some scattered thoughts on Bruce Springsteen.
just some of my random thoughts.
I’ve recently had the pleasure of seeing Bruce Springsteen in concert and have subsequently fallen down somewhat of a rabbit hole, listening to his music. I’m just gonna use this post to get those thoughts on paper (not really on paper but you get what I mean). I’ll just make a list in no particular order.
he sounds so old now.
That was my first though listening to him playing live. but as I found myself delving into a playlist on Spotify with roughly the same setlist I heard him play, I came to a revelation. he’s just kind of always sounded like that, I just hadn’t noticed before.
it seems to me that he sings with a passion and power that to my ears, in some way, registers as old. It might be that such gusto is severely lacking in modern music or it might just be that he sounds old when he sings. Whatever the case might be, he has a voice that has staying power.
wait, is Bruce Springsteen Incredible?
Another thought I had whilst listening to him preform was “wtf this is so good. why do I recognize so little of this?”. this line of thinking is what sent me down the aforementioned rabbit hole which made me come to the realization that, Bruce Springsteen has made way more than “Born in the U.S.A.” (shocking I know). not only that but he’s made an album in 2020 that was really good?! In my short research into his discography, I’ve come to a conclusion. Bruce Springsteen has made some incredible music.
some of the songs I really like.
I though I should include some of the songs that have captivated my ears, in case someone is curious (probably myself in the future). in no particular order of course (I’m far too fickle to make a ranking of any kind).
“Kitty’s Back” which is a 7 minute track that manages to keep my attention all the way through despite its length. It’s impressive for anything to keep me interested for 7 minutes (I am very easily distracted) so trust me when I say that it’s good. music wise, it’s sort of bluesy and a lot of fun to sing along to (in my opinion).
“Last Man Standing” a song from the 2020 album “Letter To You”. I find this song absolutely fascinating. with a title like that and on an album from the later parts of his career, I can’t help but feel like this song should be somber, especially with lyrics like those. yet strangely it doesn’t sound somber or sad to me, it’s upbeat and triumphant. Like we’re not mourning the ones taken by time, we’re celebrating their time here with us… oh, and did I mention, it’s got a saxophone solo? a feature that I think would improve most songs.
“Nightshift” which is actually a cover, the original is made by the “Commodores” in 1985. Bruce Springsteens’s version is from 2022 and I just can’t help but love it. to me it sound’s grand, with brass instruments and backup singers. it sounds soulful and it’s both a good cover and a good song in its own right.
I’ve decided to stop myself there (though I’m aching to write about the song “Rosalita”). if you’ve read through this, I hope you’ve appreciated my mad ramblings, and if you for some reason want to read more posts like this, you might consider subscribing.
Thanks for reading.