This early ancestor of “Candy’s Room” (and “Drive All Night”) is just as strong as its descendant, featuring a long, sublime solo by Danny Federici. Let’s break it down inside.
Category: Roll of the Dice
Written long before 9/11 but perfectly capturing the pain of its first responders, “Nothing Man” is a bleak but ambiguous look at the lasting emotional effects of intense trauma.
One time only: Bruce turns the spotlight on Southside Johnny when Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom play the only known performance of “Southside Shuffle.”
“Meet Me in the City” didn’t make it on The River, but it’s still the perfect, meta summation of Bruce’s landmark album.
Let’s take another trip into the Bruce’s notebook archive and look at an early work-in-progress that never made it to a full song.
“Dollhouse” features the E Street Band at their new waviest, transforming a River outtake to a piece of power pop perfection.
One time only: The Bruce Springsteen Band plays a slight love song that might be a musical ancestor of “Kitty’s Back.”
Easily one of Bruce’s best songs and most universally resonant, “Tougher Than the Rest” celebrates resilience and second chances–and we all need a little bit of both.
Look past the dated lyrics (and the limp studio version), and “Fire” goes the distance as a fan-favorite rarity. The secret? It’s…
