Dark, brooding, and haunting, “Wages of Sin” is one of Bruce’s bleakest and finest outtakes. Backstory, evolution, analysis, and one gorgeous performance inside.
Category: Roll of the Dice
Who the heck would ever think to combine samba rhythm, middle eastern melody, a self-guitar duel, discordant strings, cowbell, and a gospel choir? Bruce Springsteen, that’s who!
“When You Need Me” was one of the first songs Bruce recorded for Tunnel of Love, but given the direction of the final album, this pop trifle never stood a chance.
Poignant, elegiac, and ironic, “Chasin’ Wild Horses” is the perfect centerpiece for Bruce’s finest album. It demands and rewards careful listening and inspection.
“Roll of the Dice” was the first song Bruce recorded for Human Touch, and the one that finally broke his late 80s writer’s block–and if the lyrics aren’t among his best, his vocals certainly are.
In the summer of 1970, Steel Mill (featuring a young Bruce Springsteen) performed one of Bruce’s early galvanizing anthems. Take a listen inside.
Originally entitled “Small Town Girl,” this unusual Born in the U.S.A. outtake makes for a fine honky-tonk companion song to “Darlington County.”
At home on a break during the River Tour, Bruce wrote and recorded a charming pop trifle that never saw the light of day–but you can listen to it inside.
“State Trooper” is unrivaled as Bruce Springsteen’s most harrowing and terrifying song, but it can’t match the song that inspired it. Backstory and rare performances inside.
For at least a moment, for at least a song, Bruce settles his inner struggle between building and burning.