Tag: bruce springsteen

Springsteen and Hansard “Drive All Night”

Hansard Springsteen

In the various E Street Band live versions of Bruce Springsteen singing “Drive All Night,” I have always felt that Springsteen cannot capture the loneliness and angst of the original recording on The River (1980). As the next-to-last song on side four of the two-album set, “Drive All Night” brings together all of the sadness of the album, reminding the listener (along with the underrated final song “Wreck on the Highway“) that the only hope of surviving the despair is with love, even if there is no guarantee that it will do anything more than make a moment better.

The best place to listen to “Drive All Night” is to put the song on the stereo in a dark room while you think about everything you have ever lost. By contrast, a live full-band version cannot capture that feeling because a Springsteen concert is a celebration of community with a large crowd and the E Street Band backing up the singer. But when Glen Hansard sings his version of “Drive All Night” live, he comes close to the feeling of the original recording.

Singer-songwriter (and sometimes movie actor) Glen Hansard has a voice made for evoking sadness and pain. There are great versions of Hansard covering “Drive All Night” by himself. As the title track for a 2013 EP, Hansard recorded his own version of “Drive All Night” with Eddie Vedder helping on vocals and E Street Band member Jake Clemons playing saxophone. Check it out.

Springsteen must have recognized Hansard’s skill with the song, as he invited him to sing the song with him in July 2013 when Springsteen played in Kilkenny, Ireland. When Hansard begins singing, Springsteen has a look on his face like, “This guy gets this song.” Check it out.

But my favorite Hansard version is where he sings alone with a guitar with a little help from Once co-star and former Swell Season bandmate, Marketa Irglova. The two have voices that blend perfectly, and the fact that the two are former lovers adds another layer of poignency to the performance. Check it out.

What is your favorite version of “Drive All Night”? Leave your two cents in the comments.


  • “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and . . . Eddie Vedder (Duet of the Day)
  • Springsteen and Vedder Sing “Bobby Jean”
  • Bruce Springsteen: Always Roaming With a Hungry Heart
  • Glen Hansard the Busker
  • Glen Hansard’s Tiny Desk Concert
  • Soul Engines Running Through a Night: “Jungleland” Lives On

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Springsteen Short Film for “Hunter of Invisible Game”

    springsteen hunter film
    This week, Bruce Springsteen released the short film (i.e., long music video) by him and Thom Zimny for “Hunter of Invisible Game,” a song off Springsteen’s most recent album, High Hopes (2014). The video is set in a post-apocalyptic world, with the Springsteen character remembering better times with his family while travelling through the woods. The video seems inspired by shows like The Walking Dead (without the zombies). But as Rolling Stone reports, the song “Hunter of Invisible Game” came from Springsteen reading some post-apocalyptic literature. Springsteen, who says that the song is one of his favorites on the album, explained, “The idea of these travellers in the wasteland, and what’s the guy trying to do? He’s trying to hold onto their humanness, their humanity in all of this ruin.”

    Until I saw the video, I had not connected the song to a post-apocalyptic world, but the lyrics do make sense now that I have seen the video: “There were empty cities and burnin’ plains.” Despite the desolation of much of the song, Springsteen still offers some hope at the end.

    When the hour of deliverance comes on us all,
    When our hope and faith and courage and trust
    Can rise or vanish like dust into dust,
    There’s a kingdom of love waiting to be reclaimed;
    I am the hunter of invisible game.

    The short film premiered on Springsteen’s website, which also features some behind-the-scenes photos, and now you may watch the film below. As Blogness on the Edge of Town points out, the film features some cool introductory music before it gets to the song. Check it out.

    What do you think of “Hunter of Invisible Game”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Springsteen & Family Rock Raleigh (Guest Post)
  • Springsteen Video for The Saints Cover “Just Like Fire Would”
  • Springsteen Discusses His “High Hopes”
  • Springsteen’s Tribute to Walter Cichon and “The Wall”
  • New Springsteen Video: “Dream Baby Dream”
  • Bruce Springsteen’s Fighting Prayer for the U.S.

