Back in the mid-late 1960s, I studied film history at the University of Maryland under an eccentric little man named G. Charles Niemeyer. He showed us classic silent pictures on a projector—that’s how long ago it was—and we would see him crossing campus in his goggly spectacles and baggy overcoat, muttering to himself like Mr. Magoo, lugging at the end of both arms enormous, burlap-strapped valises containing his treasured reels of film.
Dr. Niemeyer’s exams were unlike any other. They consisted almost entirely of list questions. “List D.W. Griffith’s six greatest films, in order of artistic achievement.” Dr. Niemeyer had already decided what they were—with no explanation as to what the basis was—and demanded only that we memorize them in their exact order and parrot them back.
This was folly but it relieved us of having to tax our taste or judgment. It settled all arguments, since Dr. Niemeyer’s rankings were definitive and unassailable. Life itself, let us agree, is an easier proposition when you’ve got a list.
So, over this extended snowed-in weekend, rocking out to the Boss and mulling over eternity, I was thinking: What could I do—beyond what I’ve already done in life—to mark me as an eccentric old guy imposing his useless and arbitrary opinions on others?
And the result is as follows. Allow me to present…
1. Born to Run
2. The Rising
3. Thunder Road
4. Jungle Land
5. Backstreets
6. Rosalita
7. Badlands
8. Lonesome Day
9. Human Touch
10. The Promised Land
11. Night
12. She’s the One
13. Meeting Across the River
14. Growin’ Up
15. The River
16. Blinded by the Light
17. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
18. It’s Hard to Be a Saint in the City
19. For You
20. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
21. New York City Serenade
22. Further On Up the Road
23. Better Days
24. Two Hearts
25. I Wish I Were Blind
26. Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
27. Bobby Jean
28. The Ties that Bind
29. I Wanna Marry You
30. Dancing in the Dark
31. I’m on Fire
32. Prove It All Night
33. Brilliant Disguise
34. Glory Days
35. Out in the Street
36. Atlantic City
37. Secret Garden
38. Streets of Philadelphia
39. Hungry Heart
40. I’m a Rocker
41. Mary’s Place
42. Candy’s Room
43. Gypsy Biker
44. Tunnel of Love
45. Man’s Job
46. Tougher than the Rest
47. The Girls in Their Summer Clothes
48. Fade Away
49. Radio Nowhere
50. Life Itself
*In ranking the Boss’s songs, I excluded covers and traditionals, live albums, and—for reasons that I hope need no explaining—“Outlaw Pete.”
Dr. Niemeyer would never have asked, but I will: What do you think?
Ted the Cat (1994-present) is a domestic shorthair blogger and vers libre poet. He also enjoys sleeping, eating, and lurking. Ted the Cat co-habits with Kaze,
also a blogger at 317am.net.
Have I missed something? No "Born in the USA." Is this a set up? Are you a commie? What gives? This list is broken.
I never liked "Born in the USA."
Well, Kaze…I'm going to object to this entire list on principle alone. I just don't like Bruce. Never have, suppose I never will. And don't get me started on The Who!! Why did they play at halftime of the SB last night? I wouldn't even put them on a Top 5 list.
Now, if we want to talk Greatest Rock/Pop Acts of All-Time, my Top 5 would go:
1) The Beatles
2) Led Zeppelin
3) The Stones (early stuff…anthing after 1982 is rubbish)
4) The Beach Boys
5) U2 (okay, I know this one will rankle a few but you have to put someone here from the last 30 years. In terms of pure revolutionary sound, I could have put Radiohead on here…but seeing as how this list sits below a Bruce Springsteen Top 50 songs list, I thought going Radiohead in a Top 5 would really blow minds).
What is it about Bruce that most people over the age of 40 just adore? I must be an outlier here.
Upon further reflection, I'd like to remove U2 and add The Clash. While many credit the Sex Pistols for bringing punk mainstream, The Clash's style was more eclectic than just noise and anger. The Clash also relied upon reggae.
While it's not better to die young (RIP Joe Strummer), it's better to go out on top like The Clash. They wouldn't have hung onto the past like the Stones or the Who. There's something unsightly about guys like Neil Young and pretty much every member of The Stones and The Who who refuse to call it a day and instead continue to put out crap. Is this all too opinionated?
