If you know anything about Bruce, then you’re acquainted with the fact that his catalogue has been rehashed to fit just about every genre of music man has been able to cook up since Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. debuted back in 1973, sometimes to classic acclaim, sometimes to the criminally sinful. Yes, with a few easy Google searches, you can find a dubstep version of “Dancing in the Dark,” “Streets of Philadelphia” via Gregorian chant, a trip-hop version of “Because of the Night,” etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, so we figured as a retort we’d toss out twenty-five tracks that we’d like to see The Boss tailor to his style.
I won’t bother giving any more of an introduction, as you’re probably already scrolling through as I jabber, so check it out, throw up your thoughts, and post your own personal cover wishes below.
Elton John - "Bennie and The Jets"
Rocket Man’s uptempo kicker is built for that layered E Street sound and background chant, and it’s not hard to imagine The Boss doing the lyrics some justice by running the sandpaper over them. A Bruce and E Street cover would undoubtedly hold down that same anthemic feel-good sound; it would just earn some more density.
Grizzly Bear – "Shift (Alternate Version)"
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams' characters in Blue Valentine were classic Springsteen material--how amazing would it be to hear him Nebraska-ize this Grizzly Bear favorite?
Fiona Apple - "Shadowboxer"
While he would have to flip-flop the female-to-male aim, Fiona’s soulful vocals and piano driven sounds beg for some Bruce grit and Roy Bittan keys.
Marvin Gaye - "What’s Going On"
Marvin takes things on the softer side here topically, but if you toss in the rough tones of The Boss and fill in the E Street cornucopia, you’ve suddenly got an instrumental epic where Bruce would most likely be the least important piece of the equation.
The Clash – "Spanish Bombs"
The Boss does a mean version of the title track, but this lesser known London Calling classic would make a great duet with Little Steven. Can't you just imagine him wailing, "Oh my corazon!" over Bruce's Telecaster thrashing?
Neil Young – “Words (Between The Lines Of Age)”
We’ve seen Bruce do some work on Neil Young before, but mostly on the mainstream end, so the slow-down “Words (Between The Lines of Age)” with it’s raw solo interludes, clamoring pace and shout-based chorus is ready-built for some adoption.
Radiohead – “Electioneering”
The obvious question here is how could Bruce tackle Thom Yorke’s pitch; well, given that “Electioneering” is one of Radiohead’s more distortion-heavy records where Yorke strays from his spectral vocal style, it’s not difficult to see The Boss picking up the basics and allowing the E Street to make a few altercations to get the fit.
Fleetwood Mac – “The Chain”
The song pretty much explains itself; it’s loaded down with choral tradeoffs, chants, refrains and a hitting pace reminiscent of Bruce and company’s usual work. Stevie Nicks isn’t really necessary, but it could be worthwhile.
Arcade Fire – "Keep The Car Running"
Bruce's current expanded E Street Band lineup could kick out a killer version of Arcade Fire's bustling Neon Bible anthem. The Canadian troupe have torn a few pages from the Springsteen playbook--why not return the favor?
Stone Temple Pilots – "Plush"
A power chord-heavy march through this grunge classic (think Darkness On The Edge Of Town-era punk grit) would make a great mid-setlist shake-up.
David Bowie - “Five Years”
An E Street-ready chorus with some heavy horn additions and a solid saxophone from Big Man’s nephew to replace the strings--it only makes sense. “5 Years” has that great building quality where the song only gets bigger as it goes along, which is something Bruce and E Street do best.
The Beatles – "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
Apropos of nothing, I've always imaged a stark acoustic rendition of this song could be positively blood chilling--who better than Springsteen to bring it to cold, chilling reality?
Ray Charles - “Lonely Avenue”
I know it’s the usual run-to genre in terms of Bruce cover requests, but the tromping blues walk pace of Ray’s classic are something too tailor-made for Springsteen to nod away.
Ike and Tina Turner - “Three O’clock In The Morning Blues”
In terms of adaptation, I wouldn’t say Bruce would have to stray too far from the basics laid down by Ike and Tina on this one. Vamping up the guitar runs is always welcome, but we’d let Bruce handle that.
The White Stripes – "I'm Slowly Turning Into You"
You know any Springsteen-ized White Stripes jam would sound crushingly amazing, but those tasty organ riffs would give Bruce and Roy Bittan a chance to show down
Aloe Blacc - “I Need A Dollar”
Sonically, Aloe Blacc’s got everything Bruce has always used; instrumentally, E Street could turn this one into a goliath; contextually, this is purely Bruce’s kind of music, so it only makes sense that The Boss and company could pick it up and let instinct take over.
Beck – "Nobody's Fault But My Own"
Beck's melancholy Mutations staple is already a stark classic, but Bruce's stripped down guitar/harmonica arrangement would bring it to a whole other level of awesomeness.
Townes Van Zandt - “Tecumseh Valley”
In terms of work, Townes definitely carries some kin to the lighter sides of Bruce, so it’s only proper that they trade off a track or two from time so that we can get some Nebraska-esque adaptations. If we had it our way, we’d just ask Bruce to cover all of Townes’ Rear View Mirror, but I think twenty-five songs is already a heavy enough request.
Arctic Monkeys – "She's Thunderstorms"
Come on, you know Bruce has to be a fan. This black leather jacket meets switchblade romance new classic is just begging for the E Street Band treatment--I bet Nils Lofgren could pull off a spot-on Alex Turner backup vocal.
Leadbelly – "Where Did You Sleep Last Night"
No one could bring more workingman gravitas to this blues classic (famously covered by Nirvana and countless others) than The Boss. Would make a perfect segue into "The Ghost Of Tom Joad," don't you think?
Dolly Parton - “Jolene”
So, Bruce would have to step into character for this one to work since it’s coming from the female perspective, but toss him in the ray of solo spotlight on a stool with a harmonica and acoustic, and you’ve got everything you need for one of his loudly-quiet narratives.
Pink Floyd - "Echoes" Bear with me here: yes, this is completly out of Bruce and the E Street crew's element, but just imagine 23 minutes of nearly freeform solos, funk breaks, haunting recessions, and completely spaced out cohesion. It would work. Just trust me.
The Animals - “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”
Just a great chance for Bruce to put the guitar down for a second and do some key work while maintaining his full voice.
Bill Withers - “Use Me”
There’s always been plenty of funk in Springsteen and E Streets’ sounds, and the elements of “Use Me” allow plenty of elbow room for them to flesh out on the instrumentals to provide a groove-heavy rehash. Marry some horns to the baseline, tag some bongos alongside Max on the drums, and you’ll see the idea in mind.
Bob Dylan - “Girl From North Country”
I won’t say that Bruce can make this one more depressing that Dylan does, but he could surely put a solid run at it. Personally, I’d be satisfied with a Nashville Skyline collab on the track like Johnny Cash and Bobby did, but that’s just a pipe dream…unless Bob Dylan’s voice gets better
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Comments (5)
Howard Liebers:
Great list. He did actually perform Keep the Car Running with Arcade Fire in Ottawa back in Oct 2007. It was pretty fantastic, and on the YouTube somewhere.
July 2, 2012
Katie Zaborsky:
Awesome list. I'd add "Alex Chilton" by The Replacements, too. I think that song was made for Bruce's vocals.
Comments (5)