“When it’s over, I sing I’ll see you in my dreams, but John sings when the lights are out they’re out, fool! And that’s the toughness in his vision that I’ve always admired.’” –Bruce Springsteen, April 24, 2024
And who among us could ever see clear: the end is coming, it’s almost here.
That’s the most haunting line in John Mellencamp’s “Wasted Days,” and John generously gave it to his duet partner, Bruce Springsteen.
“Wasted Days” is a gorgeous acoustic meditation on how we live out our final act, and as Springsteen noted when inducting his friend into the American Music Honors, it’s 100% pure Mellencamp in both lyrics and music.
Just as the songs on Letter to You could only have been written by a 70-year-old Springsteen, “Wasted Days” couldn’t have come along any sooner. We’re fortunate for that, because it meant we received it as the first-ever studio collaboration between two of America’s most iconic singers.
And unlike their other collaborations on John’s Strictly a One-Eyed Jack album, this one made it to the stage. During Mellencamp’s performance at Stand Up for Heroes in 2024, Bruce made a surprise appearance (he wasn’t billed that year), and the two reprised their collaboration for the lucky attendees.
Wasted Days Recorded: April 10, 2021 Released: Strictly a One-Eyed Jack (2022) First performed: November 6, 2023 (New York City, NY) Last performed: November 6, 2023 (New York City, NY)
© July 13, 2026