Top 10 Bruce Springsteen Songs In Film
I hope the gracious and awesome readers of AM will indulge me because in my world a new Bruce Springsteen album is like Second Christmas and today is the official release of a new Bruce Springsteen album. Thus, I was in a mood to celebrate.
Bruce Springsteen’s music is often labeled “cinematic.” This is because some of his songs have that majestic sweep wherein you can picture the whole romantic vista before you. This is because some of his songs are finely tuned short stories with well drawn characters and actual beginnings and ends. This is because sometimes he rips off real movie storylines - Badlands for Nebraska, Grapes Of Wrath for Ghost Of Tom Joad - and this is because sometimes he lifts movie titles for song titles - Thunderoad, Atlantic City. (The gate swings both ways. Sean Penn liberally borrowed the story of Springsteen’s Highway Patrolman for his film The Indian Runner.) And so often filmmakers turn to the music of Springsteen, whether one of his old standards or fresh material he has written just for the occasion, to underscore and highlight their respective works.
Today, as an unabashed Springsteen fanatic, I attempt to the pin-point the Top 10 times that has happened. We are not counting down the “best” songs, per se, but merely the finest implementation of Springsteen songs within film.
Special Mention: Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) in The Heartbreak Kid
It’s Malin Akerman singing (on certain days) my favorite Springsteen song. What did you expect?
10. The Wrestler in The Wrestler
“Mickey (Rourke) called me in Ireland and he asked me for some music. He told me a little bit about the character, he said some people invest themselves in their pain and they turn away from love and the things that strengthen and nurture their lives. He said this was a guy that hadn’t figured that out. So I said, ‘Well, I know a couple of those guys.’” – Springsteen’s speech upon winning the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2009.
9. Secret Garden in Jerry Maguire
Despite the fact this song is a bit more, uh, sexual than you might first realize when Delilah plays it (consider the lyric – earmuffs! – “She’ll let you in her mouth/if the words you say are right”), director Cameron Crowe, who even in his worst films still knows how to employ pop music to fine effect, uses this atmospheric bit of mid-90′s Bruce goodness to counter-balance that coulda-been cheesy bit where Jerry bonds with Dorothy’s son and then Dorothy runs down the darkened street after Jerry.
8. Lift Me Up in Limbo
This John Sayles’ film, without revealing too much, has a humdinger of an open end and this song, sung in Bruce’s later career falsetto, comes in over the closing credits, beautifully fitting right in with what has just happened both musically and lyrically – “I don’t need your answered prayers.” Plus, I just really, really dig this tune. It takes the title track to Dead Man Walkin’ to the woodshed.
7. Stolen Car in Cop Land
This is not a great movie by any means – in fact, it’s probably somewhere south of subpar – but hey, give writer/director James Mangold a little credit. He realized he had the scene of the guy with the girl he used to be in love with who he’s still in love tempting but ultimately resisting temptation and so he slapped a little Springsteen on there and presto! Something exhausted became transcendent.
6. The River in High Fidelity
Rob Gordon has just finished another crappy day of work. His girlfriend has just left him. He’s re-living his All Time Top 5 Break-Ups. It is a cold, dark, lonely night in Chicago. He comes home and before he’s even turned on his apartment lights, before he’s even taken off his coat, before he’s even set down his messenger bag, he puts on The River to mourn because there is no better song to mourn to than The River. Wait……did I just describe Rob Gordon or myself?
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22 Comments
How embarrassing, for some one who used to a straight up musical aficionado I’m extremely limited as it pertains to Springsteen…but, I will take this as a sign to watch Romance and Cigarettes some time. Kate is great (not the original, but certainly not a fake version) and I’ve seen so many terrible films for Susan and this doesn’t look awful…it’s not, right?
Romance and Cigarettes is actually fairly awful. Which I mean as a compliment….sort of. It’s just so bold and unusual you can’t help but feel something for it.
