“Factory” is a difficult song to cover. Its melody, lyrics and structure are so minimalist that it can be tough to bring something new and distinct to the table when performing it.
And yet the song clearly strikes a chord for so many of us, so artists still take an occasional swing at it. Lucinda Williams nailed it in her fresh approach on her Ghosts of Highway 20 album, but I’m fond of this more straightforward version by Deep Dark Woods as well:
Deep Dark Woods hail from Saskatoon, a far cry from the New Jersey factories that employed Douglas Springsteen and inspired his son to write this song. But that just demonstrates Bruce’s ability to tap into a universal theme: that work can give you purpose and sustenance, but it exacts a price in return.
