck recordings give us a tantalizing taste of what a Springsteen cover might have sounded like.

Tupelo Honey
First performed: March 4, 1988 (Chapel Hill, NC) (soundcheck only)
Last performed: March 23, 1988 (Atlanta, GA) (soundcheck only)