This is why he’s The Boss.
JOE continues to look at some of our favourite classic songs of all-time with a tribute to one of the man that we hope, pray and wish will electrify 80,000 people at Croke Park.
Artist, album and year: Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska, 1982
Why is it a classic?: Very few musicians are able to craft lyrics that are descriptive, emotive and engaging as Bruce Springsteen.
Not to sound like an old codger, but there’s a distinct lack of modern songs that are willing to create, explore and fill a world with characters.
In Atlantic City, Springsteen once again become the voice of the working man as he tells the story of a young couple escaping to Atlantic City, New Jersey, but the idyllic dream soon turns sour as unemployment, crime and death hover over the lives of both characters.
Mafia hits, police busts, gambling rings, desperate characters, youthful romance, financial stress, unemployment woes and idealistic romance are all prevalent here on this wonderful track.
In terms of composition, the track is quite straightforward as Springsteen openly admitted that he “recorded the track in his bedroom, for $1,050 ( the cost of the four-track tape recorder) and then mixed it through his old Gibson guitar unit to a beat box”.
One guitar, a harmonica and an incredible singer. Powerful music can be this easy.
Did you Know? : When The Boss toured with The Seeger Sessions Band almost 10 years ago, they played a very different arrangement of this song with different outros. You can hear this on his Live in Dublin album.
The lyrical hook: “Now I been lookin’ for a job but it’s hard to find, down here it’s just winners and losers and, don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line”
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