Working on a Dream | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 27, 2009 | |||
Recorded | Summer 2007–Fall 2008 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 51:20 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band chronology | ||||
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Bruce Springsteen chronology | ||||
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Singles from Working on a Dream | ||||
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Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen,released on January 27,2009,through Columbia Records. [2] It topped the charts in nine countries,including the US,where it was Springsteen's ninth No. 1. [3] "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. [4]
The album was officially announced,along with a track listing,on November 17,2008. [5] It emerged from work Springsteen and his band were doing as they completed Magic. [6] [7] "What Love Can Do" was written,in Springsteen's words,as a "love in the time of Bush" meditation,but felt like the start of something new rather than a candidate for Magic. [6] Encouraged by Brendan O'Brien,Springsteen started work on a new album,and over the following week wrote "This Life," "My Lucky Day," "Life Itself," "Good Eye," and "Tomorrow Never Knows". [6] These were recorded with the E Street Band during breaks on the Magic Tour,and,unusually for Springsteen,most were finished in just a few takes. [5] [6] He said,"I hope Working on a Dream has caught the energy of the band fresh off the road from some of the most exciting shows we've ever done." [7] As with Magic,most of the tracks were first recorded with a core band comprising Springsteen,drummer Max Weinberg,bassist Garry Tallent,and pianist Roy Bittan;other members' contributions were added later. [4] It was the last album to feature new work from founding E Street Band member Danny Federici,who died in April 2008. Federici's son Jason also contributes. [8] The tracks vary in length from over eight minutes,for the opening track,"Outlaw Pete",to under three minutes. [8] Steve Van Zandt said that Working on a Dream,The Rising and Magic work as a trilogy "in terms of sound,concept and writing style",and moved "toward the pop-rock form –this one more than the other two." [4]
Springsteen first performed the title track,accompanied by Patti Scialfa,on November 2,2008,in Cleveland during a show for Barack Obama's presidential campaign. An edited version was then broadcast during the November 16 NBC Sunday Night Football halftime broadcast. The single began airing on November 21,and was made available for free download via iTunes and the Sony BMG website on November 24. [9] [10] It entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 195 the following week. [11] "My Lucky Day" was released in the US on Amazon on December 1. [12] "Life Itself" was released as a free download on Amazon on December 28. [13]
On January 12 the album was leaked onto the internet. A week later,NPR.org started streaming it free for a week,as did Sony BMG's Irish website. [14] [15] It went on sale in Germany and Ireland on January 23. An extensive promotional push included appearances at the Golden Globe Awards,Barack Obama's presidential inauguration,a new greatest hits album,the Super Bowl XLIII half-time show and an anticipated appearance at the 81st Academy Awards. [16] The last of these went awry when,in what Rolling Stone termed "shocking news," "The Wrestler"—for which Springsteen had supplied the main song—was snubbed by the Academy and failed to gain a nomination. [17] Nevertheless,all the activity led Springsteen to say,"This has probably been the busiest month of my life." [18] In February,an abbreviated version of "Working on a Dream" was included in the Super Bowl performance. That month,VH1 Classic aired the documentary,Bruce Springsteen:The Making Of 'Working On A Dream. [19] The Working on a Dream Tour began on April 1.
