Looking Back at the 5 Non-Singles From Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In The U.S.A.’

When there are 12 songs on an album and seven of them are Top 10 hits, you might expect the other five songs to drift to filler level. After all, how much greatness can come from one artist at one time? When the album is Born In The U.S.A. and the artist is Bruce Springsteen, the answer is a lot of greatness. That’s evident from a listen to the “other” five songs on the album, every one of which is a standout in its own right.

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“Darlington County”

For the most part, each of the seven singles presents a somewhat downcast lyrical outlook. Even the songs that are good-timey in terms of their music, such as “Dancing In The Dark” and “Glory Days”, come off as bittersweet when you take the words as a whole. “Darlington Country” ends with one of the two principals getting arrested, so it’s not like it’s a happy ending of any sort. But unlike the other two songs we mentioned, the boisterous music here carries the day and leaves you smiling when this one is over.

“Working On The Highway”

“Workng On The Highway” appeared on the famed demo that eventually became the Nebraska album in 1982. In this case, Springsteen decided that the E Street Band could indeed bring their own flavor to the proceedings. Structurally, the song resembles the work of Eddie Cochran, one of the most influential performers from the early days of rock and roll. Like many of the songs from Nebraska, the song tells the tale of a guy who ends up on the wrong side of the law. But this particular dude has an awfully charming way of getting there.

“Downbound Train”

Here’s another one that Springsteen included on that Nebraska demo. In this case, the grinding feel of the music matches up perfectly with the sorrowful tone of the lyrics. Springsteen’s narrator has lost pretty much everything, including his job, his girl, and any kind of forward momentum he once had in his favor. The weather seems to be perpetually drizzling an icy rain on him. To make matters worse, a potential reunion with his ex in the final verse is revealed to be nothing more than an elusive dream. Bleak stuff, but compelling nonetheless.

“No Surrender”

We’re going to get to the story of Steven Van Zandt leaving the E Street Band in the last song on this list. Clearly, there weren’t too many hard feelings, as Bruce Springsteen asked Little Steven his opinion of the album’s contents before submitting it to the record company. It was Van Zandt who pushed for the inclusion of “No Surrender” on the album. (He even thought it should be the lead single, although Bruce didn’t take it that far.) Had Van Zandt not intervened, this song, one of The Boss’ most enduring anthems of personal freedom, might have fallen by the wayside.

“Bobby Jean”

It wasn’t chosen as a single. But we’re here to say that “Bobby Jean” might just rank as the finest song on the album. The song was directly inspired by Steven Van Zandt’s decision to leave the E Street Band while in the process of making Born In The U.S.A.

Bruce Springsteen’s lyrics do a marvelous job of honestly depicting the emotions that might roil inside someone who is losing a friend. There’s certainly some hurt involved. But in the end, the love shines through as he bids his fond farewell. Clarence Clemons conjures all those feelings with his marvelous closing saxophone solo.

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