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Saxophone. Awesome.
2. YOU'LL BE COMIN' DOWN
This song has a distinctly 60s feeling to it, and Springsteen's vocals are very, very good here notable for the man who is arguably not the greatest singer (and I love the guy). A "she done him wrong" song? Sounds like it (except I wonder if the line about "crushed metal of your little flying machine" is a war reference)? The lines "You'll be fine as long as your pretty face holds out / Then it's gonna get pretty cold out'' reminds me of the favorite TUNNEL OF LOVE track WHEN YOU'RE ALONE: "Now that pretty form that you've got baby / Will make sure you get along." Smooth, smoldering vocals, great guitars. This is a track to play again and again and crank it on the car stereo - I LOVE this song.
3. LIVIN' IN THE FUTURE
"My ship Liberty sailed away / on a bloody red horizon." Another song that feels like an outtake from BITUSA (or THE RIVER - definite nods to HUNGRY HEART here) - familiar, but fresh. Very powerful, and damned scary. As Springsteen explained on the TODAY SHOW on September 28: "So now, in the last six years, we've had to add to the American picture: rendition, illegal wiretapping, voter suppression, no habeas corpus, the neglect of our great city of New Orleans and her people, an attack on the Constitution, and the loss of our best young men and women in a tragic war. This is a song about things that shouldn't happen here, happening here. And so right now we plan to do something about it, we plan to sing about it. I know it's early, but it's late..."
Springsteen talks about so many bad things happening to America in 2007, but don't worry darling, none of this has happened yet, right? Right? Right?
4. YOUR OWN WORST ENEMY
This one should have been a B-Side. Not that B-Sides even exist anymore (or 45s, or ALBUMS, for that matter) but this one sounds and feels like something more suited for "TRACKS II" ten years from now. There's an obvious allusion to the world before and after September 11, but the sound, the lyrics, the vocals Nothing on this one is compelling to me. The song feels unfinished, a work in progress and sort of a throwaway. Reading the Magic tour's set lists (as of November 13), Springsteen only played this one a few times. For me, it stalls the momentum built up so far.
5. GYPSY BIKER
One of the most powerful songs on this album. From the opening guitar and harmonica, you think "THE RIVER." Haunting. Beautiful. And interestingly, if you are familiar with the Gordon Lightfoot classic, "The Wreck
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