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100 [20] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [21] |
Blender | [22] |
Billboard | (favorable) [23] |
Chicago Tribune | [24] |
Entertainment Weekly | (A) [25] |
The Guardian | [26] |
NME | [27] |
musicOMH | [28] |
Pitchfork Media | (5.8/10) [29] |
PopMatters | [30] |
Rolling Stone | [31] |
Spin | [32] |
Working on a Dream debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart,but generated mixed reviews. Review aggregator Metacritic gave it 72 / 100,the lowest score of Springsteen's six albums released during the 2000s. [33] [34] The release of the initial tracks prompted The New York Times to welcome a "more hopeful,less bleak" Springsteen who had adopted "the voice of an honest striver redeemed by love and hard work". [35] While Rolling Stone gave it a five-star rating and compared it to Born to Run in scale and ambition, [36] Los Angeles Times writer Ann Powers suggested that the best that could be said of the album "is that it's boisterously scatterbrained,exhilaratingly bad." [37] Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune said it was at times a "silly" self-parody,but praised "the exuberant "My Lucky Day" and the gently uplifting title track". He identified "The Last Carnival" and "The Wrestler" as highlights,saying that they "represent Springsteen at close to the top of his game,and unintentionally reveal what much of the rest of the album lacks." [38]
Pitchfork shared Van Zandt's assessment of the album being "the final installment of a trilogy [Springsteen] began with The Rising in 2002 and continued with Magic in 2007". [39] Writing in The Guardian ,Richard Williams notes that "the musical trademarks of the E Street Band are outnumbered by adventures into areas not previously associated with Springsteen". These include a string orchestra,Beach Boys harmonies,jangling Byrds-like guitars and an "I Am the Walrus"-style fadeout. [40] Listeners agreed,considering it to be one of Springsteen's most stylistically diverse efforts. [16] Critics noted echoes of Wall of Sound,girl group and British Invasion-era Top 40. [41] [36] The album also recalls some of Springsteen's earlier work,with "The Last Carnival" being seen as a sequel to "Wild Billy's Circus Story" from 1973's The Wild,the Innocent &the E Street Shuffle. [36]
Working on a Dream sold 224,000 copies in its first week,ending a seven-week continuous chart-topping run by Taylor Swift's Fearless . [3] It was Springsteen's ninth number one album in the United States. [3] This tied him with The Rolling Stones for the fourth-highest total in that regard;only The Beatles (with 19),Jay-Z (with 11),and Elvis Presley (with 10) had more. [3] Working on a Dream also debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart,Top Digital Albums chart,and Top Internet Albums chart. It had sold more than 3 million copies worldwide,with over 585,000 in the US,as of September 2010. [42]
All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Outlaw Pete" | 8:00 |
2. | "My Lucky Day" | 4:01 |
3. | "Working on a Dream" | 3:30 |
4. | "Queen of the Supermarket" | 4:40 |
5. | "What Love Can Do" | 2:57 |
6. | "This Life" | 4:30 |
7. | "Good Eye" | 3:01 |
8. | "Tomorrow Never Knows" | 2:14 |
9. | "Life Itself" | 4:00 |
10. | "Kingdom of Days" | 4:02 |
11. | "Surprise, Surprise" | 3:24 |
12. | "The Last Carnival" | 3:11 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "The Wrestler" | 3:50 |
"The Wrestler" first appeared in August 2008 at the 65th Venice International Film Festival debut of the film The Wrestler , and was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, which it went on to win at the 66th Golden Globe Awards on January 11. The album version, without the end-credits string introduction, became available on iTunes on December 16, ahead of the film's opening in major US cities.
"A Night with the Jersey Devil" first appeared in October 2008 on Springsteen's website, accompanied by a Halloween-themed music video. [2] But subsequent press releases omitted mention of it, and Springsteen sources confirmed it had been removed, for reasons unknown. [43] The song was announced by eil.com to be included as the 14th track on the Japanese CD edition on the album, but the current track list does not include it. [44] The video, however, is featured in the DVD included with the album's deluxe edition (as listed below).
"Frankie Fell in Love", recorded during the album sessions but not released, was reworked for the 2014 album, High Hopes .
Includes the full CD plus a DVD featuring:
In November 2014, Springsteen released a graphic novel titled Outlaw Pete which is based on the opening track from Working on a Dream.
The E Street Band
Additional musicians
Technical
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Austria (IFPI Austria) [87] | Gold | 10,000* |
Belgium (BEA) [88] | Gold | 15,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [89] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [90] | Platinum | 30,000^ |
Finland (Musiikkituottajat) [91] | Gold | 12,410 [91] |
Germany (BVMI) [92] | Gold | 100,000^ |
Ireland (IRMA) [93] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [94] | Platinum | 70,000* |
Netherlands (NVPI) [95] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [96] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [97] | Platinum | 40,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [98] | Gold | 15,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [99] | Gold | 100,000* |
United States (RIAA) [100] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984, by Columbia Records. Co-produced by Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steven Van Zandt, and Chuck Plotkin, the album was recorded in New York City with the E Street Band over two years between January 1982 and March 1984. Some of the songs originated from the same demo tape that yielded the solo effort Nebraska (1982), while others were written after that album's release. The sessions yielded between 70 and 90 songs; some were released as B-sides, some later saw release on compilation albums, while others remain unreleased.
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.
American rock musician Bruce Springsteen has released 21 studio albums, 23 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.
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".
Tracks is a four-disc box set by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released in 1998 containing 66 songs. This box set mostly consists of never-before-released songs recorded during the sessions for his many albums, but also includes a number of single B-sides, as well as demos and alternate versions of already-released material.
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.
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 BMG. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.