The Ghost of Tom Joad

Last updated
The Ghost of Tom Joad
The Ghost of Tom Joad.jpg
Studio album by
Bruce Springsteen
ReleasedNovember 21, 1995
RecordedMarch–September 1995
StudioThrill Hill Recording
Genre
Length50:16
Label Columbia
Producer Bruce Springsteen, Chuck Plotkin
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Greatest Hits
(1995)		The Ghost of Tom Joad
(1995)		 Blood Brothers
(1996)
Singles from The Ghost of Tom Joad
  1. "The Ghost of Tom Joad"
    Released: November 21, 1995

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.

Contents

Composition

Springsteen wrote and recorded the album between March and September, 1995, at Thrill Hill West, his home studio in Los Angeles, California. Following that year's studio reunion with the E Street Band and the release of Greatest Hits , Springsteen's writing activity had increased significantly, resulting in this album, which consists of seven solo tracks and five band tracks.

Most tracks are backed by acoustic guitar work and the lyrics are generally a somber reflection of life in the mid-1990s in America and Mexico. [1] The character of Tom Joad entered the American consciousness in John Steinbeck’s 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Grapes of Wrath , set against the economic hardships of the Great Depression. [1] This spawned a film version starring Henry Fonda, which in turn inspired folk singer Woody Guthrie to pen "The Ballad of Tom Joad". [1]

Springsteen was also influenced by Dale Maharidge and Michael Williamson's 1985 study of homelessness, Journey to Nowhere: The Saga of the New Underclass . [2] The album's release was followed by Springsteen's solo acoustic Ghost of Tom Joad Tour, which ran from 1995 to 1997 and took place in mostly small venues. [1]

Release

The Ghost of Tom Joad debuted at number eleven on the US Billboard 200 chart, with 107,000 copies sold in its first week. [3] However, it broke a string of eight consecutive Top 5 studio albums in the United States for Springsteen. [4] The album won the 1997 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Entertainment Weekly B− [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Houston Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [9]
NME 9/10 [10]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [11]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]

The Ghost of Tom Joad received mostly favorable reviews, but also drew some sharp criticism. Mikal Gilmore of Rolling Stone called it "Springsteen's best album in ten years," and considered it "among the bravest work that anyone has given us this decade." [13] He characterised it as Springsteen's "first overtly social statement since Born in the U.S.A.", and as having "an obvious kinship with Spingsteen’s 1982 masterwork, Nebraska ", the artist's first acoustic album. Bill Wyman of The Chicago Reader expressed disappointment that "Springsteen can be so literal that it's hard to appreciate some of the record's subtleties." He criticized the album for being "stolidly depoppified to ensure that no one will derive actual pleasure from it." [15]

In The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll for the year's best albums, The Ghost of Tom Joad placed at No. 8. [16] Robert Christgau, the poll's creator, simultaneously commended and criticized the album for being "the most courageous and the most depressing of the year," pointing out that Springsteen was the only artist in the poll's Top 40 "to directly address the war on the poor (and, increasingly, what is called the middle class) that is now the political agenda of the industrialized world." He also took aim at what he said was Springsteen's choice "to muffle his songs, so that only those who really want to hear their despair will bother trying." Christgau lamented that the "tunes, arrangements, and mysteriously praised 'phrasing' aren’t just forbiddingly minimal — often they’re rather careless", and dubbed the album "a bore". [17]

Track listing

All songs are written by Bruce Springsteen.

No.TitleLength
1."The Ghost of Tom Joad"4:23
2."Straight Time"3:25
3."Highway 29"3:39
4."Youngstown"3:52
5."Sinaloa Cowboys"3:51
6."The Line"5:14
7."Balboa Park"3:19
8."Dry Lightning"3:30
9."The New Timer"5:45
10."Across the Border"5:24
11."Galveston Bay"5:04
12."My Best Was Never Good Enough"2:00

Unreleased outtakes

Twelve of the 22 songs recorded during the album's sessions made the final cut while "Dead Man Walkin'" was released on the soundtrack for the movie Dead Man Walking and later on The Essential Bruce Springsteen and "Brothers Under the Bridge" was released on Tracks . "I'm Turning Into Elvis" and "It's the Little Things That Count" remain unreleased; however, they were performed live while "Idiot's Delight" and "I'm Not Sleeping" were also performed live and along with "1945" and "Cheap Motel" were co-written with Joe Grushecky, who recorded the four songs for his 1997 album Coming Home. [18]

Personnel

Credits as listed in the album liner notes. [19]

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for The Ghost of Tom Joad
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [39] Gold35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) [40] Gold25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [41] Gold100,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [42] Gold50,000^
France (SNEP) [43] Gold100,000*
Italy—200,000 [44]
Norway (IFPI Norway) [45] Gold25,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [46] Platinum100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [48] Gold500,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI) [49] Platinum1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Human Touch</i> 1992 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>Lucky Town</i> 1992 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>The Rising</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>Renegades</i> (Rage Against the Machine album) 2000 studio album by Rage Against the Machine

Renegades is the fourth and final studio album by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, released on December 5, 2000, by Epic Records. It consists of covers of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Afrika Bambaataa, Minor Threat, Eric B. & Rakim, the Stooges, MC5, the Rolling Stones, Cypress Hill, Devo and others. The cover is a take on Robert Indiana's Love artwork series.

<i>Enrique</i> (album) 1999 studio album by Enrique Iglesias

Enrique is the debut English album and fourth studio album by Enrique Iglesias recorded in English and released on 23 November 1999. The album launched two number one US Billboard Hot 100 hits, "Bailamos" and "Be with You".

