High Hopes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 14, 2014 | |||
Recorded | March–June 2013 | |||
Studio | Thrill Hill; Thrill Hill West; Stone Hill Studio; Southern Tracks Recording Studio; Studios 301 [1] | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 56:24 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Ron Aniello, Brendan O'Brien, Bruce Springsteen | |||
Bruce Springsteen chronology | ||||
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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band chronology | ||||
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Singles from High Hopes | ||||
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High Hopes is the eighteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen,released on January 14,2014,by 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. [2] It was his tenth No. 1 in the UK putting him on par with the Rolling Stones and U2. [3] Rolling Stone named it the second-best album of 2014.
The album is a collection of cover songs,out-takes and re-imagined versions of tracks from past albums,EPs and tours. Springsteen's regular backing band,the E Street Band,perform along with guitarist Tom Morello. Contributions from deceased members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici also feature.
Springsteen said that the new music was "some of our best unreleased material from the past decade" and among his best writing and deserved a proper studio recording. Work on the album started on December 9,2012,when Springsteen called Aniello to discuss some unfinished demos of older songs. [4] Aniello began production on the album in Los Angeles while the band continued the Wrecking Ball Tour . [4] Aniello said that Springsteen "was gone most of the time,so we weren't able to sit in a room and sort it all out" and that it "took the most part of a year for him to figure it out". [4] In March 2013,the day before Springsteen flew to Australia to resume touring,he went to Los Angeles,where he and Aniello did mixes,and Springsteen posed for the album pictures. Springsteen was "working his ass off,just working his ass off",Aniello recalled. "I've never seen someone his age work like that. He put in a 15-hour day in the studio." [4] While in Australia,with Tom Morello replacing Steven Van Zandt—who was off filming Lilyhammer —the band spent its off time recording new music,with no specific plans for a new album. [4] Aniello said recording in Australia was a spontaneous decision that was possible because recording engineer Nick DiDia was there to work with the band. More recording took place at various studios around the US,including Springsteen's personal home studio in New Jersey,Atlanta,New York City and Nashville. [5] While many critics found that the album lacked the cohesion typical of Springsteen's releases, [6] Aniello insisted that Springsteen went "back and forth with sequences for months and months until he [got] it exactly where he [wanted] it." "We recorded a lot and at first it was a much longer record. Bruce did the same thing with Wrecking Ball",he recalled. [4]
High Hopes was Springsteen's first studio album composed entirely of covers,outtakes and reimagined versions of songs from past albums and tours. "The best way to describe this record," Springsteen said,"is that's it's a bit of an anomaly but not much. I don't really work linearly like a lot of people do." [7] The title track was the album's first single,and was originally recorded in 1995 and released on the Blood Brothers EP the following year. [7] According to Springsteen,Morello suggested they perform the song during the Wrecking Ball Tour,which ultimately led to it being re-recorded. "American Skin (41 Shots)" was originally written in 2000 in response to the death of Amadou Diallo. [7] A live version was released on Live in New York City while the studio version was released on a rare promo CD. [7] During the Wrecking Ball Tour,Springsteen started to perform the song again as a tribute to Trayvon Martin. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" was the first single from the 1995 album of the same name and had been performed many times,often featuring Morello on guitar and trading vocals with Springsteen. [7] The track had also been covered by Morello's former band,Rage Against the Machine,in a 1997 video,and later appeared on their album Renegades.
"Harry's Place" was written in 2001 for The Rising ; [8] "Heaven's Wall","Down in the Hole" and "Hunter of Invisible Game" date from 2002 to 2008. [1] Springsteen wrote "The Wall" around 1998 based on an idea from Joe Grushecky. It tells the story of Springsteen's visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington,D.C.,and memories of Walter Cichon,a New Jersey musician who did not return home from the war. "Walter was one of the great early Jersey Shore rockers,who along with his brother Ray (one of my early guitar mentors) led the Motifs. The Motifs were a local rock band who were always a head above everybody else. Raw,sexy and rebellious,they were the heroes you aspired to be",Springsteen explained. [9] Morello also suggested two covers. "Just Like Fire Would",by Australian punk rock band The Saints,and "Dream Baby Dream" by protopunk band Suicide. [7] A version of the latter was released in September 2013 as a music video tribute to the fans who attended the Wrecking Ball Tour. [10] In 2005,Springsteen closed out shows on his solo Devils &Dust Tour performing the song on a pump organ. [7]
"Cold Spot","Hey,Blue Eyes","American Beauty" and "Mary,Mary" were among the 20 songs recorded that did not make the final cut,some of which were released on the American Beauty EP. [11] [7]
The album was preceded by the single "High Hopes". A music video for "Just Like Fire Would" was released January 22,2014. A music video for "The Wall" was aired during the 2014 HBO special, Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes . On July 9,2014,Springsteen released a short film for "Hunter of Invisible Game" which marked his directorial debut. In April 2014,Springsteen released American Beauty ,a four-track EP of songs that did not make the final cut of High Hopes.
