I have never been a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, but through the years I have gained an appreciation of his music and his talents as a songwriter. Ever more prevalent today, with the incredible success of an act like Arcade Fire, Springsteen's influence appears everywhere. Last night HBO aired Promise: Darkness On The Edge Of Town, the documentary of the making of his incredible 3rd album, and man I couldn't take my eyes off of it. It was really engrossing. What stood out to me was how he worked and wrote and slaved for just the right sound, just the right words to express how he was feeling at that moment in his life. The film showcases his growth as an artist whereas on his previous effort, Born To Run, Bruce and the band recorded 9 songs, 8 of which made the record. But on Darkness, Bruce exploded writing nearly 70 songs, all scribbled throughout a tattered notebook that held songs that still have never been released. One surprise that came out of the show was one of the main songs Bruce had written for the record, which never even made it, turned out to be Patti Smiths one and only hit, Because The Night. You see Bruce new it was a hit, in fact he new it could have been an incredible love song, but he didn't feel he was capable at that time to write the appropriate lyrics. Sharing a producer with Patti, Bruce suggested that she take the song because he felt she could make it work....which she did becoming a smash hit. The documentary will be airing again on HBO throughout the rest of the month however if you can't catch it a special edition boxed set of the original album plus the dvd of the special will be coming out on November 16th retailing for around $90 bucks.
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