There were over 31 songs to choose from when Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were making their fourth album, Darkness On the Edge of Town. In order to maintain the cohesiveness they wanted throughout the entire album, they only used 10. The others were pushed away and forgotten. But after 32 years, these lost songs finally get the recognition they deserve on Springsteen's latest, The Promise.
The album starts off with ""Racing In the Street,"" a song about running only on hope, an idea Springsteen has shown he knows all too well. The song starts slow with Springsteen singing story-like lyrics about difficult times in New Jersey and a car that will get him out. The song builds to a high-energy climax with roaring lyrics and a big band to back it up, eventually ending with a classic Springsteen harmonica solo. Although ""Racing In the Street"" was on Darkness On the Edge of Town, it feels brand new on The Promise.
Its thumping drums and loud lyrics make ""Outside Looking In"" a highpoint on the record. The song is a mere two minutes and 18 seconds long, but it doesn't feel like a last minute addition. In a trailer for ""The Promise: The Making of Darkness On the Edge of Town,"" documentary about these lost songs, Springsteen says they were ""genre based, soul music"" and ""garage-rock."" The garage-rock definitely comes through on ""Outside Looking In,"" but others like ""One Way Street,"" have a slower feel to them, with the saxophone being at the forefront of the solos. This perfect combination of styles is exactly why Bruce Springsteen is ""The Boss.""
As you listen, each song on The Promise seems to get better and better. His heartfelt lyrics and impeccable songwriting plays a large role in this. ""Save Me Love"" starts the second disc with the lyrics, ""Now there's something coming through the air / That softly reminds me / Tonight I'll park out on the hill / And wait until they find me."" Songwriting like this is what makes Springsteen so appealing to such a wide variety of people. It's a song about love and being with the person of your dreams. Everyone can relate to that.
""City Of Night"" completes the two-disc album with Springsteen telling a story about a city of night where he may be a liar and a cheater, but he's fine with the way he is. After three minutes the song fades away, giving the impression the album is over, but after about 30 seconds of dead air, Springsteen starts to play an entirely different song. A hidden track is revealed with lyrics about a girl like, ""The way you sooth me when I'm in pain / The way you make the blood rush in my veins."" The song is a testament to a girl he belongs with and how she keeps him together.
The Promise is an astonishing album comprised of songs that can evoke happiness, sadness and hope. In ""The Promise: The Making of Darkness On the Edge of Town,"" Springsteen said, ""More than rich, more than famous, more than happy, I wanted to be great."" This album proves that the boss got exactly what he wanted.
