"Adam Raised a Cain" | |
---|---|
Song by Bruce Springsteen | |
from the album Darkness on the Edge of Town | |
Released | June 2, 1978 [1] |
Recorded | November 9, 1977 – February 17, 1978 (mixed Feb 15–17, 1978) |
Studio | Record Plant Studios, New York, New York |
Genre | Hard rock, blues rock, punk rock [2] |
Length | 4:32(album version) 5:26 (live version) |
Label | Columbia [1] |
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen |
Producer(s) | Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau [1] |
"Adam Raised a Cain" is the second track from Bruce Springsteen's fourth album Darkness on the Edge of Town .
The song is notable for its hard rock sound and lyrics that use biblical images to explain the relationship between a father and son (symbolised as Adam and his son, Cain).
Springsteen calls this song "emotionally autobiographical." The bitter but loving relationship between the father and son is similar to Springsteen's with his own father, Douglas. Springsteen once said: "Our actual relationship was probably more complicated than how I presented it. Those songs were ways that I spoke to my father at the time, because he didn't speak and we didn't talk very much." [3]
In the 2010 documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town , sound mixer Chuck Plotkin described Springsteen's instructions for how the jarring assault of this song should sound next to the more melodic tunes on Darkness. Springsteen told Plotkin to think of a movie showing two lovers having a picnic, when the scene suddenly cuts to a dead body. This song, the singer explained, is that body. [3]
Springsteen and the E Street Band released a longer version of the song on their 1986 live album Live/1975–85 .
The song was used in the film Baby It's You , directed by John Sayles, who would also direct Springsteen's video clips for "Born in the U.S.A.", "I'm on Fire" and "Glory Days". [3]
The song was used in Season 7 during the opening scene of episode 13 "Papa's Goods," the series finale of Sons of Anarchy . The creator of Sons of Anarchy Kurt Sutter originally wanted to use the song as a cover in the final episode of Season 3, but there were issues with licensing from Sony and Springsteen did not like the idea of a cover of his song. An agreement was finally reached where the song would be played in its original version for the series finale. [4]
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: [5]
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded after a series of legal disputes between Springsteen and his former manager Mike Appel, during sessions in New York City with the E Street Band from June 1977 to March 1978. Springsteen and Jon Landau co-produced, with assistance from bandmate Steven Van Zandt.
The River is the fifth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released as a double album on October 17, 1980, by Columbia Records. The album was Springsteen's attempt at making a record that captured the E Street Band's live sound. Co-produced by Springsteen, his manager Jon Landau, and bandmate Steven Van Zandt, the recording sessions lasted 18 months in New York City from March 1979 to August 1980. Springsteen originally planned to release a single LP, The Ties That Bind, in late 1979, before deciding it did not fit his vision and scrapped it. Over 50 songs were recorded; outtakes saw release as B-sides and later on compilation albums.
"Meeting Across the River" is the seventh track on Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough 1975 album, Born to Run; it also appeared as the B-side of "Born to Run", the lead single from that album. The song is often paired with "Jungleland" in concert, though without the Randy Brecker trumpet part from the record and with regular bass guitarist Garry Tallent.
"Growin' Up" is a song by American musician Bruce Springsteen from his 1973 album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J..
"My Hometown" is a single by Bruce Springsteen off his Born in the U.S.A. album, that was the then-record-tying seventh and last top 10 single to come from it, peaking at #7 on the Cash Box Top 100 and #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart, making the song Springsteen's only #1 song on this chart to date. The song is a synthesizer-based, low-tempo number that features Springsteen on vocals.
"Prove It All Night" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on May 23, 1978, as the first single from his fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town.
"Badlands" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released as the second single from his fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town in July 1978.
"She's the One" is a song by Bruce Springsteen. Frequently featured in Springsteen and E Street Band concert performances, it first appeared on the Born to Run album in 1975. It was also released as the B-side to Springsteen's "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" single.
