An outtake and afterthought from the Lucky Town sessions, “Happy” nevertheless captures the almost out-of-body contentment that’s born along with a new and growing family.
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Roll of the Dice (596)
Short on lyrics, long on guitar jams, “I Gotta Be Free” is an early Springsteen original from his Steel Mill period with a mid-song cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Turn on Your Love Light.”
“Save My Love” is modern-day nostalgia: a 2010 recording (based on a 1976 rehearsal) about the power of radio in a pre-streaming world. Backstory, insights, and remarkable video inside.
This 1981-82 home demo sheds more light into the Bruce’s fascination with Robert Ford and Jesse James and the origins of “Highway Patrolman.”
From the one-that-got-away files: take a listen to “Riding Horse,” Bruce’s ode to, um, dating tall women.
In this installment from the 1968 Notebook, we learn that Bruce had his lean, spare storytelling chops long before he revealed them on Nebraska.
In defense of “Working on a Dream,” the perfect title track for one of Bruce’s best and most underrated albums.
One of Bruce’s most devastatingly powerful songs is one of the least-known and -heard from his official catalog. Listen to the dark, multi-layered “Hey Blue Eyes” inside.
Bruce grappled with his religion through as far back as his teen years, but with a lot less subtlety. Listen to him challenge the church in his 1969 Steel Mill crowd-pleaser.
One time only: Bruce pays homage to (and pokes fun at) outgoing Yankees manager Joe Torre at a 2007 benefit for his Safe at Home foundation.