Song No. 4 - Thunder Road

Song No.4 – Thunder Road written and performed by Bruce Springsteen

The screen door slams
Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again
I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside
darling you know just what I'm here for

What can I say about Bruce Springsteen and what can I say about Thunder Road. Both are top of any list on anything in my life I have ever accounted, not just music.  They are both works of art that should be enjoyed by all. If you have never spent time with this song then please do so now. As Nick Hornby says in his book 31 Songs

 ‘ I can remember listening to this song and loving it in 1975; I can remember listening to this song and loving it almost as much quite recently’.

I first heard it a little later than 1975 as I was a little bit late getting into Bruce Springsteen and I thank Malcolm who we shared a house with in the late 70s/early 80s who introduced to me to his music. I have now seen him live 3 times and I hope to see him many more times if he continues to tour. His last album ‘Wrecking Ball’ was my album of 2012.

Thunder Road underwent considerable evolution as it was written, with an early version titled "Wings for Wheels" first performed in February 1975. Other early versions also mention a girl named "Angelina" or "Christina" rather than the studio version's "Mary." It was the opening track on Born to Run and also opened his Live 1975-1985 album with a slower solo version.

Nick Hornby also states that he thinks he has heard this song more than any other song and not just by a small amount. He reckons he has heard Thunder Road 1,500 times over 25 years and the second song would only have just clocked up 500 plays. I think I am with him on this. Any Bruce Springsteen playlist I create always opens with Thunder Road.

It seems that many people feel a special affinity to this song. In 2008, years before ideas for his film ‘Cemetery Junction’ were put down in writing, Stephen Merchant mentioned his ambitions for the song on his self-titled BBC Radio Show:

"The more you listen to it the more you realize just how extraordinarily it is put together, and how it builds, and how it's just so cinematic. And that final line when he declares 'It's a town full of losers and we're pulling out of here to win', oh, goodness me! I've always wanted to make a movie of that song (...) I don't mean literally, I just mean a film that can invoke the spirit of that song." 

The film ‘Cemetery Junction’ which I actually quite like came out in 2010 and both Stephen Merchant and Ricky Gervais stated the script for Cemetery Junction was loosely based upon the lyrics of "Thunder Road".

The cast list is the E –Street band of the time and four of them are still playing with Bruce. The much missed Clarence Clemons has been replaced by his nephew Jake. Some of these names will I am sure appear again as they have played on many of my favourite songs.

Cast

Bruce Springsteen – guitar, vocals, harmonica

Gary Tallent – bass guitar

Max Weinberg – drums

Roy Bittan – piano, glockenspiel, backing vocals

Mike Appel – backing vocals

Steve Van Zandt – backing vocals

Clarence Clemons - saxaphone

Mobile Browser link to hear Thunder Road