Track 1:-
Blinded by the Light.
"Madmen, drummers, bummers and Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat" probably isn't a line you'd pick out to kick off your debut album; but in 1973 Bruce Springsteen did just that. And why the hell not? You may've heard this song played on the radio though I doubt it was this version but more likely the more popular version by Manfred Mann's Earth Band in 1977. Although that version reached a higher spot in the charts (No. 6) and is more well-known it doesn't deserve to be. As is the case with Because the Night (The Promise) it is Springsteen's lesser known and original version which really is the better. "Blinded by the Light" starts with a relaxing opening; a summer-like tune and then dives into the opening lyrics (as shown above). The song has a formula to it which Springsteen follows all the way through:- intricate rhymes which, although not always making sense, create great listening. Both the verses and chorus are incredibly catchy and have a foot-tapping beat but in different ways. The verses are constructed of close rhymes which slot together perfectly and leave you wishing you could sing the song for your own fans. Like many songs, however, the novelty wears off and it becomes another song you enjoy but don't actually listen to. It's without a doubt worth listening to though.
Rating: ****
Best Lyric: "With a bolder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older..."
Track 2:-
Growin' Up.
This is by far my favourite song from the album; it has the same catchy lyrics as Blinded by the Light but with more mature and important lyics. The song is (you guessed it) about growing up; puberty. It begins with a David Sancious' slow piano introduction which is half sung/half spoken over by Springsteen and then the drums and other intruments kick in at the same time as the lyrics pick up with speed and power. After the first two rythm-driven verses, it returns to melodic piano playing presented at th start and the third and final verses shows the first instance of a car being linked with escape/maturing, a recurring theme in many of Springsteen's songs. "I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car."
Rating: ****
Best Lyrics: "I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch/I strolled all alone through a fall-out zone and came out with my soul untouched."
Track 3:-
Mary Queen of Arkansas
This is a slow acoustic song driven by a guitar and was the song he played for John Hammond at an audition for CBS Records (who signed him for the album). It is the first Dylan-esque song to appear of his and certainly feels like that was the goal, a negative point. The song's introduction is fairly unpleasant to the ears in my opinion and the song can seem disjointed at times. The song is also the first to use his character "Mary" who appears again in many songs thorughout his discography. It is, in places, a preview of his songs to come (unknown to him at the time, of course) including Wild Billy's Circus Story and Born to Run. This can be seen in the line "I'm just a lonely acrobat, this live wire, she's my trade". The song is a slow meditation of love and explores briefly the theme of escape with the clear and somewhat emphasized line "I've got contacts deep in Mexico".
Rating: ***
Best Lyric: "The sky is grown with cloud seed sown and a bastard's love can be redeeming."
Track 4:-
Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
Also part of his demo audition tape, Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? has the same catchy beat and rythm and ryhming structure as both Blinded by the Light and Growin' Up and is full of humour and fun. The song is said to be based (however loosely) on a bus ride he once had to visit his girlfriend yet the lyrics are mysterious and make little sense. This actually works to his advantage in this case as it makes the song more interesting and more light-hearted, as I believe it was intended. The song shares the theme of elevation with others from the album; "drink this and you'll grow wings on your feet" couples with Growin' Up's "when they said 'sit down' I stood up" as subtle nods to escaping to something better and perhaps rebellion. The song doesn't take itself very seriously which is evident through the fun sound, beat and rythm of it. Rarely performed in concert and often overlooked, this is still a great song and makes it into Springsteen's top 100.
Rating: ***1/2
Best Lyric: "And Mary Lou, she found out how to cope/She rides to heaven on a gyroscope."
Lost in the Flood.
