There aren’t many bands in the world where you can make a legitimate argument for making a Top 50 and still be throwing at least 50 more great songs OFF THE LIST…but then again, Bruce Springsteen is no “ordinary” artist.
Maybe for the Rolling Stones, U2 and a few others you could make this kind of list, but Bruce Springsteen is certainly about as prolific a songwriter as there’s ever been in our lifetime. And then factor in the wide variety of versions of all of his songs, and well, like I said it’s HARD to think of 50 GREAT songs by any artist.
So, with sincere respect to all the Springsteen fans everywhere who might read this, here’s one Bruce fan’s look at my personal favorites over the years. Honestly, the whole Top 20 here at some point was “my favorite Bruce song” of any particular era or year.
But this is how it stands on the eve of Bruce Springsteen and The E Street coming back to the area after a few years away…and some liner notes…
Nestor’s Top 51 Bruce Springsteen songs…in perfect order!
51. Glory Days — Obvious baseball reference here
50. The Promised Land — Mister I ain’t a boy, no I’m a man
49. Ain’t Got You — I’m a massive fan of the TOL album, which kicks off with this one
48. No Surrender — We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school
47. My Hometown — Great haunting melody
46. Spare Parts — Particularly poignant, having been a teenage parent myself
45. Girls In Their Summer Clothes — The Boss’ ode to beautiful women in the September of his years
44. Waiting On a Sunny Day — A hopelessly happy song and Bruce hams it up in concert
43. Out In The Street — I walk the way I wanna walk
42. Working On a Dream — This one is still a little “young” for me, but I do love this song and what it stands for
41. Because The Night — Patti Smith rocks!
40. Pink Cadillac — Waving to the girls, feeling outta sight
39. Ramrod — Great guitar riff that Lofgren calls a dinosaur
38. Badlands — Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king, And a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything (see Angelos, Peter G.)
37. Cadillac Ranch — Another rocker… “Long and dark, shiny and black”
36. Prove It All Night — What it’s like to live and die
35. Point Blank — Haunting ballad, great groove
34. Be True — He played this the first night I ever saw him at the Spectrum in Philly, a B-side I love that Ken Rosenthal once gave me on 45
33. If I Should Fall Behind — Beautifully performed live song in the encore about love & friendship
32. The Rising — Bruce’s fall epic yields an infectious title track
31. Fire — Pointers Sisters did a nice job…You say you don’t like it, but girl I know you’re a liar
30. Downbound Train — Now I work down at the carwash where all it ever does is rain
29. Rosalita — I know your daddy, he don’t dig me ’cause I play in a rock ‘n roll band
28. Dancing In The Dark — My lifetime crush on Courtney Cox continues, she still “starts a fire”
27. One Step Up — Last night I dreamed I held you in my arms, the music was never-ending
26. Hungry Heart — Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
Here’s video of Bruce Springsteen calling me a dummy:
Go to Page 2 for the Top 25…
