1) I’m only writing a few notes this week, because of the length of The List. I am posting my top 25 Bruce Springsteen songs. Keep reading.
2) There is a God. Tony LaRussa and Albert Pujols attended the Glen Beck rally on the Mall. During the Cardinals’ next 25 games, the team won 8 and lost 17, thereby dropping out of playoff contention. Pujols hit .229, ending his bid for the Triple Crown.
3) The guy in the Cialis ad can’t perform because he strained himself lugging those 2 bathtubs into the woods.
4) On Saturday Night, the ABC sideline reporter said that Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist is the type of quarterback who plays better when he’s confident. What follows is a list of quarterbacks who play better when they are confused and unsure of themselves:
Links:
Ben Mankiewicz’s list of his favorite 25 Bruce Springsteen songs provoked my rebuttal, but it is also well thought out and deserves your attention.
Harlan Ellison, who wrote dark and brilliant science fantasy stories among other things, is dying. Here is an interview he did recently.
The Met has a new production of The Ring. I have included Alex Ross’s defense of the cost and Anthony Tommasini’s review of “Das Rheingold.”
Murray Sayle was an important foreign correspondent when newspapers still covered the world. I’ve included an obituary and a long remembrance of Viet Nam.
T.R. Reid wrote this piece about health care a couple of years ago. I just found it. It’s worth reading to dispel the myths about health care in other countries.
Vin Scully will return to broadcast the LA Dodgers next year. Here is a thoughtful piece about him.
The List:
So, Ben Mankiewicz has his list and I have mine. The last couple of weeks have been great. I’ve listened to and thought a lot about Springsteen’s songs. The first 2 records have some great songs, but often threaten to spiral out of control, both lyrically and in the music. I do miss the jazzy tone that Ernest Carter and David Sancious brought to the E Street Band.
BORN TO RUN was the most influential album of my youth. It’s still my favorite. The songs on BORN and on DARKNESS are tighter and more personal than his earlier records. The songs in these albums deal with emotions and ideas that are amazingly complex for someone as young as Bruce was when he wrote them. I could have easily filled this list with all of the songs from those 2 albums.
The next 3 E Street albums had some great songs but breathed easier, and, with BORN IN THE USA, reflected Bruce’s political awakening.
After the lost years of the studio musician CD’s, Springsteen produced many remarkable songs on THE RISING. Not coincidently, Bruce made it with the E Street Band. His later albums still have great songs, just not as many of them. It’s to be expected. Other than Thomas Hardy, I can’t think of a writer who was better at 60 than he was at 40.
Springsteen has been able to combine the personal with the political; the disquieting with the exuberant; the profound with the frivolous. I like the diversity. My list reflects it.
25) Outlaw Pete
24) Growing Up
23) Atlantic City
22) Born in the USA
21) 10th Avenue Freeze Out
20) Magic
19) The Promised Land
18) Empty Sky
17) Bobby Jean
16) Brilliant Disguise
15) New York City Serenade
14) Because the Night
13) The Rising
12) Bad Lands
11) Incident on 57th Street
10) Lonesome Day
9) Back Streets
8) Working on a Dream
7) Rosalita
6) Waiting on a Sunny Day
5) Born to Run
4) The River
3) Darkness on the Edge of Town
2) Thunder Road
1) Jungle Land
If you send me your list of favorite Springsteen songs, I’ll post it next week. You do not have to include 25 songs. Give me your top 10 or 15 if you’d prefer.
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