"Last Man Standing" | |
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Song by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band | |
from the album Letter to You | |
Language | English |
Released | October 23, 2020 (album) |
Studio | Thrill Hill Recording, Colts Neck, New Jersey, United States |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 4:05 |
Label | Columbia |
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen |
Producer(s) |
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"Last Man Standing" is a song by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band from the 2020 album Letter to You .
"Last Man Standing" reminisces on Springsteen's early days as a musician, and his time in his 1960s band The Castiles, which he formed in 1965 along with friend and former band member George Theiss (to whom the song is dedicated). As Theiss, the only surviving member of The Castiles besides Springsteen, passed away in 2018, 53 years after they formed the band, with Springsteen flying on his bedside to say goodbye to him, [1] he left indeed Springsteen as the "last man standing" from the group. The memories of the places where they played are recalled in the line "Knights of Columbus and the Fireman's Ball, Friday night at the Union Hall, Black-leather clubs all along Route 9". [2] Springsteen stated they were some of his deepest learning years in his life, learning how to be onstage, write, front the band, put together a show and play for different kinds of audiences. [3] Written on an acoustic guitar given to him by an anonymous Italian fan as Bruce exited the Walter Kerr Theater one evening. "Last Man Standing" was the first song composed for the album and the one that established the theme for the album and inspired all that came after. [1] Although the song wasn't one of the singles released from the album, it has become a concert staple from the start of Springsteen's 2023 tour [4] and was performed acoustically with a somber trumpet solo following a speech reflecting on his mortality. [5] It is also the only song from the album played on every date of the tour in both 2023 and 2024, with the exception of the group’s headlining performance at the 2024 Sea.Hear.Now Festival, which focused on older material. [6] [7]
NJ.com described "Last Man Standing" and "The Power of Prayer" as sonic siblings, choosing the former as the better one of the two. [8] Along with opener "One Minute You're Here" and closer I'll See You in My Dreams", Rolling Stone described it as one of the mortality themed songs. [9]
On radio airplay in France, "Last Man Standing" reached #12. [10]
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", he has released 21 studio albums over six decades, most featuring the E Street Band, his backing band since 1972. Springsteen is a pioneer of heartland rock, combining commercially successful rock with poetic, socially conscious lyrics which reflect working class American life. He is known for his descriptive lyrics and energetic concerts, which sometimes last over four hours.
Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a member of Crazy Horse, and founder/frontman of the band Grin. Lofgren was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014.
"Born to Run" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and the title track of his third studio album, Born to Run (1975). It was Springsteen's first worldwide single release, although it achieved little initial success outside of the United States. Within the U.S., however, it received extensive airplay on progressive or album-oriented rock radio stations. The single was also Springsteen's first Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 23.
Vincent Lopez, nicknamed Mad Dog, is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen's first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Both during and after his time with the E Street Band, Lopez played drums with numerous Jersey Shore bands.
The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing career, the band included guitarists Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, and Patti Scialfa, keyboardists Danny Federici and Roy Bittan, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg and saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
"Born in the U.S.A." is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen and released in 1984 on the album of the same name as its opening track. One of Springsteen's best-known songs, it was ranked 275th on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and in 2001, the RIAA's Songs of the Century placed the song 59th, remaining a favorite in classic rock. The song's "anthemic chorus contrasted with the verses' desperate narrative" portrays a disillusioned Vietnam veteran's alienation after the war.
The Bruce Springsteen with the Seeger Sessions Band Tour, afterward sometimes referred to simply as the Sessions Band Tour, was a 2006 concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the Sessions Band playing what was billed as "An all-new evening of gospel, folk, and blues", otherwise seen as a form of big band folk music. The tour was an outgrowth of the approach taken on Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album, which featured folk music songs written or made popular by activist folk musician Pete Seeger, but taken to an even greater extent.
The Devils & Dust Tour was a 2005 concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen performing alone on stage on a variety of instruments. It followed the release of his 2005 album Devils & Dust. The tour was named the Top Small Venue Tour of 2005 by the Billboard Touring Awards.
The Ghost of Tom Joad Tour was a worldwide concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen performing alone on stage in small halls and theatres, that ran off and on from late 1995 through the middle of 1997. It followed the release of his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad.
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr.
"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.
"Johnny 99" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska.
"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 as a prominent example of Springsteen's experimentation with Celtic rock rhythms.
The High Hopes Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with special guest guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. The tour was seen as a continuation of his previous tour and was in support of eighteenth studio album, High Hopes, which was released in January 2014.
The River Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in support of Springsteen's 2015 The Ties That Bind: The River Collection box set and in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Springsteen's 1980 album, The River. The River Tour ended in September 2016. Subsequently, the Summer '17 tour in Australia and New Zealand continued the tour using the same promotional image from the original legs.
The Castiles were a garage rock band that featured vocalist/lead guitarist/harmonica player Bruce Springsteen, and was formed by rhythm guitarist/vocalist George Theiss, with various lineups during its existence. They recorded two songs, and performed throughout New Jersey and New York before disbanding in 1968.
"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.
"The Power of Prayer" is a 2020 song by Bruce Springsteen from his album Letter to You. It was only released as a radio single, and a promotional video was released on November 23, a month after the release of the album.
"I'll See You in My Dreams" is a 2020 song by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The song was released as a single in March 2021. The song was dedicated to Michael Gudinski with the music video released on March 3, the day after Gudinski died. The song is the closing track on the 2020 album Letter to You, and along with the opening track "One Minute You're Here", it is one of the two songs about mortality and death that bookend the album.
The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2023–2025 Tour is an ongoing concert tour by American singer Bruce Springsteen and his backing band the E Street Band. The tour began on February 1, 2023, in Tampa, Florida; it marks the first time since 2017 that Springsteen and the E Street Band have toured together. The tour is scheduled to conclude on July 3, 2025, in Milan. Due to band member illnesses and Springsteen suffering his own health issues, twenty-four dates of the tour were postponed and were rescheduled for 2024. Four dates in May and June 2024 were also postponed due to vocal issues suffered by Springsteen.