"Darlington County" is a 1984 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was released on the album Born in the U.S.A. and has remained a popular concert song for Springsteen and the E Street Band.
"Ramrod" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen for his fifth album, The River, released in 1980. It was recorded at The Power Station in New York on June 12, 1979. The song was written and originally recorded on September 12, 1977, for Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town album, but that recording was not used for its release on The River.
"Night" is a song by Bruce Springsteen which first appeared on the Born to Run album in 1975. Although this is one of the lesser known songs from Born to Run, "Night" has become somewhat of a stage favorite for the E Street Band. The song was not immediately played during the 1975 portions of the Born to Run Tour, but later became a frequent set-opener, especially during the 1976 and 1977 legs. It was still sometimes being used as an opening song decades later during the 2007–2008 Magic Tour.
"Independence Day" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released on his fifth album, The River, in 1980. It was recorded at The Power Station in New York, on April 24–25, 1980.
"Wreck on the Highway" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released as the final track on his fifth album, The River. The version released on The River was recorded at The Power Station in New York in March–April 1980. As well as being the last track on The River, it was the last song recorded for the album.
"Out in the Street" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen from the 1980 album The River. It was recorded at The Power Station in New York between March and May 1980, as one of the last songs recorded for the album. Originally, Springsteen was going to keep the song off the album because it was so idealistic.
"Open All Night" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska.
"Tunnel of Love" is the title song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 Tunnel of Love album. It was released as the second single from the album, reaching number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Like the first single from the album, "Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love" reached number one on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and reached the top twenty in Canada peaking at number seventeen. The music video received five MTV Video Music Awards nominations, including Video of the Year and Best Male Video.
"One Step Up" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his eighth studio album, Tunnel of Love (1987). It was released as the third single from the album, following "Brilliant Disguise" and the title track. It reached position #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #3 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States, and #23 in Canada. It also reached #2 on the U.S. Album Rock Tracks chart, giving Springsteen three straight top two tracks from the album. The song was only released as a single in America. One of the unreleased songs from 1980's The River, "Roulette", recorded April 3, 1979, was released as the b-side, using an alternate vocal mixed on April 12, 1980, that would also be used in 1998, when it was chosen for Tracks.
"The Promised Land" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. It was released as a single in Europe, backed by another song from Darkness on the Edge of Town, "Streets of Fire", the third single from the album after "Badlands" and "Prove It All Night". "The Promised Land" was also included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen. The song has been a staple of Springsteen's live shows since 1978, and has been included on several concert albums and videos. The live album Live/1975–85 includes a 1985 performance of "The Promised Land" from a concert in Los Angeles, California. A performance of the song from a 2003 concert in Barcelona is included on the Live in Barcelona video. A June 28, 2009 live performance in London from the Working on a Dream Tour was included on the London Calling: Live in Hyde Park DVD. The box set The Promise contains video of three live performances of "The Promised Land", a 2009 performance from the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey, without an audience, a 1978 performance from a concert in Phoenix, Arizona, and another 1978 performance from a concert in Houston, Texas. Darren Hanlon covered "The Promised Land" on Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool. Eddie Vedder has also covered this song live.
"Sherry Darling" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen from his fifth studio album The River. Originally written for his previous album, 1978's Darkness on the Edge of Town, the song was rejected for not fitting that album's somber tone. The song's frat crowd noises were meant to evoke early rock and roll songs like "Louie, Louie," which similarly had loud incidental crowd noises.
"Darkness on the Edge of Town" is the last song on the 1978 album of the same name, Darkness on the Edge of Town, by Bruce Springsteen. It was the last song recorded and mixed, and in April 1978 it was designated the title song to a thematic album whose songs portray the struggles of the less-fortunate, not only to survive, but to keep their spirit and will to live. The title track portrays a hard-luck loser in life who refuses to give up. Springsteen's fourth album, released three years after his 1975 effort Born to Run, was delayed two years because of legal problems with his former manager, Mike Appel. Expectations were high after he took one year to complete the album.