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This week’s Song of the Week is Bruce Springsteen’s classic “The River.” “The River” closed side two of Springsteen’s album of the same name, which was released in October 1980. The song had originally been intended for the single album “The Ties That Bind”, but that album was dropped and became “The River” when additional material was added. The song was also released on single in Europe in the summer of 1981.

The moody harmonica intro sets the tone for a tale of regret and stifled ambition. Springsteen tells the story of a young man whose aspirations and carefree teenage existence are disrupted by the unexpected pregnancy of his girlfriend. The man goes from romancing his girl on the banks of the river, to marrying her on news of the pregnancy and then struggling to pick up regular construction work in a poor economy. As in Joni Mitchell’s song “River” from a decade earlier, Springsteen’s river provides a metaphorical route of escape from his humdrum existence, reminding him of an easier time when his dreams were still alive.

Springsteen performed “The River” live before it appeared on record. The familiar early live performance of “The River” that gets airplay on the music channels was the live debut of the song at the Musicians United for Safe Energy concerts at Madison Square Garden in September 1979. This performance was featured in the 1980 movie “No Nukes.”

“The River” remains one of the more intense and powerful performances in Springsteen’s live show.

Bruce Springsteen – “The River”

Authorship

Bruce Springsteen wrote the words and music for “The River.”

Recording date/location

“The River” was recorded July-August 1979 at The Power Station in New York.

Musicians

The following musicians appeared on “The River”:

• Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, harmonica
• Roy Bittan – piano
• Danny Federici – organ
• Garry Tallent – bass
• Steven Van Zandt – guitar
• Max Weinberg – drums.

Chart performance

“The River” reached number 35 on the UK singles chart, but fared better in other parts of Europe, including top ten positions in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. It was not released on single in the US.

The album “The River” was the first of Springsteen’s many number one albums in the US. It also hit number one in Canada and missed the top spot by one place in the UK.

Covers

There have been very few covers of “The River”, but here’s two very different takes on the Springsteen classic.

Angelo Kelly – “The River”

Angelo Kelly featured “The River” on his 2008 album “Up Close Live.” This solo acoustic version sticks pretty close to the original arrangement. Kelly is also inspired by Springsteen’s vocal style, although he does make an effort to put his own stamp on the song with some interesting phrasing.

The Clarks – “The River”

American rock band The Clarks covered “The River” on the 2003 multi-artist charity release “Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen.” It was also featured on their 2004 album “Strikes and Gutters 2: Doublewide.” It’s a likeable enough souped-up version of the song, but lacks the drama of the original.

The Clark’s cover has to be viewed directly on YouTube – The Clarks – “The River”

There will be a new Song of the Week on March 7.

“The River” is available on the album “The River”, which can be purchased individually or as part of last year’s great value seven-album set “Bruce Springsteen: The Collection 1973-84.”

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Bruce Springsteen – The Collection 1973-84 (8 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now