What, you're not supposed to be opinionated? Who would you be, then? I'm mostly with you on the "old rockers" business. One day the Who's singing "Hope I die before I get old.." and the next thing, they're old and on the Superbowl halftime show. But sometimes I can forgive the oldsters, because they get something the rest of us never get–showers of cheers, audiences of endless thousands, people memorizing their songs and singing along, girls swaying dreamily and god knows what else…who'd want to retire to Sarasota?
As for Bruce Springsteen, he is the greatest living human. How's that for an opinion?
Don't worry there are Springsteen fans under 40.
Any list of greatest Springsteen songs looks fine to me as long as "57 Channels" and "Outlaw Pete" are absent from the list.
I hammered out a list of my top twenty Springsteen songs a couple of years ago…
http://zorkapatrol.blogspot.com/2008/03/top-twenty-springsteen-songs.html
Ryan
What a great posting, Kaze, all about Woody Guthrie's heir that took it to a higher level by a magnitude or three.
"Born down in a dead man's town, the first kick I took was when I hit the ground, end up like a dog that's been beat too much, and you spend half your life tryin' to cover it up." Hard to believe you never liked this song, particularly given the context that when the Reagan campaign adopted it as a triumphal anthem for a bit, Bruce had to let them know they had totally missed the point. Had the campaign folks understood what Bruce was getting at, they would've run the other way.
Just a couple more notes. The long spoken story intro on the three-record "Live" album (1985) that explodes into "The River" is one of the finest moments in the Bruce canon, imho. Happy to see the song made #15 on your list.
And for sheer menace and nihilistic simmering, "Mr. State Trooper" on the Nebraska album has me looking over my shoulder every time. (Not to mention the album's title cut on its own stark weather merits.)
Pretty much an impossible task to rank order any of these songs! — in the wee wee hours, your mind gets hazy, radio relay towers, come take me to my baby …
Maddog – We can leave off "41 Shots," too. I'm checking out zorkapatrol right now.
Anonymous – Great post, fella. I left off all of Nebraska, but that's just taste on the part of a guy who gets up to hit the men's room every time Bruce begins "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Left off most of the stuff since The Rising, too.
I didn't much care for how the Obama campaign used "The Rising." I know Bruce said it was okay, but "The Rising" was a hymn, and it was specifically about men dying for us and going to heaven. I just wanted the campaign to pick some other song. (Right now "Glory Days" sounds about right.) As for the Reagan campaign using "Born in the USA," I remember it well. It was like having your parents trying to be hip and getting it utterly, completely, comically wrong.
Maddog (Ryan) – I checked out your list. I like it! I also like that you explained your picks. Here's the url again in case others are interested:
http://zorkapatrol.blogspot.com/2008/03/top-twenty-springsteen-songs.html
Kaze….
Bruce "the greatest living human being"…very strong words about someone who wasn't even nominated for a Noble Peace prize (uh-hem, Bono). Even with Bono's pomp, he does use his fame for some good purposes. Not that Bruce doesn't, he does. I just wanted to continue my crusade to have Bono win the Nobel because why not?
Why not? Because Bono is a wonderful A-list musical talent, but he's as tedious as a U.S. senator. Be honest: Cross-country bus trip… Bono or John Kerry? Tough call.
Nice list. Thanks for sharing. I must say I like Born in the USA especially the acoustic version. I am also a pretty big Nebraska fan, but Springsteen's catalogue is large that it seems reasonable for someone to make a list without Nebraska songs…
(another Springsteen fan under 40)
I don't think you want to play Nebraska when you're under two or three feet of snow, like we are here in DC, and it's really dark and cold outside and there's a blizzard predicted by morning.
I would've ranked Tunnel of Love and Brilliant Disguise higher, certainly higher than Dancing in the Dark. But I'm with you on the top three for sure. After that, you could argue for something close to a tie for 4th most the way down through the list. Not that I'm knocking Dancing in the Dark. As I recall, and I do recall, it hit the spot in its day.
I do agree that Elizabeth doesn't need Nebraska while buried in snow. Now's when you need a Dancing in the Dark pick-me-up, a little two-steppin' and finger snapping around the living room. Dance, Lizzie, dance! (Hey, look what it did for Courtney Cox.) "another Springsteen fan under 40"? Kaze, I'm offended for her! A rare breed at her tender age. Are there more than 3 of them?
GS