A bonus track that could have been a title track, “Swallowed Up” is the thematic centerpiece of one of Bruce’s strongest albums.
Category: Roll of the Dice
Now here’s a recipe: Start with inspiration from Leiber and Staller, add lyrics by Bruce, music by Steve, and lead vocals by Southside Johnny. Ice with backing vocals by The Drifters, and you’ve got pure pop confection.
Recorded too late to become the hit it should have been, “Don’t Look Back” is one of Bruce’s rarest and hardest-rocking anthems. Let’s take a look at its evolution inside.
One of the earliest songs Bruce wrote in the Nebraska era, the unfinished “Danger Zone” stands apart as a warm and tender ballad deserving of attention.
A true flash in the wild: the E Street Band rehearses a one-time-only performance of a lost, light Springsteen original.
Hidden away on a barely promoted Record Store Day EP, “Hurry Up Sundown” is a slick (if overproduced) piece of power pop, perfect for an open road on a sunny day.
Is this the darkest song in Bruce’s catalog? (Spoiler alert: yes.)
How an outcast from the Born in the U.S.A. sessions became the song that ushered in the E Street Band’s Reunion era.
In which we ask the question: is there any redeeming virtue in this widely scorned deep cut?
Relationship song or 9/11 catharsis? Either way, “Lonesome Day” helps us process the pain of betrayal and hold our self-destructive urges in check.