Lyrics Spotlight - Soul Driver & Sad Eyes

"Well if something in the air feels a little unkind,
Don't worry darling, it'll slip your mind"
- Soul Driver, Human Touch & Sad Eyes, Tracks

With any kind of artist as prolific as Bruce Springsteen, you're bound to see some overlap between their artistic output. Bruce is particularly interesting for his willingness to release unfinished songs or alternate versions over the years, kindly digging into his treasure trove of abandoned work to the delight of his adoring fans. We've written about Bruce's "first drafts" several times in the past and while I'm not sure "Soul Driver" and "Sad Eyes" quite qualify for that type of comparison, they do share an identical pair of lyrics. As noted in the liner notes of Tracks, "Sad Eyes" is a cast off from the Human Touch album. Aside from the shared lyric, the songs tell the story of pursuit from two different approaches. In "Soul Driver" Bruce sings from the position of an active pursuer whereas in "Sad Eyes" he plays the more passive role, attracting his object of desire by playing hard to get. In both songs, the quoted lyric serves to convince the object of desire not to dwell on the negatives and be open to a love that supersedes life's problems.

First Draft: Child Bride

Earlier this week Rory mentioned how the lyrics from "Working On The Highway" "if read out of context of the music and other lyrics, it could easily be mistaken for a song from Nebraska."  Well he's right!  "Working On The Highway" was originally written for Nebraska. But Bruce decided to hold on to it, jazz it up, add a catchy chorus and bingo!  We have the beloved version of "Working On The Highway" that we all know and love today.

First off, let me start off by saying this was a fantastic decision.  "Child Bride" is just an awful name for a song, and would be really hard to defend as a fan.  Secondly, even though I love Nebraska and his other folk albums, this song just sounds so much better as the uptempo toe-tapper that we all know today.  That's not to say the song doesn't have it's merit.  "Child Bride" is much more akin to the somber lyrics.  "Working on the Highway" is paradoxical to it's lyrics.With rockabilly guitar licks, a snappy beat and an incredibly catchy chorus, "Working On The Highway" is always a favorite in concert.  I can't really imagine fans holding up signs for "Child Bride" in concert.

First Drafts - Stolen Car

Before getting into the differences between the original version and the final version of the song, I must say that the original version of "Stolen Car" is one of my all-time favorite Springsteen tracks.  I even included it on my "Bruce For Beginners" playlist.  I don't feel like I am alone here, as it was easier to find this version of "Stolen Car" on Youtube than to find the version from The River.

The original version of "Stolen Car" was written for a pre-River album called The Ties That Bind.  Numerous tracks from that were either reworked for The River or came out later in The Promise.  This version, while telling the same sad story, has a much pop-ier inflection, with a catchier piano riff and additional lyrics that recall happy memories and inspire hope.  

While previous versions of the First Drafts series has argued in favor of Bruce's reworkings of his early efforts, here I have to disagree.  The final version of "Stolen Car" is incredibly different, as the song is slower, quieter, and sadder.  It does fit into the theme of The River moreso than the original version, but I always found it a difficult song to listen to.  In the process of writing this article, I've listened to it several times, trying to appreciate it for what it is.  And while I did grow to appreciate the shift in the musical tone, I still feel lyrically Bruce made a mistake in cutting out the final verses.  The final version of the song ends abruptly, and does not tell as strong a story as the original version.  Thankfully, Bruce has done a good job saving his early cuts throughout his career - it would be a shame if the Tracks version never made it off the demo tapes.

First Drafts - Born in the U.S.A.

The story behind this version of "Born in the U.S.A." is pretty well known by most Bruce Springsteen aficionados.  But, for those who may be hearing this somber, acoustic version of the song for the first time, it goes like this: this track was originally written for the Nebraska album.  However, his producer, Jon Landau, loved the lyrics and heard the potential for a hit.  It was reworked with the full band, and became the oft-misinterpreted yet iconic anthem it is today.

Did they make the right decision?  Economically, the answer is a resounding "yes."  It put Springsteen on the map, and moved millions of records.  But, did taking such hard lyrics and wrapping them in fist-pumping pop chords negate the message of the song?  It can be argued that the true nature of the song is most effectively communicated in the somber Nebraska sound.  

