Darkness On The Edge Of Town by Bruce Springsteen

Album: Darkness On The Edge Of Town (1978)

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Many of Springsteen's earlier songs, particularly on his 1975 Born To Run album, deal with hopes, dreams, and escape from the mundane. "Darkness On The Edge Of Town" is when harsh reality sets in. The guy in the song has been beaten down - he's lost his money and his wife - but he's resilient, still making a go of it out where most folks don't venture.
As with many songs he wrote at the time, Springsteen came up with the title for this one first. He said: "I had that title and said, 'Well, I'd better come up with something that deserves that title.' That's what I was always very, very good at - I didn't have any problem thinking really hard about what I was doing."
This is the title track to Springsteen's fourth album, and the last one on the tracklist. It's a very somber album, inspired in part by conversations Bruce had with friends and relatives in New Jersey - he picked up on a lot of suffering with a faint hope for the future.

As for Springsteen, his wildest dreams came true when Born To Run caught fire in 1975, but just a year later, he found himself embroiled in a legal squabble with his first manager, Mike Appel, that kept him from recording. So he had fame and money, but he didn't have the freedom to do what he loved - something many of us struggle with in some form. When he finally settled the lawsuits and started recording again in 1977, he set out to express this dismay, leaving just flickers of light in the darkness. He made sure the whole album fit this theme and even gave away two hits he could have included: "Because The Night," which went to Patti Smith, and "Fire," which The Pointer Sisters recorded.
At one point, the album was going to be called "American Madness," after a 1932 Frank Capra movie about life in America during the depression.
This isn't the kind of rousing anthem that you would think of as a concert favorite, but Springsteen has played it live throughout his career, and has stated that it is best expressed in concert because "the audience allows you to attack it with a lot more intensity." He included it on his first live album, Live 1975–85, released in 1986.
Springsteen explained that song "dealt with the idea that the setting for personal transformation is often found at the end of your rope."

Comments: 11

Bud from Quarryville PaThe feeling Springsteen puts into this song is incredible but then again he does this in all his songs.
Jim from Long Beach, Ca"If she wants to see me you can tell her that I'm easily found"..POWERFUL..
Barry from Sauquoit, NyI don' if this is a true fact, but was the 'darkness' album was to be originally titled
'Badlands' but another NJ artist release an album with that title as about the time that 'Darkness' was to be released???
Brian from Chicago, IlAs a therapist I totally get this as "personal transformation at the end of your rope." He is facing the darkness (the unknown, one's unconscious, or a change that is out of one's realm of sight). Things aren't working where he is (or, as who he is), so he has to go into the scary unknown, or otherwise let the fear force him to just stay and crumble with his dreams that have already been shattered ("I lost my money and I lost my wife."). The song needs a sequel about the light that he finds that saves him ...in the darkness on the edge of town.
John from Columbus, OhNot only a great song, but after adding it, it became the album title as well. Personally, my favorite Springsteen album by far. A masterpiece. It's a must have. Arguably, my number one album of all time.
Ken Thomson from Edmonton, AbBruce introduced this song into the Darkness sessions in Apr. 1978--long after the album's recording was apparently considered finished. He walked in and told his engineer that he had a brand new song he wanted to record--one that would basically "close" the album. After this track was recorded, Bruce dropped "The Promise" and "Don't Look Back" from the album's final cut because the former dealt too closely with his recent legal woes, and the latter would have made Side 2 of Darkness too harsh.
Scott from Detroit, MiI love this song...but it scared me. I thought Bruce was singing about my deep, dark past
Gene from San Diego, CaActually, this song feels like a foil of the previous album. In Born to Run, he sings about being a young racer, experiencing life and love and hope. In Darkness on the Edge of Town, he sings about being older, lost love and hope, and is wasting his life. Great song.
Steve from Fenton, MoIncredible song, masterfully sung.
Kyle from Belleville, CanadaGood song, fitting that it's at the end of the Darkness album, it just seems to sum the whole album up.
Anthony from Clearwater, FlThe Boss's best song, ever!

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