Bruce Springsteen announced his next album Letter To You today and unveiled a brand new video of the title track. The 12-song album, recorded with the E Street Band over five days at Springsteen’s studio in New Jersey, is scheduled for release October 23.
Videos by American Songwriter
A punchy and tight straight up rocker, “Letter To You” plays like an ‘I miss you all” love note to his longtime band members and fans. Producer Ron Aniello treats the E Street Band’s return to the studio with complete respect, capturing their signature sound- driving acoustic guitar, majestic single note electric guitar and melodic bass lines, sparkling piano and organ flourishes, anchored by rock solid drumming – and infusing it with a renewed sense of purpose. The legendary saxophone, indelibly marked by Springsteen’s fabled sidekick, the late Clarence Clemons, is missing on “Letter To You,” perhaps a conscious decision on Springsteen’s part in keeping with the song’s theme.
(Verse): ‘Neath a crowd of mongrel trees I pulled that bothersome thread
Got down on my knees, grabbed my pen and bowed my head
Tried to summon all my heart could find true
And send it in my letter to you.
(Verse): Things I found out through hard times and good
I wrote ‘em all out in ink and blood
Dug deep in my soul and signed my name true
And sent it in my letter to you
(Chorus): In my letter to you
I took all my fears and doubts
In my letter to you
All the hard things I found out
In my letter to you
All that I’ve found true
And I sent it in my letter to you
“I love the emotional nature of Letter To You,” Springsteen said in an announcement. “And I love the sound of the E Street Band playing completely live in the studio, in a way we’ve never done before, and with no overdubs. We made the album in only five days, and it turned out to be one of the greatest recording experiences I’ve ever had.”
The new album includes three older Springsteen compositions which have presumably been recorded with new arrangements: “If I Was The Priest” and “Song To Orphans” date back to Springsteen singer/songwriter days in the early ‘70s. “Janey Needs A Shooter” is a song he began writing in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s and never finished, passing it on to the late Warren Zevon, who reworked it and changed the title to “Jeannie Needs A Shooter.”
The video was filmed around Springsteen’s New Jersey farm and inside the recording studio, offering a ‘pull the curtain back’ sneak peek into the creative process. The album cover shot was taken by longtime photographer Danny Clinch in 2018 in New York City during Springsteen’s Broadway run.
LETTER TO YOU TRACK LIST:
1. One Minute You’re Here
2. Letter To You
3. Burnin’ Train
4. Janey Needs A Shooter
5. Last Man Standing
6. The Power Of Prayer
7. House Of A Thousand Guitars
8. Rainmaker
9. If I Was The Priest
10. Ghosts
11. Song For Orphans
12. I’ll See You In My Dreams
