Sometimes a record label will pick a single off the album and we'll say to ourselves, "Why did they pick that one?"
That was my first thought when I heard that the second single off Bruce Springsteen's album would be "Rocky Ground."
Honestly, it wasn't my 3rd or even 4th favorite off the record.
But, after thinking about it, I do get why they chose it as a single. On some level, it's a smart choice.
The initial instinct when picking a single can be to pick the song that best represents the artist. But if you pick the Springsteen-iest Springsteen song every single time, a) the new song invites unwelcome comparisons to previous singles, and b) you create the perception of the artist as a parody of himself.
So why not chose a song that has some pop crossover potential, and really has no antecedent in the Springsteen catalog.
There are more than a few atypical things about it for a Springsteen song, including the fact that it starts with a woman's voice, it has audio samples (of a preacher, preaching), and it has a rap/spoken breakdown, again delivered by a non-E-Street member.
Kudos to the label for trying something different.
But I didn't love it, and when I started considering it for airplay on mvy, my thought was "Maybe we'll pick something that's not the single. What are my favorite songs on the record?"
The two standout tracks, for me, are "Wrecking Ball" and "Land Of Hope And Dreams."
Immediately, I could see why the label didn't necessarily go for these. Both tunes are long for radio singles, at nearly 6 minutes and nearly 7 minutes, respectively. And both, particularly "Land" are Springsteen at his Springsteen-iest.
It's probably no coincidence that these two tracks, my favorite two, just happen to be the two songs on the album that have Clarence Clemons playing saxophone.
So what do you think? Give all three a listen. Which one is the mvy-iest, do you think?
Hear "Rocky Ground" on Youtube.
Hear "Wrecking Ball" on Youtube.
Hear "Land Of Home And Dreams" on Youtube.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
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I love this choice as a single and glad you're adding it. American Radio, however, won't play new music from Bruce (or others of his generation) anymore. I agree the song has potential crossover appeal but until American Radio abandons its ageist philosophy, it won't matter. I'm 44 and have been a fan for over 30 years. I remember in the 80's when a new single from Bruce was an "event" on Top 40 radio. Bruce is still releasing quality music today. It's too bad Radio won't play it.
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