American Beauty | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
EP by | ||||
Released | April 19, 2014 | |||
Recorded | October 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 14:44 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Ron Aniello, Bruce Springsteen, Brendan O'Brien ("Hey Blue Eyes") | |||
Bruce Springsteen chronology | ||||
| ||||
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band chronology | ||||
|
American Beauty is a four-song EP by Bruce Springsteen that was released on limited edition (7,500 copies) 12-inch vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day on April 19, 2014. A digital download version was also released on April 22, 2014. The four songs that appeared on the EP are outtakes from Springsteen's 2014 album High Hopes . [1] Springsteen said of the four songs, "they're just good music that didn't get onto this record, and was sitting there. I thought it's a nice time to support the record stores, which are dwindling and get some new music out at the same time." [2]
On April 22, 2014, Springsteen released a music video for the song "American Beauty" which was shot prior to his show on April 19, 2014, in Charlotte, North Carolina. [3]
Springsteen had around 20 songs recorded during the High Hopes sessions that failed to make the final cut. Springsteen decided to go back with producer Ron Aniello and work on the music so they could give it a proper release. The EP's title track, "American Beauty", is a song left over from the demo tracks Springsteen didn't end up recording with producer Brendan O'Brien. Springsteen describes the song as "Exile meets E Street" and as being a song where he sings in a range he often doesn't visit. "Hurry Up Sundown", "a fun piece of modern power pop" according to Springsteen, was another demo track originally recorded with O'Brien. It was the closest of the four songs to making the High Hopes album. "Mary Mary" and "Hey Blue Eyes" were recorded during the Magic and Working on a Dream sessions, respectively. Springsteen said of "Mary Mary" that the song is "a lovely mystery, a small piece of heartbreak poetry that sneaks up on you with its slippery groove, punctuated string section and spectral lyrics". "Hey Blue Eyes" is one of Springsteen's darkest political songs. "Written during the Bush years, it’s a metaphor for the house of horrors our government’s actions created in the years following the invasion of Iraq. At its center is the repressed sexuality and abuse of power that characterized Abu Ghraib prison. I feel this is a shadow we as a country have yet to emerge from." Springsteen said. [4] Tom Morello, who is featured prominently on High Hopes and its supporting tour with Springsteen, plans on covering "Hey Blue Eyes" for an upcoming project. [5]
All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "American Beauty" | 4:06 |
2. | "Mary Mary" | 2:48 |
3. | "Hurry Up Sundown" | 3:17 |
4. | "Hey Blue Eyes" | 4:33 |
Technical
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [6] | 28 |
The Rising is the twelfth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released on July 30, 2002, on Columbia Records. An immediate critical and commercial success, it was Springsteen's first to top the US Billboard 200 since Tunnel of Love (1987). Hailed as a triumphant return to form for Springsteen, the album won two Grammy awards and marked the start of a successful collaboration with producer Brendan O'Brien. The Rising came seven years after The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), the longest interlude between studio albums for the artist, and was his first in almost two decades with the E Street Band, with whom he had recently completed a highly successful reunion tour. The album is based in large part on Springsteen's reflections in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
Devils & Dust is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, and his third acoustic album. It was released on April 25, 2005, in Europe and the following day in the United States, where it debuted at No. 1 on the US Billboard 200 album chart.
"I'm Goin' Down" is a rock song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was released on August 27, 1985 by Columbia Records as the sixth single from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A. The song was recorded with the E Street Band in May 1982 at the Power Station music studio, and co-produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, and Steve Van Zandt. Although Springsteen had changing ideas about the songs to put on the album, "I'm Goin' Down" was ultimately selected for inclusion.
Blood Brothers is a five-song EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, released in 1996. The EP was originally released along with a film, also titled Blood Brothers, which documented the 1995 temporary reuniting of Springsteen with the band to record extra tracks for his Greatest Hits release of that year. Long out of print, the EP was re-released in January 2014 to ITunes, Spotify and other download sites.
Magic is the fifteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on LP on September 25, 2007, and on CD on October 2. It was his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002, and topped the charts in six countries, including the US and UK, going triple platinum in Ireland. The album ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
"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.
Magic Tour Highlights is an EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which consists of four live audio tracks and their accompanying videos, and was released for digital download on July 15, 2008. The performances were recorded during the 2008 Magic Tour, and feature guest musicians, as well as Danny Federici's last performance with the group.
Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009, through Columbia Records. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US, where it was Springsteen's ninth No. 1. "The Wrestler", which appeared as a bonus track, won a Golden Globe award. E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt said that Working on a Dream completed a trilogy which started with The Rising (2002) and continued with Magic (2007), all of which were produced by Brendan O'Brien.