On December 28,2013,Amazon.com made the album available for purchase as individual MP3 files through their mobile application. Amazon quickly removed the files,but it was too late and the album leaked by mid-day. [12] [13]
On January 12,2014,the television series The Good Wife featured snippets of three songs ("High Hopes","Hunter of Invisible Game" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad") during the episode. Usage of Springsteen's songs was part of a deal between his label and the CBS television network to gain wider exposure for the album in an unconventional way and lure his baby boomer fans to the show and the network's website. Springsteen said,"This is music I always felt needed to be released. I felt they all deserved a home and a hearing" in a statement discussing the CBS deal. [14]
On January 14,2014,the entire episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was dedicated to Springsteen. Springsteen and the E Street Band,with Tom Morello but without Steven Van Zandt (who was filming Lilyhammer),performed "High Hopes","Heaven's Wall" and "Just Like Fire Would". The latter song was streamed online and was not shown on television. Springsteen and Fallon,both dressed as Springsteen from the Born in the U.S.A. era,performed a parody song to the theme of "Born to Run" titled "Gov. Christie Traffic Jam",poking fun at the Fort Lee lane closure scandal. Springsteen was also interviewed. [15]
On April 4,2014,HBO aired Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes,a 30-minute documentary on the making of High Hopes. [16] In May 2014,Sony Music Netherlands released a 45-minute documentary to YouTube titled High Hopes In South Africa which documented Springsteen and the E Street Band's first-ever concerts in South Africa. [17]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.4/10 [18] |
Metacritic | 67/100 [19] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [20] |
The A.V. Club | C+ [21] |
Chicago Tribune | [22] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [23] |
The Guardian | [24] |
The Independent | [25] |
NME | 8/10 [26] |
Pitchfork | 4.0/10 [27] |
Rolling Stone | [28] |
Slant | [29] |
High Hopes got a mixed reception from critics,with Metacritic giving it 67 / 100,based upon 37 reviews,a "generally favorable" response. [19] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "it's rather thrilling to hear Springsteen revel in a mess of contradictions",as the "songs don't cohere into a mood or narrative",a contrast to Springsteen's "two decades of deliberate,purposeful albums". [20] At Rolling Stone ,David Fricke found that the "cumulative effect of this mass of old,borrowed,blue...is retrospect with a cutting edge". [28] For Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly it "crackles with immediacy,despite the cobbled-together nature of the material." [23] At The Independent ,Andy Gill also noted the lack of "thematic unity" but lauded how "Tom Morello has re-invigorated old material". [25]
A rave review in NME proclaimed,"Still The Boss". [26] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune noted "the singer's desire to update his sound",and praised "Just Like Fire Would","Hunter of Invisible Game",and "The Wall",but described the album as "otherwise ho-hum". [22] At The A.V. Club ,David Anthony said that "Springsteen splashes his brightest colors against a canvas,crosses his fingers,and hopes they mesh." [21] Jessica Hopper of Spin said that "the small tragedy of the uneven High Hopes [is] that it doesn't play like a Springsteen album." [30] At Pitchfork ,Stephen M. Deusner noted that "the thick arrangements distract from the good songwriting and conceal the bad". [27]
PopMatters concluded that there "isn’t a lack of strong songs —there are plenty here. Rather,it’s the unusual surfeit of so-so songs that undercuts the album" which "lacks a sorely missed sense of scope and unity". [31]
Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine saw Springsteen "[aligning] himself with a long tradition of folksingers" in tuning into "the deeper inequalities that inspire" the songs. [29] At The Guardian ,Ian Gittins saw the album as a stopgap,but "one assembled with tender,loving care." [24] USA Today 's Edna Gundersen's review ran under the headline,"Grab-bag material could hurt Springsteen's 'High Hopes'". It quoted Billboard magazine's Keith Caulfield who said,"Wrecking Ball did 196,000 its first week. It's safe to say this won't do that. But anything Bruce puts out sells respectably." Gundersen also reported Caulfield saying,of Springsteen's decision to allow his music to be used for The Good Wife ,"He's doing what everyone's doing,reaching consumers that are going to buy their music." [32]
In December 2014, Rolling Stone named High Hopes the second best album (behind only U2's Songs of Innocence ) on their Top 50 Albums of 2014 list. [33]
The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart on its first week of release,Springsteen's eleventh No. 1 and placing him third on the acts with the most No.1's behind the Beatles (with 19 No. 1s) and Jay-Z (with 13). [34] The album sold around 99,000 copies in the US in its first week,and as of October 2015 had sold 213,000. [35] The album also debuted at No. 1 in the UK,his tenth time to top that chart. [36]
All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "High Hopes" | Tim Scott McConnell | 4:57 |
2. | "Harry's Place" | 4:04 | |
3. | "American Skin (41 Shots)" | 7:23 | |
4. | "Just Like Fire Would" | Chris Bailey | 3:56 |
5. | "Down in the Hole" | 4:59 | |
6. | "Heaven's Wall" | 3:50 | |
7. | "Frankie Fell in Love" | 2:48 | |
8. | "This Is Your Sword" | 2:52 | |
9. | "Hunter of Invisible Game" | 4:42 | |
10. | "The Ghost of Tom Joad" | 7:33 | |
11. | "The Wall" | 4:20 | |
12. | "Dream Baby Dream" | Martin Rev, Alan Vega | 5:00 |
Notes
Adapted from the album's liner notes: [38]
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [80] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [81] | Gold | 7,500* |
France (SNEP) [82] | Gold | 50,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [83] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [84] | Platinum | 50,000* |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [85] | Gold | 7,500^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [86] | Gold | 20,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [87] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [88] | Gold | 10,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [89] | Gold | 100,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