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    What Quiz Show Recently Devoted an Entire Category to Bruce Springsteen?

    Jeopardy Springsteen

    Jeopardy recently devoted a whole category to questions about Bruce Springsteen. Additionally, all of the category names were related to the singer: “Born in the U.S.A.,” “Glory Days,” “Cover Me,” “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” and “The ‘E’ Street Band.” Fans hoping for a whole board related to Springsteen, though, were disappointed to find out only the Springsteen category really had questions about the New Jersey rocker. For example, “E Street Band” contained clues related to words beginning the letter E.

    This video puts together the questions from the “Bruce Springsteen” category. Most long-time fans should find themselves doing pretty well with the clues, such as one about a Springsteen song that mentions suicide and was proposed as the New Jersey state song in 1980. Check it out.


    Bruce Springsteen – Jeopardy by mendle44

    How did you score? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • I’ll Die With a Buzzer in My Hand!
  • Bruce Springsteen’s Fighting Prayer for the U.S.
  • 10 Thoughts on Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive”
  • Local News Coverage of Bruce Springsteen in 1978
  • Belgians Reach Out to Bruce Springsteen With “Waiting on a Sunny Day”
  • “Satan’s Jeweled Crown” & Bruce Springsteen (Cover of the Day)

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Rolling Stones and Springsteen Perform “Tumbling Dice”

    rolling stones springsteen
    The Rolling Stones introduced special guest Bruce Springsteen on Thursday at the Rock in Rio Lisboa music festival in Lisbon, Portugal. Together, the legends performed one of my favorite Stones songs, “Tumbling Dice,” from Exile on Main Street (1972). Check out the lively performance that shows old guys still can rock.

    Springsteen and the Stones had played “Tumbling Dice” together previously at the end of the British band’s 2012 tour in Newark, New Jersey. The only disappointing thing about the recent appearance is that they did not follow it up with Springsteen’s “Roll of the Dice” from Human Touch (1992) .

    But maybe Springsteen has been in the mood for dice songs lately, as he did perform the rarely played “Roll of the Dice” earlier this month on May 19 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

    What great rock artists would you like to see perform together? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Bruce Springsteen’s Fighting Prayer for the U.S.
  • 10 Thoughts on Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive”
  • Local News Coverage of Bruce Springsteen in 1978
  • Belgians Reach Out to Bruce Springsteen With “Waiting on a Sunny Day”
  • “Satan’s Jeweled Crown” & Bruce Springsteen (Cover of the Day)
  • I’ll See You In My Dreams: Goodbye 2020, Hello 2021

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

    Free Listen & Download of “Thunder Road: A Folk-Punk Tribute to Bruce Springsteen”

    Thunder Road Folk-Punk

    A new Bruce Springsteen tribute CD takes a folk-punk approach to many of the singer-songwriter’s songs, including “Thunder Road,” “Lucky Town,” “Radio Nowhere,” and “Born in the U.S.A.” The album, entitled Thunder Road: A Folk-Rock Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, features performers such as Cactus Vella, The Matchup, Jon Creeden, and Jesse LeBourdais.

    My favorite tracks include Swissknife’s “The Wrestler,” Jon Creeden’s “Atlantic City,” and The Matchup’s version of “Radio Nowhere.” An unusual and delightful sing-along version of “I’m On Fire” by Choir!Choir!Choir is worth checking out.

    If you like what you hear, Anxiety Attack Records has made the music available for free download. You may listen to the music and download if you choose by going to the Anxiety Attack Records website.

    What do you think of the folk-punk tribute to Springsteen? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • Jim Boggia Has a Ukulele and He’s Learned How to Make It Talk
  • Clarence Clemons: 1942-2011
  • Bruce Springsteen’s Fighting Prayer for the U.S.
  • 10 Thoughts on Bruce Springsteen’s “Only the Strong Survive”
  • Local News Coverage of Bruce Springsteen in 1978
  • Belgians Reach Out to Bruce Springsteen With “Waiting on a Sunny Day”

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)