Massive Music List

For more than 35 years, Bruce Springsteen has set a standard of consistent excellence that few other rock and roll artists could ever hope to match. He has written so many great songs, as both a solo artist and with the E Street Band, that it would seem almost impossible to try and rank those classics one against another. And yet one fan was daring enough, or maybe foolhardy enough, to try. Following up our Beatles and Stones countdowns, JamsBio presents “No Retreat, No Surrender,” a worst-to-first countdown of every album cut in Springsteen history, plus a few choice outtakes, live classics, and soundtrack songs – that’s 200 tunes ranked and defended. Check out JamsBio.com each day as the countdown is gradually revealed, and prepare to hit the message boards to defend your favorites.

The complete list to date.

The Last Five:

110. “Sinaloa Cowboys” (from The Ghost of Tom Joad)

109. “Seeds” (from Live 1975-85)

108. “Living Proof” (from Lucky Town)

107. “Out in the Street” (from The River)

106. “Used Cars” (from Nebraska)

105. “Pink Cadillac”

From Tracks

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Springsteen-mania was so strong in the mid-80’s that even his B-sides started to get a lot of attention. Thus it was that this track, left off Born In the USA in favor of “I’m Goin’ Down,” still found its way to radio and lots of listeners. It’s a bit of a novelty, but it’s so much fun that it’s hard to resist.

The funny thing is that the song was actually demoed during the Nebraska sessions. Boy, would it have stuck out had it ended up there. Springsteen eventually worked up an arrangement featuring a guitar lick that borrows a little from Elvis (fitting, considering Elvis drove a pink caddy himself) and a lot from Henry Mancini’s iconic theme for the cop show Peter Gunn. Max Weinberg’s gunshot snares and Clarence’s bluesy sax moans add to the film-noir feel.

The lyrics feature The Boss at his funniest. He inventively imagines Eve tooling around in the titular car to catch Adam’s eye in the Garden of Eden. Then he throws in some innuendo-laden boasts to counter anyone who would denigrate his ride: “But my love is bigger than a Honda/Yeah it’s bigger than a Subaru.” Springsteen draws the through-line between sex, rock and roll, and automobiles in pretty broad strokes here, but he creates such a catchy concoction that you’ll find yourself grooving while you blush.

104. “Paradise”

From The Rising

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Hey, let’s face it, “Paradise” ain’t the kind of song you program into your iPod in your Feel-Good mix. It is heartbreaking and difficult and really slaps you in the face with a reality you might not want to confront. It is also necessary and a pretty powerful artistic achievement. And, if you open your mind to it, you can find yourself unexpectedly moved.

Springsteen’s willingness to identify with a suicide bomber certainly bucked the trend of sentiment in his home country at the time of the song’s release on The Rising. The bravery of that stance is backed up by the deftness with which he tackles the subject matter. There isn’t an ounce of judgment on his part, just details and emotions.

The first verse appears to tell the tale of a young suicide bomber, prepared for his duties by what seems to be a parent. In the second, we’re back in the States with an unidentified person dreaming of a lost loved one. In the final verse, it’s unclear who is telling the story, maybe neither, maybe both. What is clear is that there is great loss for all involved, and the parallels drawn don’t provide any answers as to why such a tragedy needed to occur. The fact that Bruce did his job so well likely mitigated any controversy; all he was doing was insisting on portraying the “bad guys” as human beings.

The music on “Paradise” is atmospheric and weightless, somewhat reminiscent of Mark Knopler’s moodier work with Dire Straits. Springsteen’s melody is always rising, rising toward a salvation that can ease the sorrow of the tortured souls on display here. The fact that so many of the differences that led to 9/11 come down to the methods of reaching that salvation is why songs like “Paradise,” though not a lot of fun, are integral artistic endeavors.

103. “Murder Incorporated”

From Greatest Hits

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I remember when I first heard this song upon its release in 1995 as part of Bruce’s first official Greatest Hits package that I thought that the E Street Band sounded pretty damn great and at the top of their game considering that they hadn’t played together for almost a decade. Little did I know at the time that the song was actually one of the 7,000 or that Bruce put to tape during the sessions for Born In The USA.

Even if it wasn’t fresh, it was an excellent choice to reintroduce the world to the band. All of the swagger and brio that ooze out of their best performances are evident here. There’s also more than a bit of menace, augured by the stinging four-note riff that provides the bedrock for the entire song. The band’s street-gang backing vocals are an irresistible touch, like a Greek chorus providing the accents for Bruce’s tough lyrics.

Those lyrics are a bit vague for my taste, drifting from one story to the next aimlessly. Springsteen was trying to get at the culture of violence, but that gets lost in the thunder of the music. And, with its sing-along nature, “Murder Incorporated” comes close to glorifying the very thing it’s meant to denigrate. Still, with the band sounding this good, it’s difficult to nitpick. Just crank it up, and let the “Whoa-ohhs” carry you away.

102. “Magic”

From Magic

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After he stumped hard for John Kerry in the ’04 presidential election, the Bush administration might have thought it was out of Springsteen’s crosshairs for a while. But much of 2007’s Magic was a diatribe, if often veiled, against the hypocrisy Bruce perceived to be running rampant among our nation’s leaders. The title track might have been the most cutting of all.

Bruce plays the role of a magician whose motives may be more sinister than most. The innocent sleight-of-hand at the start of the song gives way to darker tricks down the road: “I’ll cut you in half/While you’re smiling ear-to-ear”. All of the shop-talk leads to the terrifying scene at song’s conclusion: “There’s bodies hangin’ in the trees.”

Give credit to producer Brendan O’Brien for creating an old-timey feel that fits well with the hackneyed magician’s patter that Bruce spits out. But the woozy keyboards and minor-key mandolins and violins also hint at the unease and darkness that Bruce wants to convey. It’s an excellent marriage of lyrics and music.

So how do you prevent against such insidious magic? Ultimately, Bruce puts the onus on the listener to be on guard: “Trust none of what you hear/And less of what you see.”

101. “I’m a Rocker”

From The River

LISTEN HERE

Springsteen’s hambone humor is in full effect in this hilarious statement of purpose off The River. He’s often touched on the dangers of relying on cultural icons instead of real people for comfort, but here he takes them all on in one fell swoop. Not Kojak, not Bond, not even Batman can hold a candle to The Boss. (How did the Six Million Dollar man get left out of that group anyway?)

The music is a blast of adrenaline. Max Weinberg’s walloping beat sets the tone, but it’s the keyboardists who really shine. Roy Bittan had to have broken a string or two recording his pounding piano part, and Danny Federici struts through his solo in complete control of the proceedings.

At the heart of all the comic rescues and shameless boasting is a rather sweet, simple promise to a girl that he’ll be there for her even in the darkest times. If it takes roughing up a few superheroes along the way, well, a rock star’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.

The complete list to date.

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