The Most Un-Springsteen Springsteen Songs

With the recent release of Tracks II, there’s been a renewed interest in looking back at Bruce Springsteen’s storied career and the true art of crafting rock songs that both rock and manage to suck in the listener through meaningful lyrics. While Tracks II might not be the greatest example of Springsteen’s songwriting prowess, he’s had his share of songs that have made you pump your fist or yearn for something beyond your current existence. He’s developed a reputation for dreaming bigger (“Born to Run,” “Thunder Road”), recognizing that there’s hope beyond certain forces that try to keep you down (“Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “Atlantic City”) and of course a certain sense of patriotism and Americana (“Born in the USA,” “The Rising.”)

Then there are a few Springsteen songs that, for whatever reason, whether it be the music or the lyrics, you pause and say, “This is a Springsteen song?” They don’t fit neatly into the collection he’s amassed over more than 50 years. But that’s not to say that they’re not great songs.

Here are some of the most Un-Springsteen Springsteen songs:

“New York City Serenade”

New York has played a role in Springsteen tracks from “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” to “Incident on 57^th Street.” And while the lyrics to “New York City Serenade” scream classic Bruce, it’s the music that doesn’t. The song was off his second album, The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle, released in 1973. The lyrics are about characters Bruce imagines existing in New York, including Billy, Diamond Jackie, and the Fish Lady, who are just trying to survive in the ultimate urban landscape. We’ve seen Bruce’s share of characters in other songs, including Bad Scooter and Blind Terry, but it’s the way he eases into “New York City Serenade” that makes you wake up and notice a difference. The song times out at close to ten minutes; the first few minutes are a guitar strumming followed by a haunting piano solo from David Sancious (a member of the E Street Band at the time) until the acoustic guitar returns.

It’s more than just a beautiful intro to a rock song. It’s a prelude to ease you into what a Springsteen New York vision is about to look like, and I would argue does not sound like any other Springsteen song. The other part that stands out is his mid-song breakdown about the Fish Lady who won’t take the train. It wakes you up out of what’s been a smooth and whispery song and then drops you right back in when the repetitive break is over. The song is almost a fevered dream of a stylized, romanticized New York City. It’s also the one song I always play for people who tell me they don’t like Bruce Springsteen, and by the end of the piano intro, they’re hooked.

“Surprise, Surprise”

A simple song about your birthday? “Surprise, Surprise” sounds less like a Springsteen song and more like a fluffy 60’s tune. Off the Working on a Dream album in 2009, “Surprise, Surprise” is a complete departure from the Springsteen lyrics we’ve come to expect. There’s no grander vision, no bigger curiosity, no larger-than-life characters with nothing left to lose, and certainly no greater love. It’s a song about blowing out candles and letting “Your love shine down.”

Springsteen said the song came to him in a dream, and he woke up and wrote it down, and that’s exactly what it seems like. Just a fun positive take where he says, “May the rising sun caress and bless your soul for all your life.” If you’d told me the guy who wrote and sang “Jungleland” and “The River” also wrote this track, I’d say no way. But I guess as we get older, sometimes it’s just fun to “Raise a glass or two.”

“Better Days”

“Better Days” was the first single from Springsteen’s Lucky Town album, released the same day as the Human Touch album in 1992.  And it sounds exactly like you’d expect a Springsteen song to sound, with rocking guitars and a banging drum. Even the lyrics start off as Bruce lyrics: “Well, my soul checked out missing as I sat listening to the hours and minutes ticking away.” But then the song takes a positive turn, and he begins to exclaim how these are better days. They are “better days with a girl like you.” The man who was “Born to Run” and wore a “Brilliant Disguise” has finally found peace with a woman. Nothing was “Lost in the Flood,” and there were no “Streets of Fire.”

Bruce Springsteen’s writing had turned once he found familial bliss with Patti Scialfa. When these two albums were released in 1992, Bruce had two children and a new wife. This song (and mostly this album) was a departure from the guy who had been packing people into cars, looking for something out there that was bigger than himself. He found it. We’ve heard similar positive songs since then from Springsteen, but when this track first dropped, it was a major shift in Bruce’s writing.

-Robert Matvan

Photo: Getty Images