Bruce Springsteen Song Thread

[raysachs]

With all of the other song threads that have started up around here lately, I was surprised there wasn't one for the Boss. I know there are at least a few folks around here with some good recordings of Bruce's tunes. I was just recording this earlier and it occurred to me that nobody had started this thread yet, so I'm starting it now. This was one I believe he wrote for Steve Van Zandt when he left the E-Street band in the early '80s. I saw him play this with just his acoustic guitar and voice in the Tacoma Dome in 1984, and you coulda heard a pin drop. That man was an amazing performer in his prime. And he's given us so many great songs...



Please add your recordings to this thread.

-Ray

[reeve21]

Hi Ray,

Nice job! I’ve never gotten comfortable with that one, I’m impressed.

Here’s one of mine

https://soundcloud.com/user-16619491...-b-springsteen

[Glennwillow]

I did a couple of Bruce songs a while ago, shown below...





- Glenn

[reeve21]

Love that Janey, Glenn.

Says something about his songwriting talent that this one never made an album at the time it was recorded, and was only released later on a compilation.

You nailed the harmonies, which were sung by Nils Lofgren. I believe this was the first track Nils ever recorded with Bruce. Many, many years later I saw Bruce call this song as an audible, and then push Nils out front to sing lead on the second verse. That was fun 🤩

I was also a huge fan of Nils when he joined the E Street Band in 1984, and I wasn’t real happy with it in the beginning. It was hard to hear Nils in the mix, and he is a phenomenal guitar player. Bruce gave him a larger role as time went on, and Nils has continued his solo career, often touring as an acoustic act. So it turned out pretty good!

This one must have been quite a job for you, I’m glad it turned out so well! Bravo

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by reeve21

Love that Janey, Glenn.

Says something about his songwriting talent that this one never made an album at the time it was recorded, and was only released later on a compilation.

You nailed the harmonies, which were sung by Nils Lofgren. I believe this was the first track Nils ever recorded with Bruce. Many, many years later I saw Bruce call this song as an audible, and then push Nils out front to sing lead on the second verse. That was fun 🤩

I was also a huge fan of Nils when he joined the E Street Band in 1984, and I wasn’t real happy with it in the beginning. It was hard to hear Nils in the mix, and he is a phenomenal guitar player. Bruce gave him a larger role as time went on, and Nils has continued his solo career, often touring as an acoustic act. So it turned out pretty good!

This one must have been quite a job for you, I’m glad it turned out so well! Bravo

Thanks for your thoughts on my Janey cover, Bob. Someone suggested this song to me, so I learned it and had fun with it. My use of the Ric 12-string was not typically Bruce S. but I thought it worked well. And I really do enjoy the chance to sing harmony parts; I've always loved the sound of vocal harmony.

Take care Bob!
- Glenn

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by reeve21

Hi Ray,

Nice job! I’ve never gotten comfortable with that one, I’m impressed.

Here’s one of mine

https://soundcloud.com/user-16619491...-b-springsteen

That was well done, Bob! You've got a nice Bruce vibe going on there!

- Glenn

[raysachs]

Bob,

I really like that My City of Ruins. One of the things I've come to love about threads like these are they remind me of songs I've never thought about doing and get me interested in trying. Your version of New Minglewood Blues in that Grateful Dead thread got me going on that and now it's one of my favorite songs to play, although I don't think I'll ever be able to keep a straight face singing the lyrics... This is one I may have to pull out and try also. And I think your singing and playing get this tune just right.

Glenn,

Your singing and playing (various instruments!) and arranging and videography are all so next level impressive I don't even know where to start. I think I had your version of "I'm On Fire" in mind when I started this thread. I don't know if I'd heard your version of "Janey" before, but it's also excellent and that Ric 12-string is a great touch. That's a guitar I'd love to play around with, I've played a few acoustic 12 strings, but never an electric, and that's THE iconic electric 12 string. I think your taste in music tends toward sweeter and prettier than my grittier rock and blues taste, so I don't always comment, but I've never seen/heard one of your videos that I wasn't enormously impressed by. And I think you catch the quiet desperation of "I'm On Fire" just perfectly. I wish I had a fraction of your skill and talent - I'd probably use it a bit differently if I did, but man, what a gift!

-Ray

[raysachs]

This one's from Tunnel of Love, which is probably my favorite album after his first three - because I think those are the ones mostly taken from HIS life, rather than writing from the perspective of a literary character he more or less invented as a vehicle. Which he's also incredibly great at, but I really connect to the stuff that seems more organically about him more than the other stuff.

