The Ghost Of Tom Joad

This is a treat. I used to be a peripheral fan of Bruce Springsteen. I had the live box on vinyl thanks to a friend who was a huge fan, but not necessarily of the box - and for the longest time I was convinced that was the only thing you really needed of him. But I have gradually built my collection - and my conviction that I needed more came with the album The Ghost of Tom Joad from 1995. It was a great collection of folk song, and to me it was more than just a return to form, as I really saw it as a great artistic statement.

The title track was an early favorite of mine, and it was later covered by Rage Against The Machine - but not in a way that I really cared all that much for. However, in 2009, during the 25th anniversary of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts, Springsteen included the guitarist of RATM, Tom Morello, who also has done a lot of folk music under the moniker The Nightwatchman, and while the original had been interesting, Morello's lead guitar work takes the song to new heights for me. Shivers and goosebumps all over - here is The Ghost of Tom Joad.

July 11 - The River

Today's song starts a tribute to blue-collar rock lyrics. I am not sure how far it's going to go yet, but I am going to try. The first song is a really great song that I quote in my classes fairly regularly. It's a song about what happens when you let choices make you rather than making the choices yourself - or it's a song about unfulfilled potential. Or, it can simply be a song about love dying - or missing what was. Or, of course, all of the above. But the imagery is beautiful, and the music and delivery of the lyrics really help underline that. Just listen to how he speeds up the vocals, almost brimming with joy of the memories when he sings "I remember us riding...". And then the desperation - "Now those memories come back to haunt me"

The Rivee is such a great song that it deserves being played again and again. I know I have a lot of friends back home who went to see him recently on his tour with The River, revisiting the album, and that really inspired this selection.

June 17 - Because The Night

So what constitutes a cover version? Today's song is really asking that question. When Bruce Springsteen was recording his Darkness On The Edge Of Town album he was in the same studio complex with Patti Smith, who was recording Easter, and they both used Jimmy Iovine as their producer. Springsteen wrote Because The Night, but Patti Smith ended up being the one recording it and using it at the time, so she has the originally published recorded version of it, and it went on to become her biggest hit. So the question is, can you make a cover version of a song you wrote yourself? I am leaning that way. I still feel Prince's version of Nothing Compares 2 U is a cover version of Sinead O'Connor's version - even though Prince wrote it. I am positive some of you will disagree completely - and that is perfectly fine. However, as the plan for this week materialized, counting Because The Night as a cover version becomes a really nice link in the chain.

Anyway, I really like Patti Smith's version, but when Springsteen released this live version on his Live box set, I really like the power he adds to it. Please enjoy!