<i>Devils & Dust</i> 2005 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Springsteen discography</span>

American rock musician Bruce Springsteen has released 21 studio albums, 121 live albums, 77 singles, and 66 music videos. Widely referred to as "The Boss" by the media, Springsteen has sold over 150 million records worldwide, listing him among the best-selling music artists in history. Billboard ranked him as the 24th Greatest Artist of all time. According to Recording Industry Association of America, he has sold 65.5 million albums in the United States, making him the 7th best-selling male soloist of all time. Born in the U.S.A. remains the best-selling album of his career, selling more than 30 million copies around the world.

<i>Live 1975–85</i> 1986 live album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Live/1975–85 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985, and released as a box set by Columbia Records on November 10, 1986. It broke the record for advance orders, and, according to RIAA certification, is the second-best-selling live album in the US. Rolling Stone hailed it as "an embarrassment of riches", while The New York Times said it was "an unprecedented event in popular recording" and "monumental".

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 1995 greatest hits album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>18 Tracks</i> 1999 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

18 Tracks is an album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1999. All but three selections had been on the boxed set Tracks, released six months before. This single album was intended to capture more casual fans, and thus was oriented towards the shorter, more pop-oriented selections from Springsteen's vault.

<i>The Essential Bruce Springsteen</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Bruce Springsteen

The Essential Bruce Springsteen is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of Essential sets released by Sony Music. It includes songs from various Springsteen albums and concerts up to the year 2003. A limited-edition third disc includes previously unreleased cuts, B-sides, contributions to soundtracks and benefit albums, covers, and an alternate, "country-blues" acoustic version of "Countin' on a Miracle" from The Rising (2002).

<i>We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions</i> 2006 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ghost of Tom Joad (song)</span> 1995 song by Bruce Springsteen

"The Ghost of Tom Joad" is a folk rock song written by Bruce Springsteen. It is the title track to his eleventh studio album, released in 1995. The character Tom Joad, from John Steinbeck's classic 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, is mentioned in the title and narrative.

<i>Magic</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2007 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>Working on a Dream</i> 2009 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>The Promise</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2010 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>Collection: 1973–2012</i> 2013 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

Collection: 1973–2012 is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen released on Columbia in 2013 containing 18 tracks spanning forty years of Springsteen's musical career. Fourteen of the songs on the album are credited to Springsteen as a solo act and four are credited to the formation Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. Two of the tracks, namely "Badlands" and "The Promised Land", were remastered for the compilation edition.

<i>High Hopes</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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. 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.

<i>Chapter and Verse</i> (Bruce Springsteen album) 2016 compilation album by Bruce Springsteen

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.

<i>Western Stars</i> 2019 studio album by Bruce Springsteen

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).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Symynkywicz, Jeffery B. (2008). The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Redemption, from Asbury Park to Magic. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN   0-664-23169-1. p. 122.
  2. ↑ "Faces of the Forsaken". Hartford Courant . September 18, 1996. p. 45. Retrieved October 19, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ JERRY CROWE and ROBERT HILBURN (November 30, 1995). "Something to Twist and Shout About : Pop music: Beatles' album sells more than 855,000 copies its first week--the third highest ever--and initial figures are believed to be a revenue record". Los Angeles Times .
  4. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  5. ↑ Deming, Mark. "The Ghost of Tom Joad – Bruce Springsteen". AllMusic . Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  6. ↑ Browne, David (November 24, 1995). "The Ghost of Tom Joad". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ Sweeting, Adam (November 24, 1995). "Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost of Tom Joad (Columbia)". The Guardian .
  8. ↑ Selvin, Joel (November 19, 1995). "Springsteen, the Storyteller". Houston Chronicle . Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  9. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (November 19, 1995). "The Return to Desolate Highway". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost of Tom Joad". NME . November 18, 1995. p. 46.
  11. ↑ Sodomsky, Sam (May 19, 2018). "Bruce Springsteen / The E Street Band: The Album Collection Vol. 2, 1987–1996". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost of Tom Joad". Q . No. 162. March 2000. p. 124.
  13. 1 2 Gilmore, Mikal (December 28, 1995). "The Ghost Of Tom Joad". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  14. ↑ Gundersen, Edna (November 20, 1995). "Springsteen's stark vision of 'Tom Joad'". USA Today .
  15. ↑ Wyman, Bill (1995-11-30). "Theater Critic's Choice: Bruce Springsteen". The Chicago Reader . Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  16. ↑ "The 1995 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. February 20, 1996. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  17. ↑ Christgau, Robert (February 20, 1996). "Lost in the Soundscape". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Brucebase - the Ghost of Tom Joad - Studio Sessions". Archived from the original on 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2014-05-18.
  19. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost Of Tom Joad". Discogs. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Listen – Danmarks Officielle Hitliste – Udarbejdet af AIM Nielsen for IFPI Danmark – Uge 47". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Copenhagen. November 26, 1995.
  24. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen: The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  27. ↑ "History" (in Italian). FIMI . Retrieved May 31, 2022. Search "The Ghost of Tom Joad" as a "Titolo" then click "Classifiche".
  28. ↑ "Charts.nz – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  30. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Hits of the World – Spain". Billboard . 16 December 1995. p. 84.
  32. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  35. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 18, 2013.
  36. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment . Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  37. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  39. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2008 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  41. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". Music Canada . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  43. ↑ "French album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Springsteen a Sanremo con "furore"". La Stampa (in Italian). February 9, 1996. p. 25. Retrieved March 5, 2021. il suo nuovo album ha venduto in pochi mesi 200 mila copie, mentre i critici, nelannuade referendum del mensile musica e dischi.
  45. ↑ "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  46. ↑ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 942. ISBN   84-8048-639-2 . Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  47. ↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Ghost of Tom Joad". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  48. ↑ "American album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Ghost of Tom Joad". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  49. ↑ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 5, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.