I don't have any more Bruce recorded yet. Oh, forgot about Wild Billy - I posted that one elsewhere a good while back. I'm working on a couple others from his early stuff. One I think I'm getting close to recording, the other definitely is NOT close. But maybe someday... And other stuff will no doubt pop up and grab me. I just took a shot at No Surrender for the first time yesterday and liked it well enough.



-Ray

[SalFromChatham]

I played a gig downtown Chatham yesterday evening; we played three… Atlantic City, Promised Land, and Thunder Road! Closed with Thunder…

For this thread though, I’ll add one of my favorite Bruce tunes. Ghost of Tom Joad. It definitely has that Grapes of Wrath feel…

[raysachs]

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

I played a gig downtown Chatham yesterday evening; we played three… Atlantic City, Promised Land, and Thunder Road! Closed with Thunder…

For this thread though, I’ll add one of my favorite Bruce tunes. Ghost of Tom Joad. It definitely has that Grapes of Wrath feel…

Oh yeah, I remember this video too, Sal. Man, that's wonderful. When I heard you do it the first time I tried to learn it, and didn't get far. But this is gonna inspire me to try it again. I just don't know the song that well and it takes me a lot longer to learn stuff that I haven't listened to that much. Some of these songs I've known at the molecular level for so many years that when I try them, I at least know what I'm aiming for, whether I can ever get where I want to or not. I have to spend some more time with this one...

-Ray

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by raysachs

...
-Ray

Originally Posted by raysachs

...

Originally Posted by raysachs

...
Glenn,

Your singing and playing (various instruments!) and arranging and videography are all so next level impressive I don't even know where to start. I think I had your version of "I'm On Fire" in mind when I started this thread. I don't know if I'd heard your version of "Janey" before, but it's also excellent and that Ric 12-string is a great touch. That's a guitar I'd love to play around with, I've played a few acoustic 12 strings, but never an electric, and that's THE iconic electric 12 string. I think your taste in music tends toward sweeter and prettier than my grittier rock and blues taste, so I don't always comment, but I've never seen/heard one of your videos that I wasn't enormously impressed by. And I think you catch the quiet desperation of "I'm On Fire" just perfectly. I wish I had a fraction of your skill and talent - I'd probably use it a bit differently if I did, but man, what a gift!

-Ray

Hi Ray,

Thank you for your kind words and for your recordings. I enjoyed them. You've got a very nice Bruce kind of flavor going in your recordings, particularly in the vocals and it works well! Your guitar sounds terrific!

Regarding my taste in music, I do tend to like sweet and pretty, but I also like gritty and bluesy at times, too. For me, the sweet and pretty fit in better with an acoustic guitar. I actually like a very wide range of music, which I suppose can be a disadvantage.

Thanks for starting this thread, Ray.

- Glenn

[zeeway]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I did a couple of Bruce songs a while ago, shown below...


- Glenn

Hey Glenn, your “On Fire” was….on fire. You nailed all aspects of that one…including the video production. Bruce should be jealous.

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by zeeway

Hey Glenn, your “On Fire” was….on fire. You nailed all aspects of that one…including the video production. Bruce should be jealous.

How nice of you Angie! Thanks for the kind words!

At the time I made that video in January of 2020 there were wildfires all over Australia and I did not want to appear insensitive to the sufferings going on over there. I thought if I used a video of red hot coals from my wood stove for the background in my video that people would not make the association with wildfires in Australia. Even so, I remember BruceBub (from Australia) commented about all of Australia being on fire.

Probably "I'm On Fire" should be sung by a younger man, but, well... I yam what I yam...

Thank you Angie!

- Glenn

[reeve21]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

That was well done, Bob! You've got a nice Bruce vibe going on there!

- Glenn

Thanks Glenn. I'd rather sound like Vince Gill, but that ain't happening

Originally Posted by raysachs

Bob,

I really like that My City of Ruins. One of the things I've come to love about threads like these are they remind me of songs I've never thought about doing and get me interested in trying. Your version of New Minglewood Blues in that Grateful Dead thread got me going on that and now it's one of my favorite songs to play, although I don't think I'll ever be able to keep a straight face singing the lyrics... This is one I may have to pull out and try also. And I think your singing and playing get this tune just right.


-Ray

Appreciate that, Ray. These threads are great for learning new tunes. This song reminds me of The Weight.

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

I played a gig downtown Chatham yesterday evening; we played three… Atlantic City, Promised Land, and Thunder Road! Closed with Thunder…

For this thread though, I’ll add one of my favorite Bruce tunes. Ghost of Tom Joad. It definitely has that Grapes of Wrath feel…

Killing it as usual, Sal! Glad you are gigging again. I have a daughter who moved to your area just before the unspeakable event, so I hope to see you perform some day

[SalFromChatham]

Bob let me know if I can help her! I assume she may have a kid or two? I am on the Board of Ed.....