I don't have to tell you that Springsteen fans in general, and Blogness on the Edge of Town readers specifically, are simply the best. They proved that once again this week when, inspired by Bruce's "From His Home To Yours" DJ sessions, we asked people to name the individual songs helping get them through this pandemic, both by Bruce and by other artists.
It was a tall order, but the 100+ responses we got resulted in an amazing playlist: half of it consisting of Springsteen's most inspiring tracks, and the other half with a tremendous array of rock, country, soul and pop songs ranging from raucous to romantic and everything in between.
On the Springsteen side, the results were so spread out that only six tracks got more than two votes each: "Land of Hope and Dreams," "Badlands," "Thunder Road," "The Rising," "My City of Ruins" and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day." But more than 40 Bruce songs are represented on the list -- from "Growin' Up" on 1973's "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." to several tracks from last year's "Western Stars" -- showing that he has songs of all stripes, from all eras to help us during hard times.
And as to the other artists, to give you an idea of how much the choices varied, of all the responses only one got more than a single vote: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel, which got two. The others are an eclectic mix of classic rock -- the Beatles, the Stones and the Kinks are all represented -- more modern tracks (The Killers, Imagine Dragons), and singular greats like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, John Prine, Leonard Cohen, and Jackson Browne.
Then there are are out-of-left-field choices: "Can't Stop The Feeling" by Justin Timberlake; a wild cover of "I Wanna Be Sedated" by Nouvelle Vague; and even some hair metal from Poison and Whitesnake. You'll find a few folks from Bruce's immediate orbit as well, with tracks from Stevie, Nils and Southside in the mix.
So without further ado, the playlist is below, followed by some commentary from our loyal readers. I narrowed it down to 100 tracks -- a few didn't make it because I thought people might have been kidding. ("We Are The World," really?) And to the two of you who requested "Wish You Were Here" by Miley Cyrus: It's not on Spotify, but you can watch it here.
The tracks are in alphabetical order, but I'd recommend you shuffle for maximum variety. And if it helps get you through a tough day, week or month, you can thank the folks who shared their favorites -- they know how to pick 'em!
Here are some key comments from readers who responded:
"These songs are friends that will help you through stressful situations at any given time, and boy do we need some friends." -- Andy in Bedfordshire, England, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "Land of Hope and Dreams"
"I've chosen songs about rising and solidarity." -- Angelo, Italy, "Imagine" by John Lennon and "My City of Ruins"
"At my age music is all I have left to make me feel alive. Thanks, Bruce. " -- Terry, Canada, "Cover Me Up" by Jason Isbell and "The River"
"Anything uplifting works. Just as 'The Rising' was the right response to 9/11, the Boss’ catalog is the answer today." -- Dan, New Jersey "Shiny Happy People" by R.E.M. and "Human Touch"
"Every song seems to be about the home, 'cause that's where I've been for the last 14 weeks." -- Judith from The UK, "I Don't Want To Go Home" by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and "Long Walk Home"
"This song brings a message of hope and is not the most played song of Bruce." -- Frederik, Paris, France, "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles and "Waitin' on a Sunny Day
"Music really helps my soul feel replenished." -- Goldie in Toronto Canada, "Taking a Walk" by John Prine and "Thunder Road"
"First one because my 8-year-old son loves that song. And 'Born to Run' because don't we all just want to run away right now?"-- Tracy, Pennsylvania, "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons and "Born to Run" (Sure Tracy, it's your son who likes it. 😉)