Now… to quote Casey Kasem: ‘On with the countdown.’
100. The Promise – Many, including biographer Dave Marsh, suggested The Promise is about Springsteen’s 1976 lawsuit against then manager Mike Appel. Recorded the following year and not released until 2010, it describes broken dreams, which, in hindsight, was an appropriate transition from the hopes of Born to Run to the awakening realizations of Darkness. “When the promise is broken / You go on living, but it steals something from down in your soul / Like when the truth is spoken, and it don’t make no difference / Something in your heart turns cold” In the trailer for The Promise documentary film, Springsteen said: “It’s a meditation on where are you going to stand; with whom, and where are you going to stand.”
99. Johnny 99 – I only listened to Nebraska a few times, yet I liked the writing on several tracks, including the despair described here. “Well the city supplied a public defender but the judge was Mean John Brown / He came into the courtroom and stared poor Johnny down / Well the evidence is clear, gonna let the sentence son fit the crime / Prison for 98 and a year and we’ll call it even Johnny 99” Faced with a lifetime in lock-up, the song ends with Johnny asking to be executed.
98. Waitin’ on a Sunny Day – Recorded in 1998 or 1999, and included in 2002 on The Rising, Springsteen set Waitin’ on a Sunny Day between the somber Into the Fire and Nowhere Man. The song offers a glimmer of hope amidst the overall sadness that enveloped the country following 9/11. Yeah, funny, thought I felt a sweet summer breeze / Musta been you sighing so deep / Don’t worry we’re gonna find a way
Liner Note: Springsteen played Waitin’ on a Sunny Day often on tour beginning with The Rising and extending through Wrecking Ball in 2012. While most loved it, some longtime devotees grew tired of audience chorus takeovers and kids called on stage to sing along. Springsteen’s publicist released a statement defending the approach: “The song and singalong is enjoyed by tens of thousands every night. We love our devoted fans who go to multiple shows, but they have to remember they are still a minority of the total audience.”
97. Tougher than the Rest – The central characters appear to have endured broken relationships. To encourage his attraction to dance, the man suggests this time will be different, if she can overcome a ‘heart in a mess.’ “The road is dark and it’s a thin thin line / But I want you to know I’ll walk it for you any time / Maybe your other boyfriends couldn’t pass the test / Well if you’re rough and ready for love, honey I’m tougher than the rest” Never released as a single in the U.S., it scored top 10’s in Europe – and was covered by many, including Emmylou Harris, Chris LeDoux, Travis Tritt, John Mayer and Cher.
96. Rendezvous – Recorded during the Darkness sessions, Springsteen said in 1978 that he dropped it from the final album as it didn’t fit with the theme. “Haven’t I told you, girl, how much I like you / I got a feeling that you like me too / Well if you hold me tight / We’ll be riders, girl, on the night / Ooh, rendezvous” Released on Tracks as a live version from New Year’s Eve 1980 concert, it begins with a powerful drumbeat, countdown with help from the audience and guitar solo.
95. Ramrod – The version that appeared on The River was coincidentally recorded on my 19th birthday – June 12, 1979 – and has a catchy bar-band upbeat. “Well hey little dolly won’t you say you will / Meet me tonight up on top of the hill / Well just a few miles ‘cross the county line / There’s a cute little chapel nestled down in the pines” Never released as a single in the U.S., it appeared on the B-side of Point Blank and The River in other countries.
94. Blinded by the Light – It’s 1973. CBS executives feel Springsteen’s first album needs a potential hit single. He quickly writes Spirits in the Night and the rhyming lyrics of Blinded by the Light. That’s how this song became the answer to the trivia question: “What is Bruce Springsteen’s only number one hit?” “Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east / He says, “Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that’s where they expect it least” Of course, that was the 1976 Manfred Mann version, which famously butchered the pronunciation of ‘deuce’. In a 2006 interview, Mann said it was caused by a faulty recording process: “Apparently Springsteen thought we’d done it deliberately, which we hadn’t, so if I ever saw him I’d avoid him and cringe away like a frightened little boy.”
93. Meeting across the River – Perhaps the least known cut on Born to Run, it’s placement after She’s the One served as a nice break before the intensity of Jungleland. “We gotta stay cool tonight Eddie ’cause man we got ourselves out on that line / And if we blow this one they ain’t gonna be looking for just me this time” Eddie was pulled into the drama by a desperate friend. Wonder if Cherry ever forgave her man?
92. Roulette – Released as the ‘B’ side of One Step Up in 1988 and a decade later on Tracks, the fast drum and guitar solos at the beginning propel listeners on the intense journey of a family’s escape from their past. “They said they just want to ask me a few questions but I think they had other plans / Now I don’t know who to trust and I don’t know what I can believe / They say they want to help me but with the stuff they keep on saying / I think those guys just wanna keep on playing” That’s a dangerous game.
91. Atlantic City – Once again, a protagonist is on the run – this time from ‘them racket boys’ running casinos – in this second track on Nebraska. “Now I’ve been looking for a job but it’s hard to find / Down here it’s just winners and losers and don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line / Well I’m tired of coming out on this losing end / So honey last night I met this guy and I’m gonna do a little favor for him” As in the two songs above, he’ll cross a moral line in a last-ditch attempt to stave off trouble and save those he loves.
