The Killers Should Have Stolen THIS From Bruce

I've been listening non-stop to "Protection," a song that Springsteen gave to Donna Summer in 1982. (He originally wrote "Cover Me" for her, but Jon Landau heard that song and told him there was no way he was going to let Bruce give it away, and so Bruce wrote "Protection" around a similar idea.) I've never heard Summer's version, but listening to Springsteen's version that he did with the band during the Born In The U.S.A. sessions, I can't help but wish that he had kept this and given "Cover Me" to the then Queen of Disco instead. The song positively sizzles (as does Bruce's closing solo) - it's one of the many of songs he's left off albums that make you scratch your head and wonder, "How the hell could he have left this off?"

And upon further listening, I realize that it's this Bruce template of simplicity, hooks AND drama that the Killers should have modeled their new record on, instead of the more complex grandiosity of Born To Run. I think they'd actually do a pretty interesting version of it.

Download: "Protection"