Available on three different album releases, John Wesley Harding’s cover of “Jackson Cage” deserves its repeated exposure. It’s one of the few Bruce covers I enjoy more than the original.
Author:
Ken Rosen (2080)
A couple of years ago, news leaked of an unreleased Springsteen song about Harry Potter, and it wasn’t long before the song leaked, too. This one probably should stay in the vault.
“The Line” is Bruce at his most cinematic and empathetic, a masterpiece of taut storytelling written years before immigration reform dominated the national discourse.
In honor of this week’s #TheHomeShows, here’s Pearl Jam’s scorching one-off cover of “Open All Night.”
Bruce made a surprise appearance at Neil Young’s 1989 concert on Long Island, closing the show with a duet of “Down By the River” in a beautiful, stripped-down performance.
A chance find in an airport duty-free store led to a new Bruce arrangement of an obscure Jimmy Cliff song–and an instant fan favorite.
An unfortunate licensing snafu resulted in one of the finest covers of a Springsteen song.
Bruce originally included “Cindy” on The River back when it was only one disc, but he discarded it before finalizing the two-disc version. That’s too bad, because like “Hungry Heart,” its pop trappings combined with dark lyrics make for a perfect album fit.
Bruce and Patti deliver a gorgeous cover of Jackson Browne’s “Linda Paloma,” more delicate and soaring than the original.
Recorded live and professionally in Seattle, Vampire Weekend performs an acoustic cover of “I’m Goin’ Down.”