Drawn from the headlines of the 1960s, written in the 1980s, “My Hometown” still resonates today in struggling communities everywhere.
Category: Roll of the Dice
Missing in action: this early lyrical forerunner to “Tougher Than the Rest” made it all the way to an E Street Band rehearsal but never to the studio.
The story of how an unlikely cover of an obscure electro-punk band became a nightly benediction from Bruce to his fans.
Lyrically slight and melodically malleable, “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street” is an early songwriting exercise that improbably became a fan favorite.
Hidden away on the flip side of the handwritten lyrics for “Gloria’s Eyes” lurks a Springsteen original that still hasn’t seen the light of day.
“Western Stars” is Bruce’s magnum opus–a gorgeously cinematic, metatextual commentary on his life’s work and journey.
“Long Walk Home” lost its way in the studio, but in its original and acoustic arrangements, it’s one of Bruce’s finest and most relevant 21st century songs.
In 1991, Bruce shed his skin and embraced life as a family man with “Living Proof,” one of the most important and influential songs in his catalog. Analysis and great performances inside.
A heartbreaking L.A. Times article inspires one of Bruce’s most harrowing narratives–the tale of young lost boys in Balboa Park.
“The Man Who Got Away” is a terrific piece of sleight-of-hand songwriting that should never have been allowed to get away.