Tag: bruce springsteen

Bruce Springsteen on Jimmy Fallon: Wrecking Ball

Springsteen Jimmy Fallon Nils Lofgren
Nils Lofgren Directs the Horns

Bruce Springsteen’s new album, Wrecking Ball will be released on March 6, and this week Late Night with Jimmy Fallon features a Springsteen theme, with artists covering Springsteen songs as well as the man and his band appearing last night and again on Friday. Last night, Springsteen performed the first single, “We Take Care of Our Own” as well as the title track, which is below.

The song “Wrecking Ball” may be familiar to Springsteen fans because in 2009 Springsteen debuted the song at the Meadowlands, i.e., Giants Stadium, during his final shows at the stadium before it succombed to the wrecking ball. The song maintains references to the stadium being demolished (“where the blood is spilled, the arena’s filled, and Giants played”), but it holds up on the album because the song connects the stadium’s wrecking ball to more universal themes of aging, hard times, and standing up to both.

[2020 Update: Unfortunately, the Jimmy Fallon video is no longer available so below is Springsteen performing “Wrecking Ball” at Giants Stadium.]

While the lyrics on the album are touched by our recent economic troubles, the music of several of the songs are influenced by Springsteen’s uplifting work with the Seeger Sessions Band. This recession-era CD is the first E Street band album without Clarence Clemons, so it seems appropriate that the album is tinged with sorrow while steeped in joyful horns helping us through the rough times.

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    Paul McCartney Carries that Weight at 2012 Grammys

    Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl Grammys

    One of the highlights of this year’s Grammy Awards was Paul McCartney closing the show by singing the Beatles’ classic “Golden Slumbers”/”Carry That Weight”/”The End” set from Abbey Road (1969). Sir Paul also had some help on vocals and guitar from some other great artists, including Joe Walsh, Bruce Springsteen, and Grammy-winning Foo Fighter Dave Grohl.

    The guitar work at the end is a treat, but the best part is the final strains of the lyrics where Grohl is standing behind McCartney singing. Grohl has no microphone, but with a smile on his face he sings anyway for the joy of it, the way many of us have done in our bedrooms as kids listening to the album. But Grohl gets to do it onstage with a look on his face that shows he is thinking, “I can’t believe I’m playing with Paul McCartney!” On a night tinged with sad tributes to Whitney Houston and Glen Campbell (who gave his final Grammy performance on stage as he succombs to Alzheimer’s disease), that image of Grohl captures perfectly the point that host LL Cool J made at the opening of the show: It’s all about the music.

    “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

    [February 2013 Update: The entire performance is no longer available.]

    What did you think of last night’s Grammy Awards show and this closing set? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    New Video for Springsteen’s “We Take Care of Our Own”

    We previously wrote about Bruce Springsteen’s new single, “We Take Care of Our Own” from his upcoming album, Wrecking Ball, due to be released March 6. Today, an official video for the song was released. The video for the song addressing society’s economic hard times shows Springsteen by himself playing his guitar in what appears to be an abandoned house, intercut with scenes of us common folk, beginning in black and white and ending in color with a little ray of hope. Or as Clint Eastwood would sum up, “It’s halftime in America.”

    What do you think of the new video? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    New E Street Band Sax Player: Eddie Manion?

    southside johnny Yesterday, in The Record, Southside Johnny talked about his friendship with Bruce Springsteen, adding, “He’s stealing my saxophone players to replace Clarence, so we steal from each other’s bands occasionally.” Southside did not mention a saxophone player by name — and he did use the plural “players” unless that was a misprint. But one may assume that the theft at least includes Eddie “Kingfish” Manion. Manion played with Springsteen as part of The Sessions Band when Springsteen was touring to promote The Seeger Sessions. In addition to being an original member of Southside’s Asbury Jukes, Manion also played with The Miami Horns and Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. He also was part of the backing horns when Springsteen played the Super Bowl halftime in 2009, and he played baritone sax with the E Street Band in the Carousel House video shoot for songs from The Promise in December 2010. So, considering the long relationship, the rumor seems like it could be true. [Feb. 9, 2012 Update: As noted below, it has been confirmed now that Manion will be playing saxophone on the upcoming tour — with another saxophonist.

    Assuming Manion is part of the tour, it is unclear whether Manion will be a full-fledged permanent member of the E Street Band or whether he is just filling in for the upcoming tour or whether he will be one part of a larger horn section. Of course, Southside’s comment is not official and Springsteen has not made any announcements yet. Nobody can replace Clarence and those are some mighty big shoes to fill, but the music must go on. Welcome, Kingfish.

    Update: Blogness on the Edge of Town speculates on the addition of a horn section while noting that we may not know the makeup of the touring band until the first rehearsal show.

    Update 2 (Feb. 9, 2012): Bruce Springsteen’s website has now confirmed that Eddie Manion will be playing saxophone on the new tour along with another saxophonist, Jake Clemons — the nephew of Clarence. The tour will also feature singers Cindy Mizelle and Curtis King, trombonist Clark Gayton, and trumpeters Curt Ramm and Barry Danielian.

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    New Springsteen Single: We Take Care of Our Own

    bruce springsteen we take care of our own

    Bruce Springsteen released a new single today, “We Take Care of Our Own” from his forthcoming album Wrecking Ball, due to be released March 6. The new album reportedly addresses tough economic times and has been described as an angry album.

    The song combines common Springsteen themes of anger about recent events (“From the shotgun shack to the Superdome / We yelled ‘help’ but the cavalry stayed home”) to questions about recent economic hard times (“Where’s the work that’ll set my hands, my soul free?”) to a possible reference to the Springsteen canon (“Where’s the promise, from sea to shining sea?”) to a final hopeful chorus aching to be misused by a presidential candidate (“Wherever this flag is flown / We take care of our own”). Blogness on the Edge of Town has its own take on the anthem quality of the song.

    Here’s the track list for the new album:

    1. We Take Care of Our Own
    2. Easy Money
    3. Shackled and Drawn
    4. Jack of All Trades
    5. Death to My Hometown
    6. This Depression
    7. Wrecking Ball
    8. You’ve Got It
    9. Rocky Ground
    10. Land of Hope and Dreams
    11. We Are Alive

    What do you think of the new song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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