Video with 2 notes
Bruce Springsteen- Growing Up (live at Max’s Kansas City, 1972)
It’s always fascinating to see footage of big stars from back when they were playing tiny clubs or the third band from the top of the bill, since it lets you see their talent (or lack thereof) in a rawer, less refined form and with fewer of the idiosyncrasies that develop over time. Here we get to see a more laid-back (and possibly stoned) Springsteen who even comes off a bit nervous in the beginning of the song. There’s none of the overdramatic enunciation and overblown instrumentation (be aware, those are things I love about Bruce though!) that defined him, but the songwriting quality was always there. The little Dylan-esque vocal moments also made me smile, because you can see Springsteen developing his own voice here but he’s still lifting from others a bit and it’s interesting to more clearly see that influence.
Video with 4 notes
Tori Amos- Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen cover, live 2005)
I was bruised and battered and I couldn’t tell what i felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
I saw my reflection in a window, I didn’t know my own face
oh brother, are you gonna leave me wasting away
on the streets of Philadelphia
Oh right, Tori Amos covers classic rock week isn’t finished yet! Remember how I said there was a Springsteen cover coming? Here it is, in all its glory, rescued from the drum machine and synthesizer hell that defined the original instrumental. Tori’s vocal here is also more emotive than Springsteen’s original (notice how she tends to do that to anything with a gruff male vocal?) although his understated delivery has its merits as well. In the original the vocalizations read to me as “ay-ay-ay, ay-ay-ay” and are just providing background sound, whereas Tori’s versions turns it into an “I-I-I”, a stutter of emotion delivered different ways as the song progresses.
If I’m completely honest, this isn’t one of Tori’s best covers or one of Springsteen’s best songs, but there’s another reason this song is important to me. The first time I saw a regular Tori Amos concert was in Philadelphia in 2005, which is when she did this cover. It was the first and last time she performed that song, something unique and special just for that night. This song to me represents the best part of the live music experience: when something unexpected, new, or unusual happens and you’re just blown away by it. It’s not necessarily what you came for, but it’s what you leave the show remembering. Surprises and unique moments are what can’t be replicated outside of a live setting, and sometimes the vibe and what made the moment special can only work if you’re there. Luckily that time I was. (Special shout-out to Steph, who went to this show with me as a last minute favor so I didn’t have to go with my dad.)
ain’t no angel gonna greet me
it’s just you and i, my friend
Gaslight Anthem- Miles Davis and the Cool
Don’t wait too long to come home.
My how the years and our youth pass on.
Don’t wait too long to come home.
I will leave the front light on.
The night is our own.
You don’t wait too long.
So why don’t you sing to me on this long drive home?
Let the sound of your voice sway sweet and slow.
As we go down, down, down.
From our youth to the ground.
We might always be blue.
I was going to post something from the new Gaslight Anthem album (and I still might!), but despite being a very good record, none of the songs on it are as good as this track or The ‘59 Sound. “Miles Davis and the Cool” is the type of Bruce Springsteen song Bruce wishes he could still write, complete with band call-out and a rousing chorus.
The lyrical callbacks to both Miles Davis and other musicians can make for an odd game where you look to see what Gaslight Anthem is nodding to (or lifting from, depending on how you want to see it). There’s Springsteen’s “Rosalita”, Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone”, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, and probably others I’m missing. How obvious their references were was a somewhat endearing trait Gaslight Anthem had, but they seem to have grown out of that a bit on their new album which is probably for the best if they want to have a real career and not be viewed as a tribute band with original songs.
I would cut a bitch to get a Tori Amos cover of this song next tour. It could fit really well in a solo set with Mother (which has the line “maybe you’ll leave the light on” at the heart of it) and Tori can pull off Springsteen covers (one of which will be posted soon), so she could certainly manage Gaslight Anthem.