This song comes close to Growin' Up as my favourite from the album and certainly has the best lyrical construction on it. It is a piano-driven story of a Vietnam Veteran and is his first of many epic songs which deal with themes of grief, dispair and disappointment. Springsteen himself was rejected from service during the Vietnam War and has consequently written many songs about it (most notably Born in the U.S.A). The song describes three characters over three verses; "Ragamuffin Gunner" in 1, "Jimmy the Saint" in 2 and various non-descript characters in verse 3, incuding "Eighth Avenue sailors in satin shirts", "a carnation of Maria" and "The Whiz-Bang Gang". The Ragamuffin Gunner is a veteran who has presumably come back to America and found he's left his innocence and life in Vietnam. "The ragamuffin gunner is returning home, like a hungry runaway" suggests desperation for his the character's homecoming and then shows the disappointment and alienation as he "Walks through town all alone". The second verse begins more optimistic with Jimmy the Saint, a character who others look up to presumably as is presented in the line "He sits on the hood telling racing stories". It ends with him dying and there's "Nothing left but some blood where the body fell". Verse 3 tells a brief story of what sounds like a turf-war between The Whiz-Bang Gang and the cops, showing that war is spreading globablly and not just contained to Vietnam. The song is an excellently powerful story with solid lyrics and a real emotion attached to it which is even more clearly seen in the 1975 performance in London's Hammersmith (well worth a watch).
Rating: *****
Best Lyric: "They're breaking beams and crosses with a spastic's reelin' perfection/Nuns run bold through Vatican halls, pregnant, pleading immaculate conception."
Track 6:-
The Angel.
This is essentially about a man (The Angel) who is a motorcycle outlaw and his girlfriend. It is focused very heavily (too much, in my opinion) on automobile imagery, one of the most famous lines from the song being "The interstate's choked with nomadic hordes" which-- has been speculated-- was changed to "The highway's jammed with broken heroes" from his later song Born to Run. This can be paired very closely to Mary Queen of Arkansas as it is a slower song from the album and is driven by aucostic guitar (though a bass was later added). Although Springsteen himself called it his "most sophisticated song" it has only been performed live twice; in 1976 and 2009. The song does hold up to Springsteen's own review of it in that it is very sophisticated and lyrically works very well, however the tune lacks something important, perhaps the catchy tune or emotional message from earlier songs.
Rating: ***1/2
Best Lyric: "Dragging great anchors, followin' dead-end signs into the sores/The angel rides by humpin' his hunk metal whore."
Track 7:-
For You.
Like Blinded by the Light and Spirit in the Night, this was also covered by Manfred Mann's Earth Band and once again was changed for a more rock sounding song. It tells the story of a man (the singer) trying to desperately help a woman who has attempted suicide. "I came for you" is the repeated line which echoes this message. The song itself is heavily percussion-driven and builds up as it goes along, making it closer to the fast-paced segments of Lost in the Flood. The tune and rhythm of the track doesn't match up with the lyrics and message which is an excellent contrast and improves the song as well as making it more shocking when it's message is discovered.
Rating: ****
Best Lyric: "Crawl into my ambulence, your pulse is getting weak/Reveal yourself all now to me, girl, while you've got the strength to speak."
Track 8:-
Spirit in the Night.
It has been said by critics (and Springsteen fans alike) that this is the only song on the album where the lyrics and musical arrangement fit together perfectly. It's relaxing opening on Clarence Clemons' saxophone ease you into the song and the lyrics are sung with such a smooth rhythm that you enjoy the song gradually and with more enjoyment each time you listen. Mandred Mann's Earth Band once again did a cover of this song but altered the title slightly (to Spirits in the night) and changed the instrumental arrangement so it was more keyboard-based. It's a very good song but suffers from the fact that it is difficult to listen to it enough times to realise how good it is. At first it sounds mediocre and contrived but when the lyrics are examined and the song gets going it becomes something else entirely.
Rating: ****
Best Lyric: "And she kissed me just right, like only a lonely angel can."
It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City.
A song made of solid rock 'n' roll. The tune, the beat, the music, the lyrics, the voice; all of these factors add up to make a powerful and impressive rock song. Manfred Mann decided to leave this track alone but it has been covered by the legendary David Bowie. It's about a boy who is boating about his toughness and streetwise attitude. The song has an air of cockiness about it because of the central character. The character is trying to stay good but finds it difficult not to stray into the illegal and bad because of his time spent on the streets. The song is a fast-spoken song with a powerful backing track and deffinitely worth listening to. It's similar to the heavy rock and spoken lyrics of Glory Days (Born in the U.S.A) but doesn't have the same appeal.
Rating: ***1/2
Best Lyric: "I could walk like Brando right into the sun, then dance just like a Casanova."
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