The Promise is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released November 16, 2010, on Columbia Records. The album is a collection of previously unreleased songs which were recorded during the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions in 1977–1978, with some vocals and additional instrumentation overdubs recorded in 2010. It was released in 2CD and 3LP formats. The album is also available as part of the box set The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story. The two-CD version of the release entered the UK Albums Chart at number 7. It had been in production for many years and was originally scheduled to be released for the 30th anniversary in 2008. The Promise debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200, while the box set, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, debuted at #27.
Play It as It Lays is the third full-length album by singer-songwriter Patti Scialfa.
Wrecking Ball is the seventeenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released March 6, 2012, on Columbia Records. It was named best album of 2012 by Rolling Stone and along with the album's first single, "We Take Care of Our Own", was nominated for three Grammy Awards.
"Rocky Ground" is a song written and recorded by American musician Bruce Springsteen. It is the second single from his album Wrecking Ball and was released exclusively in select stores as a limited-edition 7-inch 45-rpm vinyl single as a part of Record Store Day on April 21, 2012.
"Death to My Hometown" is a song written and recorded by American musician Bruce Springsteen and was the third single from his album, Wrecking Ball. It is a protest song, as well a prominent example of Springsteen's experimentation with Celtic rock rhythms.
Live Collection is the name of a Japanese 1987 four song live Bruce Springsteen EP. The EP features two tracks that did not make it into the Live/1975-85 collection: "For You" and "Incident on 57th Street". The River Tour performance of "Incident on 57th Street" released on this EP was the song's last outing until their 1999 reunion tour and has helped make this song a live favorite. The original LP included a fold-out color poster, and lyric sheet with the lyrics to all four tracks in English, and Japanese. The album has since been re-released starting in 2001 on compact disc.
High Hopes is the eighteenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released January 14, 2014, on Columbia Records. It went to the top of the charts in eleven countries, and was Springsteen's eleventh No. 1 album in the United States, a record surpassed only by the Beatles and Jay-Z. It was his tenth No. 1 in the UK putting him on par with the Rolling Stones and U2. Rolling Stone named it the second-best album of 2014.
The Agora, Cleveland 1978 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, released in December 2014 and was the second official release through the Bruce Springsteen Archives. The concert is available on CD-R and digital download at http://live.brucespringsteen.net.
Tower Theater, Upper Darby 1975 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, released in February 2015 and was the third official release through the Bruce Springsteen Archives. The show was originally recorded at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania on December 31, 1975.
The Ties That Bind: The River Collection is a box set by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Released on December 4, 2015, the collection is an expanded edition of his 1980 album The River, containing 52 tracks on four CDs along with four hours of video on three DVDs or two Blu-ray discs. The first two CDs feature the remastered version of The River and the third CD contains the previously unreleased The Ties That Bind, a single LP originally intended for release in late 1979 before Springsteen expanded it to the final double LP. The fourth CD, The River: Outtakes, spans the entire The River sessions in 1979 and 1980 and contains eleven previously-unreleased outtakes. The fifth disc contains a 60-minute documentary, The Ties That Bind, which was produced and directed by filmmaker Thom Zimny and features an interview with Springsteen as he reflects on writing and recording The River. The film transitions between Springsteen telling the stories behind the music—and illustrating them with solo acoustic guitar performances—interspersed with period concert footage and photos. The remaining disc(s) feature Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: The River Tour, Tempe 1980, a new film produced from footage professionally filmed in 1980 using four cameras and recorded in multitrack audio. The film features 23 of 33 songs performed, clocking in at 2 hours, 40 minutes on 2 DVDs, from Springsteen's November 5, 1980, concert at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Also included is 20 minutes of footage from the late September 1980 River Tour rehearsals held in Lititz, Pennsylvania. The boxed set also includes a 148-page coffee table book featuring 200 rare or previously unseen photos and memorabilia, including a new essay by Mikal Gilmore.
Chapter and Verse is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen that was released on September 23, 2016. The album is a companion piece to Springsteen's 500-plus-page autobiography, Born to Run, which was released four days later. The career-spanning album features eighteen songs handpicked by Springsteen, five of which have never been released. The album contains Springsteen's earliest recording from 1966 and late '60s/early '70s songs from his tenure in The Castiles, Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band along with his first 1972 demos for Columbia Records and songs from his studio albums from 1973 until 2012.
Western Stars is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 14, 2019, by Columbia Records. It was produced by Ron Aniello, who worked with Springsteen on his two previous albums: Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014).