The Ghost of Tom Joad is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on November 21, 1995, by Columbia Records. His second primarily acoustic album after Nebraska (1982), The Ghost of Tom Joad reached the top ten in two countries, and the top twenty in five more, including No. 11 in the United States. It was his first studio album to fail to reach the top ten in the US in over two decades. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Human Touch is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 31, 1992, the same day as Lucky Town. It was the more popular of the two, peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, and lead single "Human Touch" peaking at number one on the Mainstream Rock and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Human Touch" has since Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for over one million copies sold in the US, and was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards.
Lucky Town is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 31, 1992, the same day as Springsteen's ninth studio album Human Touch. Lucky Town peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, with lead single "Better Days" peaking at number one on the US Mainstream Rock and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Lucky Town has since been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for over one million copies sold in the US.
Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on October 5, 1987. Although members of the E Street Band occasionally performed on the album, Springsteen recorded most of the parts himself, often with drum machines and synthesizers. Tunnel of Love is not officially regarded as an E Street Band album, as The Rising (2002) was marketed as his first studio album with the E Street Band since Born in the U.S.A. (1984).
The Rising is the twelfth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on July 30, 2002, on Columbia Records. The album is based in large part on Springsteen's reflections in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks the year before. The album was a critical and commercial success, representing Springsteen's first album to top the US Billboard 200 since Tunnel of Love in 1987.
Devils & Dust is the thirteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter 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.
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City is the name of a concert film done by HBO, featuring the first ever major televised Bruce Springsteen concert. It was later released on DVD with eleven extra songs not televised, and as a CD of the same name.
Greatest Hits is the first compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released February 27, 1995, on Columbia Records. It is a collection of some of Springsteen's hit singles and popular album tracks through the years along with four new songs at the end, mostly recorded with the E Street Band in 1995. The latter constituted Springsteen's first release with his backing band since the late 1980s. Some of the songs are shorter versions of the original album releases.
Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 is a concert video and the fourth live album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, released in 2006. It is a full-length recording of their performance on November 18, 1975, at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, during their Born to Run tours. It was first released as a DVD on November 14, 2005, as part of the Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition package, and then several months later on February 28, 2006, released as an audio CD. The album was reissued on vinyl for the first time for Record Store Day on April 22, 2017.
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions is the fourteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen. Released in 2006, it peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.
No Frills is the sixth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, released on Atlantic Records in 1983. No Frills was Midler's first studio album in four years, following the films The Rose, Divine Madness! and Jinxed!. The rock and new wave-influenced album was produced by Chuck Plotkin, best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and included three single releases; the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones song "Beast of Burden".
Magic is the fifteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter 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. Two songs from the album – "Radio Nowhere" and "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" – won a total of three Grammys, making Magic the second of only two Springsteen albums with three wins, after The Rising. It ranked No. 2 on Rolling Stone's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2007.
Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter 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 compilation album by the 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 number 16 on the Billboard 200, while the box set, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, debuted at number 27.
Wrecking Ball is the seventeenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on 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.
American Beauty is a four-song EP by Bruce Springsteen that was released on limited edition 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. 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."
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 were previously unreleased. 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 the 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).
The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts is a live album and concert film by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, released on November 19, 2021. It was recorded over two nights, September 21 and 22, 1979, at Madison Square Garden, as part of the No Nukes concerts organized by activist group Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) against the use of nuclear energy.
Only the Strong Survive is the twenty-first studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2022, through Columbia Records. The album is a cover album of R&B and soul songs, and his second cover album following We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006). It was announced on September 29, 2022, along with the release of "Do I Love You ", a cover of the song by Frank Wilson. The singles "Nightshift", "Don't Play That Song" and "Turn Back the Hands of Time" followed throughout October and November 2022. The album title is an eponymous reference to its first track, a cover of the original "Only the Strong Survive" by Jerry Butler. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
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