Bruce Springsteen's new single, "Working On A Dream," is the free download at iTunes today. It's a "nice" song - Bruce is in early 60's pop/Roy Orbison mode, and the song has a pretty lilt to it. It's a ditty, but it's a good one. There is no threat of it ever being considered one of the great Bruce Springsteen songs. My guess is that they released it as the single because it's "thematic" in some fashion, related to Obama's election (Bruce debuted the song at the last rally he played for Obama) and inauguration.What's interesting about the song is that it once again shows what an utter anachronism Bruce is. He's always been somewhat of an anachronism - mining veins of early 60's rock, pop and soul that no one else even thinks about anymore. He would have been an incredible house writer for Atlantic Records in 1962.
I can't say that "Working On A Dream" is making me impatient to hear the new album, but it's a hell of a lot better than "Radio Nowhere," and I ended up loving Magic. So there.
Here's a quick ranking of Bruce's lead singles:
1. Born To Run (Born To Run, 1975)
2. Dancing In The Dark (Born In The U.S.A., 1984)
3. Brilliant Disguise (Tunnel Of Love, 1987)
4. Hungry Heart (The River, 1984)
5. Badlands (Darkness on the Edge Of Town, 1978)
6. The Rising (The Rising, 2002)
7. Better Days (Lucky Town, 1992)
6. Human Touch (Human Touch, 2002)
7. Blinded By The Light (Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, 1973)
8. War (Live 1975-1985, 1986)
9. Working On A Dream (Working On A Dream, 2009)
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad (The Ghost of Tom Joad, 1995)
11. Radio Nowhere (Magic, 2007)
Note: The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle and Nebraska did not have official singles released in the United States. (A video of "Atlantic City" was released to MTV in the fall of 1982, but I'm not counting that.) And I am ashamed to admit that I have no idea what the lead single was for We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. I'm pretty sure it was "Pay Me My Money Down," but I'm not sure if ever had an official release other than to AAA radio.
I think the lead single for Seeger was John Henry, inasmuch as that was the first track to be promo'd via video at major commercial websites. Isn't that what passes for an official single release these days?
ReplyDeletenice review. I'm not sure that Bruce could have been an in-house writer at Atlantic Records. His singing-performance is sells his songs, not the hooks. And Atlantic Records should *not* be in the "keywords" of this article.
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