Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet

Today on Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet: the one that almost went to Nebraska and didn’t.

He had a job, he had a girl. Then it all went to hell. You know, the rain and the car wash of it all. Downbound Train is a short song about a guy who isn’t in the driver’s seat, and it’s certainly an album favorite for the fellas (or the weakest thing Bruce released since the second album, if you ask Dave Marsh). We also have thoughts about Dave Marsh.

We talk about the three versions of this song that exist and why Rob hates one of them, how Roy Bittan carted a 200-pound synthesizer into the studio, and why Max’s snare drum is the piece of tape holding this whole record together.

How many whining whistles do you give Downbound Train? Tell us in the comments below.

We’ve also dropped our first bonus episode of the new run, the 2023 All Media Underload. We hit the high points of our 2023 lists since we never dropped an episode that year. It’s a subscriber only episode, but everyone gets a free preview episode (I think?).

https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/p/bonus-ep-all-media-underload

Chapters

04:04 Basic Facts!

10:00 The music

19:27 The lyrics

26:14 Ratings

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Today on Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet, we’re somehow in the Bs and in the Ws with “Working on the Highway,” the jangly rocker off Born in the USA.

We dig into what makes it move, what it’s really saying about love and work, and why the union hall matters more than you’d think.

We also talk about what makes for good songwriting, which Jon Favreau movies this is exactly like, and some personal stories along the way. Plus, as usual, we talk about making records and other silly stuff with your friends.

Head over to alphabeticalspringstee.substack.com to leave your own song rating.

Check out the video episode here: https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/p/working-on-the-highway

Leave your own rating in the comments, please!

Chapters

02:59 Exploring the Song’s Musical Elements

05:54 Lyrics Analysis and Themes

08:55 Discussion on Songwriting and Recording Process

12:01 Character and Story Development in Lyrics

15:00 Cultural References and Context

18:10 Final Thoughts and Ratings

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Today on Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet, we’re somehow in the Bs and in the Ws with “Working on the Highway,” the jangly rocker off Born in the USA.

We dig into what makes it move, what it’s really saying about love and work, and why the union hall matters more than you’d think.

We also talk about what makes for good songwriting, which Jon Favreau movies this is exactly like, and some personal stories along the way. Plus, as usual, we talk about making records and other silly stuff with your friends.

Head over to alphabeticalspringstee.substack.com to leave your own song rating.

Check out the video episode here: https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/p/working-on-the-highway

Leave your own rating in the comments, please!

Chapters

02:59 Exploring the Song’s Musical Elements

05:54 Lyrics Analysis and Themes

08:55 Discussion on Songwriting and Recording Process

12:01 Character and Story Development in Lyrics

15:00 Cultural References and Context

18:10 Final Thoughts and Ratings

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Driving into Darlington County with two hundred dollars in your pocket. What a feeling!? Two fellas drive into a new town looking for a good time. How does it end for our two protagonists this time?

It’s fun. It’s raucous. It’s rock’n’roll.

Is it good? Certainly. But is it important? We’re not giving away the ending in the show notes.

We ask the real questions this week.

And we honor Dolly because this episode was recorded weeks ago.

Leave your rating in the episode comments at https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/p/episode-7-darlington-county

Upgrade your subscription for video episodes (usually a week early!).

https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Chapters

01:04 — Bruce’s birthday

03:06 — Meeting famous people without making things awkward

07:20 — Remembering Dolly Parton

10:01 — Could Dolly have covered “Darlington County”?

11:08 — Basic Facts!

13:23 — The music

18:11 — The album’s characters, insecurity, and disappointment

20:25 — Breaking down the lyrics

29:32 — Ratings and final thoughts

32:13 — How to follow and support the show

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Driving into Darlington County with two hundred dollars in your pocket. What a feeling!? Two fellas drive into a new town looking for a good time. How does it end for our two protagonists this time?

It’s fun. It’s raucous. It’s rock’n’roll.

Is it good? Certainly. But is it important? We’re not giving away the ending in the show notes.

We ask the real questions this week.

And we honor Dolly because this episode was recorded weeks ago.

Leave your rating in the episode comments at https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/p/episode-7-darlington-county

Upgrade your subscription for video episodes (usually a week early!).

https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Chapters

01:04 — Bruce’s birthday

03:06 — Meeting famous people without making things awkward

07:20 — Remembering Dolly Parton

10:01 — Could Dolly have covered “Darlington County”?

