Boss: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - The Illustrated History by Gillian G. Gaar

Author:Gillian G. Gaar [Gaar, Gillian G.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Voyageur Press
Published: 2016-06-09T16:00:00+00:00

“Streets of Philadelphia”

“Born to Run” might be Springsteen’s signature song (with “Born in the U.S.A.” another contender for that title), but “Streets of Philadelphia” is also one of his most notable works.

Springsteen wrote the song for Jonathan Demme’s AIDS drama Philadelphia. As he had with the songs for Nebraska, Springsteen recorded what he thought was a demo, accompanying himself on guitar, bass, synthesizer, and a drum machine. Demme had wanted a more rousing number, but the song’s restrained performance undeniably tugged on the heartstrings. Springsteen had vocalist Tommy Sims overdub some backing vocals, and the song was done.

“Streets of Philadelphia” has one of Springsteen’s most evocative vocals. When he sings of feeling himself fading away, you believe him; unlike in his other songs, there’s no hope of redemption at the end. Knowing it would be hard to lip sync convincingly to such an emotional song, Springsteen sang a live vocal in the song’s video.

“Streets of Philadelphia” swiftly became one of Springsteen’s most acclaimed numbers when released as a single, hitting the Top 10 in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and topping the charts in Canada, Austria, Germany, Norway, Italy, Ireland, and France. It also received a clutch of honors, from Grammys to an Oscar, and, as Springsteen said, introduced him to a whole new audience.

Be sure to seek out the original single version, which is longer than the version on Greatest Hits and The Essential Bruce Springsteen.

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