No fan base in the world of rock and roll is as a passionate as the one belonging to Bruce Springsteen. Not only will they argue about which songs are best, but they’ll split hairs about which live versions of those songs top all others.
As a result, we know we’re walking into a minefield with this list of what we feel are Springsteen’s five finest songs placed at the very end of his albums. Let’s see what E Street Nation thinks about it.
5. “Wreck on the Highway” from The River (1980)
By giving himself the luxury of four LP sides, Springsteen was able to throw everything at the wall on The River. And because he’s Springsteen, you come away from that double album amazed there isn’t an ounce of filler. The Boss also deserves lasting credit for choosing “Wreck on the Highway” as the closer. It’s a song that asks more questions than it answers, as the narrator is forced to reckon with the senselessness of sudden death. How do you reconcile that with enjoying your own existence? The answer, as is relayed in the song’s final moments, is to hold on as tight as you can.
4. “My City of Ruins” from The Rising (2002)
We know this might be an unpopular opinion, but we feel The Rising is far more admirable than effective. The sound of the album lacks warmth, and it rambles on a few songs too many. And oddly enough, the song that feels like it addresses both the vastness of sorrow surrounding 9/11 and the struggle for resilience in the face of it is “My City of Ruins,” which was written before the tragedy took place. Springsteen might have sensed it in some respect, because he gives it pride of place on the record as a soulful parting serenade.
3. “Moonlight Motel” from Western Stars (2019)
It’s the way of the music world that new albums, even by all-time great artists, just aren’t pored over with the same kind of intensity as the older stuff. Western Stars, which Springsteen released in 2019, is a record that deserves and holds up astoundingly well under that kind of scrutiny. The writing is at an impeccably high level throughout, and the countrypolitan music is a new avenue for Springsteen that suits him like dusty old boots. “Moonlight Motel” sends the album home on a note of exquisite sorrow, as the narrator goes back to an old haunt and finds nothing but regret and loss.
2. “Darkness on the Edge of Town” from Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
Some Springsteen scholars believe this song conveys a triumph of sorts, in that the narrator has determined what’s important to him by the end of the song and is ready to stand up for it at all costs. Considering he’s given up all that’s good in his life to participate in an act that’s largely self-destructive, we can’t find much other than defeat. Which is apropos, because much of the album leading up to it depicts folks who are battered about by their families, jobs, and overall lack of opportunity, to the point the character’s response in the title track feels about as accurate as any.
1. “Jungleland” from Born to Run (1975)
In many ways, the first three albums of Bruce Springsteen’s career stand in stark contrast to everything that came after. That opening trio is wordier, more musically ambitious, and focused on tales that are mostly larger-than-life, as opposed to the concise, stark realism in which Springsteen trod in his subsequent work. As the last song on not just Born to Run but also that entire three-album run, “Jungleland” gives Bruce a chance to put all that to bed in majestic fashion. After the tale of the Magic Rat and the barefoot girl, it was time to put away operatic things.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Photo by Juanjo Martin/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Most Popular
Comments / 0