11:08 — Basic Facts!

13:23 — The music

18:11 — The album’s characters, insecurity, and disappointment

20:25 — Breaking down the lyrics

29:32 — Ratings and final thoughts

32:13 — How to follow and support the show

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet, Rob and JB talk about Donna Summer’s almost disco hit, Cover Me.

Believe it or not, Bruce originally wrote this song at Quincy Jones request, but you’ll have to listen to the ep for all the details.

This Billboard top 10 single sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and definitely put Bruce on the pop fan’s radar (but there’s still plenty of muscular rock’n’roll guitar, don’t worry, fellas).

We decide if the lyrics are deep, shallow, or if that even matters. Talk about what a Donna cover would sound like, and hand out disco balls.

For more from Rob and JB (including video episodes) head over to alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com.

00:00 Opening banter—and some thoughts about choreography

01:08 The origins of “Cover Me”

06:55 How the song developed and was recorded

12:56 Chart performance and reception

17:19 Rock, disco, and the song’s musical influences

23:03 Bruce’s guitar work

26:00 Moving from political themes to personal ones

27:10 Mood, vibe, and emotional impact

29:54 Whether simple lyrics can still have depth

34:01 The subversive history of disco

37:00 Final thoughts and ratings

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet, Rob and JB talk about Donna Summer’s almost disco hit, Cover Me.

Believe it or not, Bruce originally wrote this song at Quincy Jones request, but you’ll have to listen to the ep for all the details.

This Billboard top 10 single sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and definitely put Bruce on the pop fan’s radar (but there’s still plenty of muscular rock’n’roll guitar, don’t worry, fellas).

We decide if the lyrics are deep, shallow, or if that even matters. Talk about what a Donna cover would sound like, and hand out disco balls.

For more from Rob and JB (including video episodes) head over to alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com.

00:00 Opening banter—and some thoughts about choreography

01:08 The origins of “Cover Me”

06:55 How the song developed and was recorded

12:56 Chart performance and reception

17:19 Rock, disco, and the song’s musical influences

23:03 Bruce’s guitar work

26:00 Moving from political themes to personal ones

27:10 Mood, vibe, and emotional impact

29:54 Whether simple lyrics can still have depth

34:01 The subversive history of disco

37:00 Final thoughts and ratings

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Today on Bruce Springsteen Sings the Alphabet: We kick things off with a world-wide unanimous banger from the boss.

The song is as famous for its perceived patriotism as it is for its cease and desist letters to presidential campaigns. It’s somehow patriotic and ironically patriotic all at once. A satire packaged inside a genuine, heart-felt, sing along of a pop rock song.

While this song feels like a case of, “What hasn’t been said about this song,” it turns out we found plenty to say.

We’d also be interested in hearing what you have to say. Please shoot us a line or drop your rating in one of the feeds.

As always, if you think a friend would enjoy this, pass it along:

https://alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/p/born-in-the-usa?r=44wa19&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true 

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Some people hear this one and file it away as a slow, sexy love song. It is not a love song. It is about Abu Ghraib.

Side two, track two. The last song on the EP and the last day of American Beauty Week.

We get into:

The trick Bruce is pulling: pedal steel, twinkly piano, a whisper in your ear, before he walks you straight into the worst thing we’ve ever done. 

Genesis chapter three. 

One of the few times Bruce swears on a record and exactly why it hits. 

JB coins the phrase "sexy doubt.” 

And the decade old rumor that Tom Morello is going to cover this someday.

Heads up, this one has the explicit tag, and we spend a good while on what the song was about then and what it is about now.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe

Coming at you with a friggin’ power-pop song today. Hurry Up Sundown may seem like a shimmery, empty, late-summer dream, but Rob drops a homily in here that would make even the harshest shut-up-and-singer reconsider.

Since it’s side two, track one, Bruce reminds us that we are supposed to be having a good time here. It is a wall of sound power pop song, it is almost entirely one guy playing everything he could find in the room, and it has never been performed live for a human audience. Not once. We have thoughts about that.

Is it a straightforward pop song, or is it an ode to the plight of the worker and cry for the night that follows a hard day?

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit alphabeticalspringsteen.substack.com/subscribe