Bruce Springsteen has debuted another advance tune from his forthcoming archival box set, Tracks II: The Lost Albums. The latest song is titled “Repo Man” and is a track from Somewhere North of Nashville, one of the seven previously unheard albums featured on the box set.
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A new press release reports that Somewhere North of Nashville is a collection of songs “inspired by the sounds of honky tonk, rockabilly and uptempo country.” Springsteen recorded the album in the summer of 1995, at the same time as The Ghost of Tom Joad. Most of the musicians that recorded The Ghost of Tom Joad with Bruce also are featured on Somewhere North of Nashville. Among them were original E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent and keyboardist Danny Federici, ex-Steve Miller Band drummer Gary Mallaber, longtime E Street Band fiddle player/backing singer Soozie Tyrell, and pedal-steel guitarist Marty Rifkin.
“Repo Man” is a rollicking country/rock ‘n’ roll raveup featuring Springsteen singing from the perspective of guy who risks life and limb doing his job repossessing cars. The song is highlighted by Rifkin’s pedal steel and Charie Giordano’s boogie-woogie piano. Rifkin and Giordano both went on to become touring members of Springsteen’s Sessions Band.
“Repo Man” is available now as a digital download and via streaming services.
More About the Somewhere North of Nashville Album
Somewhere North of Nashville features 12 tracks that Springsteen cut live in the studio with a full band. The approach was similar to how Bruce recorded his classic 1984 album, Born in the U.S.A. Somewhere North of Nashville features versions of two songs that Bruce originally intended for Born in the U.S.A.— “Stand on It” and “Janey Don’t You Lose Heart.”
Reflecting on the making of Somewhere North of Nashville, Springsteen recalled, “What happened was I wrote all these country songs at the same time I wrote The Ghost of Tom Joad. Those sessions completely overlap each other. I’m singing ‘Repo Man’ in the afternoon and ‘The Line’ at night. So the country record got made right along with The Ghost of Tom Joad.”
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Bruce added that while The Ghost of Tom Joad found him focused on “socially conscious or topical songwriting,” he also “had this country streak that was … running through those sessions,” which resulted in the Somewhere North of Nashville album.
More About the Tracks II Box Set
As previously reported, Tracks II: The Lost Albums will be released on June 27. The seven albums featured in the package include recordings spanning from 1983 through 2018.
Besides Somewhere North of Nashville, the albums in the box set are titled LA Garage Sessions ’83, Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, Faithless, Inyo, Twilight Hours, and Perfect World.
The package features more than 80 songs in all, 74 of which have never been heard before.
Tracks II, which can be pre-ordered now, is available as a limited-edition nine-LP set, a seven-CD collection, and via digital formats. The physical versions of the box set come with a 100-page hardcover book that includes rare photos, liner notes about each album, and an introduction by Springsteen.
The previous advance tracks released from the box set were “Rain in the River,” “Blind Spot,” and “Faithless.”
A companion album to Tracks II, titled Lost and Found: Selections from The Lost Albums, also will be released June 27. The 20-song collection will be available on CD and as a two-LP set. “Rain in the River,” “Blind Spot,” “Faithless,” and “Repo Man” are all featured on Lost and Found as well.
Springsteen’s 2025 Tour Plans
Springsteen and the E Street Band kicked off a 2025 European tour on May 14 in Manchester, U.K. The 16-date trek, which features additional shows in Manchester on May 17 and May 20, is mapped out through a July 3 concert in Milan, Italy.
The tour includes makeup dates for several 2024 concerts that were postponed because Bruce was experiencing some vocal trouble.
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