Personally, I feel that Landau and Springsteen made the right decision.  The pop nature of the song, as well as the ensuing controversy regarding the song's message, helped make even more people aware of the plight of Vietnam veterans.  You can only spread your ideas if people are listening to them, and by making the track more mainstream, he created more fans willing to explore his music and its themes.  It was also a time where social causes were being promoted through pop songs, such as "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Do They Know It's Christmas?", so it wasn't unprecedented, and this kind of music helped influence generations to come.  

Which version do you prefer?  Let us know in the comments.

First Drafts - Spanish Eyes (I'm On Fire)

A couple weeks ago, we examined "Wings for Wheels", Bruce's early version of "Thunder Road".  In that version, both the music and lyrics were about 75% of the way to the classic that everyone knows.  Here, in "Spanish Eyes", a cut from 2010's The Promise, we see very familiar lyrics in a completely unfamiliar setting.

In Pitchfork's review of the album, they state, "The Promise ultimately confirms that Springsteen is a brilliant editor of his own material."  Listening to this song, I couldn't agree more.  While some may classify this under the genre of "Beautiful Bruce", the song is overly sappy.  With soft piano music and lines about kissing his lover's eyes (which sounds quite off-putting), this song tries to hard to create a romantic atmosphere in a time when Bruce was writing about sad, desperate lovers.  It isn't surprising that most of this song ended up on the cutting floor.  But that's the key word, isn't it?  "Most".

The first two lines, not particularly strongly delivered in this version, ended up being reused as the iconic opening of one of Bruce's greatest songs.  A third line ("Can he do the things that I'll do for you?") is slightly tweaked and included as well.  This is another example of Bruce saving a few lines from an otherwise forgettable song until the right time comes along.  The "Spanish Eyes"/"I'm On Fire" reworking is my personal favorite, but if you listen to Tracks and The Promise, you'll find more lines here and there that were included in later hits.

First Drafts - Wings for Wheels (Thunder Road)

In this new series of articles, we'll be taking a look at the early versions of Bruce songs that later became classics.  First up, "Wings for Wheels", which later became the seminal "Thunder Road".





I remember Tom Petty once remarking that he write his music first, then plugs in lyrics that match.  This explanation can account for some of his nonsensical and bizarre lyrics in songs such as "Free Falling."  In "Wings for Wheels," we can see that Springsteen takes a different approach.  Both the music and the lyrics are almost finished, but not quite.  Let's take a look at the differences.

The first thing everyone notices is the lack of the signature harmonica to open this song.  The first stanza is basically the same, with Angelina replacing Mary.  I think both Angelia and Mary are fine names that work within the song, and the switch is puzzling.  Perhaps the name Mary is just more significant to Bruce, as it would show up in future songs.  Or maybe it was easier to sing since it only had two syllables.  Or maybe Angelina got mad when he dumped her and keyed his car.  Another great mystery that may never be solved.

The second verse is completely different.  Here, instead of the religious imagery used in the final cut, Bruce writes about something he knows very, very well: cars.  "I'm no prince and I can't lay the stars at your feet" is a wonderful line that I'm surprised didn't get used in the final version, but given the amount of cars Bruce would sing about not just in future songs, but in future verses of THIS song, it is for the best that he trimmed it down here.

By the time Bruce reaches the swelling chorus, you are just dying for him to put the words "thunder" and "road" together.  (It reminds me of this early version of Elliott Smith's "Miss Misery", also missing the titular line.)  However, he just sings "dance all the way", and sort of trails off.  There is something charming about hearing this, as you can almost imagine Bruce feeling that something wasn't quite right in that very moment he was singing.  Also, unlike the final version, Bruce comes back again to the chorus.  This, I feel, is a great addition.  Who wouldn't have liked another chance to scream "thunder road" again?

The bridge in here is another interesting piece of music and lyrics, as Bruce slows it down and uses the word "jive."  It is very different from the originally, and from what I can tell was scrapped completely and not recycled in any other part of the song.  It leads into a rehash of the second verse, and then Bruce's classic "town full of losers" line seals the deal.  We unfortunately miss out on ghosts in Mary's exes' eyes and burnt out Chevrolets.  The end of this version sounds more improvisational, like Clarence and the band are just free-styling.  They clearly fell in love with the "Thunder Road" riff, and go back to it a lot.  It isn't as clean and professional sounding at the final version, but like Bruce singing "dance all the way," it has its charm.

When I first heard this version of "Thunder Road," I must say I wasn't a fan.  It fell into the "uncanny valley" - it was too close to "Thunder Road," but it wasn't quite "Thunder Road."  However, over time, I've found the song has its own merits as a youthful, more innocent version of the final cut we all know and love.