The songs of Bruce Springsteen: My 101 favourites. Songs 101-97

101) You’re Missing

Album: The Rising (2002)

Well, we had to start somewhere. "You're Missing" comes from the 2002 album "The Rising".  

We all know the story of "The Rising" and why it was written. "You’re Missing" is probably the most touching track to appear on the album. The song contains many poignant moments, and this is due to Bruce’s way with words, which force commanding imagery upon you. The delicate piano introduction, followed by the violin, which remains throughout, really allows you to empathise with what is happening and feel the heartbreaking tone the song demands. The organ to close the song out is a superb touch while adding more to the song, it remains true to the poignancy the song deserves.

It’s sad to think that so many wives would have been feeling this way, knowing that their husbands would never be coming home, and would have been waiting in vain.

Underrated tune which sadly hasn’t been played since the Devils and Dust tour, when it made a sole appearance in New York. Was played at 97 Rising shows. Will be a huge surprise to see it again. But with Bruce, we know too well to never say never.

So sad.

100) Countin On A Miracle

Album: The Rising (2002)

By sheer coincidence we have yet another song to come from "The Rising."

Another forgotten track of The Rising. It's like that entire record has faded into obscurity bar the title track, "Lonesome Day", and let's not forget everyone's favourite sing-along, "Waitin' On A Sunny Day". While "Countin’ On A Miracle" may seem just like a simple rock song, we know Bruce does simple well.

While there is nothing about "Countin' On A Miracle" to blow you  away or makes it rise above other songs that make it great, it garnishes solid marks across the board. An intro with an acoustic guitar completely leads you astray before Bruce's vocals and the band come crashing in.

From there, it grabs your attention and manages to hold on long enough for you to stay hooked. The breakdown during the bridge where Bruce's vocal is backed by a violin is a masterstroke.

The lyrics, while nowhere near profound, do a solid enough job for my mind, and the violin, though not prominent enough in my opinion, adds a great a mix to it. Clarence's sax (although it kind of gets lost in the music) is great if  your ears are trained well enough to hear it. Garry's bass slides through the song with relative ease and is one of the highlights. 

99) Glory Days

Album: Born In The USA (1984)

Look, I’m not going to lie. For a long time I really didn’t like "Glory Days". It's one of the songs, that I'm sure as many of you know, is on rotation with about five other Springsteen songs on the radio. I grew sick of it quickly and it kind of just sat there for a while.

However, I saw some sort of light and realized it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I’m not going to bore you with what the song is about. It is fun though, you can understand why it’s in the encores. It gets everyone up and singing and BUMS out of seats! It really takes off live and raises the roof and atmosphere ten fold. Suddenly, it's like everyone has been injected with a needle of fun and the smile cannot be wiped from nobody's face while "Glory Days" is in session.

I remember at Hanging Rock 1 when he played it (I was unfortunately not in the pit for that show), there was a guy who was a row behind me who absolutely went nuts when this came on. It was great to see and it’s reassuring to know what one person may not enjoy entirely, it is gold to another person. It was definitely fun to see him screaming at the top of his lungs and dancing around like nobody cared. Let's be honest, it is a song that is so much better live. The energy it creates in the crowd is electrifying and it really gets people moving.

For me, it’s alright. Good song when you’re drunk. Music is nothing spectacular, lyrics are middle of the range. But I can forgive Bruce for that. It was the 80s, and let’s be honest, this song is from an album is what propelled him to superstardom, and for that, I can be grateful.

98) The Wall

Album: High Hopes (2014)

Coming in at 98 has absolutely no reflection on the quality of this song, absolutely none. Quite possibly the best song to come off "High Hopes."

I'm finding it difficult to put into words how good "The Wall" actually is. It's an incredibly profound and moving song, which tells the story of a soldier going MIA in Vietnam.

While only a short song, the lyrics are deep and stand up well enough on their own without the support of the music. But, the simple arrangement should not be neglected. The strumming of the guitar paired with the vocal  (and some minimal piano work) for the majority of the song set the scene of sadness. Organs and drums later follow to add to the final verse, along with the use of an accordion, and provide a perfect backing under Springsteen's soft vocal. The trumpet which immediately follows when the vocals come to an end and has a real military sound to it, which is then followed by a somewhat military beat to coincide with the lyrics.

97) When You’re Alone

Alum: Tunnel of Love (1986)

“But there's things that'll knock you down you don't even see coming”

“When you’re alone, you ain’t nothing but alone”

Those two lines say a lot. While so straightforward and obvious, it’s something that doesn’t actually become known to us until we sit down and think about it. Then it has the impact to really hit home. Maybe that's how Bruce felt at the time, if the song is auto-biographical.

Coming from "Tunnel of Love", we saw a whole different side of Springsteen on this album. He was vulnerable, hurt, confused, he was in a failing marriage and I guess his way of dealing with all of that was the "Tunnel Of Love" album.

It's a beautiful song, especially when stripped back and it's just him on the piano. It becomes much more raw and the lyrics are there for you to really pay attention to. It's kind of like "The Promise" in that aspect, you realise just how said it is when it is raw and it becomes much more confrontational. Done with the band it is still by no means a joyous song. You can hear the melancholic feel the song carries on its back that it never shakes off.