“Streets of Philadelphia” is one of my favorite songs of all time. It is subtle and simple yet incredibly powerful and still gives me chills listening to it to this day. I agree that it doesn’t address one specific issue but rather addresses the love and faith human beings should have for each other. In an era where most songs are about relationships, sex and party lifestyles, it is refreshing to go back to the times when songs really were odes.
This comment makes me incredibly happy. Thank you for writing it.
For years I’ve thought that the entire ‘Born to Run’ album could be made into a movie – and not necessarily a musical, either. The characters and stories Bruce describes in each of those eight songs are already so vivid that a movie version almost wouldn’t even need them – just a screenplay based on the songs. But who could possibly do them justice? Maybe Scorsese.
You’re right. Every song on ‘Born to Run’ evokes a movie playing out in the way he tells the story. John Sayles said that at some point specifically about ‘Meeting Across the River.’ And Sayles understands Springsteen from a story point, I think, but ‘Born to Run’ is just so visual. If anyone could pull it off I could see it being Scorsese.
That’s a whole bunch of movies I’ve never seen. I’ve seen The Wrestler, Copland and High Fidelity… and The Wrestler is the only one I’ve seen recently enough to even recall Springsteen on the soundtrack.
I’ve seen all these but, man, if you go through his musical contributions on IMDB there is a ton I haven’t seen either. And if his music pops up in a movie, however briefly, I won’t forget it. I’m a nutcase that way.
Nick, I’m also a huge Springsteen fan (already listened to the new album a few times today), so this was a fun list to read. Plenty of great examples in here. Streets of Philadelphia and The Wrestler are excellent songs apart from the movies, and they both deserved the Oscar acclaim. My personal favorite is Lift Me Up, which is just a stunning song and gives Bruce a chance to sing completely differently. I’m also a huge fan of John Sayles and Limbo, so that probably plays a role too. Nice work!
Thank you. So happy to hear you like Lift Me Up too! I often feel that one is underrated, even amongst Springsteen fanatics.
For me, it’s the song from The Wrestler. It’s just so simple yet heartbreaking to listen to.
I don’t consider myself a fan of the Boss since I think he’s a bit overrated but the guy does make some fantastic songs.
What you say about The Wrestler, I think, is spot on, because the late career Springsteen always seems to be at his best at his simplest or his most quick-moving rather than over-doing and over-thinking.
Good choice for a Top 10, Nick. I don’t really know much of The Boss’ music but I saw him at the Glastonbury Festival a few years ago and he put on such a great show. He was a bundle of energy running all over the stage!
I think it’s about time I rewatch The Wrestler – I really enjoyed that film the first time I saw it and it’s just as great on rewatches.
You saw him at Glastonbury? Sooooooo jealous. I’ve never seen him at an outdoor festival. He doesn’t play many, which is why it was cool he did that.
Oooh, you’ve seen Romance & Cigarettes? I saw that at TIFF and Turturo introduced the movie. Winslet completely blew me away in that film.
As for Springsteen’s songs, well I’m not really a fan of his but I definitely LOVE ‘Streets Of Philadelphia’ and it always conjures up images of that film every time I hear it.
Romance & Cigarettes came to one theater in Chicago for, like, a week, way, way after TIFF. I was so happy I got to see it.
1i forgot about some of these! great list
I am not really into Springteen but I really like Street of Philadelphia.
No mention of The Fuse ? from ending of 25th Hour (2002). Was powerful, and easily in my top 10 ( :
I’m not a huge fan of The Fuse. I didn’t dislike it or anything, just not a favorite. But I did enjoy The 25th Hour. And it was nice of Spike to choose a song off the de facto 9/11 album to close it out.
Ahahah, here I thought Secret Garden was the best from him. But your #1 sure is funny and I never knew Romance & Cigarettes. Interesting to see Winslet as the other woman. I like that Hungry Heart song. Thanks for sharing this!
Wow I did not realize so many of his songs were in films. The only one I thought of when I saw the title of your post was Streets of Philadelphia.
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