The curious tale of how an ad-libbed in-joke turned a throwaway outtake into a concert crowd-pleaser.
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Darkness on the Edge of Town (29)
The Winter Blanket gives us a quiet, introspective take of “Darkness on the Edge of Town” that conveys the resignation and defeat lurking at the heart of the song.
“Talk to Me” took a strange and winding path from the studio to vinyl to the E Street stage, but it’s guaranteed to make us laugh anytime Bruce pulls it out. But let’s not think too hard about the lyrics.
“Factory” ranks among the best of Bruce’s early song-writing, with lyrical economy and an instrumental track both spare and ornate–it’s a marvel of restraint and emotional bravery.
“Sherry Darling” is synonymous with summer–one of Bruce’s loosest, most carefree (and believe it or not, romantic) songs, yet it dates back to the serious Darkness sessions.
Every fan knows it; every audience member is part of it: “Badlands” is Bruce’s anthem of steadfast resistance, persistence, and faith in his audience. It’s one of his very best songs.
Is “The Promised Land” a song of defiance or surrender? That depends on the ear of the behearer.
“Darkness on the Edge of Town” is one of Bruce’s most enduring classics. But is it a song about heroic defiance or defeat and addiction?