It’s not for nothing that the most famous album in Bruce Springsteen’s catalog (Born to Run) features him literally leaning on Clarence Clemons. As singular a talent as he is, Springsteen has always benefitted from being surrounded by outstanding musicians to help create his masterful music.
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Obviously, the E Street Band are his most famous partners in crime. But throughout his career, Springsteen has occasionally ventured outside the band for help on his records. And he’s also made memorable appearances on other records as well. Let’s take a look at six times when the Boss collaborated with others to make musical magic, listed in chronological order.
1. “Street Hassle” (with Lou Reed)
The combination of the famously acerbic Reed and the earnest, optimistic Springsteen might have seemed like an odd one on paper. Yet the pair created fascinating chemistry on “Street Hassle,” the title track from Reed’s 1978 album.
The story goes that Reed was writing this epic tale of love and death in the urban jungle and came up with the Springsteen-inspired line, Tramps like us, we were born to pay. Springsteen, meanwhile, was downstairs at Record Plant Studios in New York City recording Darkness on the Edge of Town while Reed was putting the song together. Bruce willingly agreed to do a memorable guest monologue to add the icing on the cake to the track.
2. ”Hungry Heart” (with Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan)
If those names in parentheses don’t ring a bell, it could be because Volman and Kaylan used the pseudonym Flo & Eddie to record on their own and to help out numerous other artists, most notably Frank Zappa. They were also the driving force behind the ‘60s hitmakers The Turtles, known most notably for their 1967 chart-topper “Happy Together.”
“Hungry Heart” was a song that Springsteen originally intended for The Ramones, only to have manager/producer Jon Landau convince him that it had hit single potential. Volman and Kaylan provide the high-arching backing vocals that helped the song reach that potential.
3. “This Little Girl” (with Gary U.S. Bonds)
Springsteen has long admired the work of the R&B legend Gary U.S. Bonds, often using Bonds’ “Quarter to Three” as an encore. Bonds’ career had stalled entering the ‘80s, but Springsteen offered up some material he had written but not recorded to add some juice to Bonds’ 1981 album, Dedication. “This Little Girl” likely emanated from a track called “Ain’t Good Enough for You” that the Boss had penned a few years earlier. In any case, with Springsteen on backing vocals and Clarence Clemons on sax, the track turned into one of the biggest hits of Bonds’ illustrious career.
4. “I Wish I Were Blind” (with Bobby Hatfield)
You could argue that the 1992 Springsteen album Human Touch was made up entirely of outside collaborations, as he had temporarily jettisoned the E Street Band (except keyboardist Roy Bittan) and worked with new musicians. While the album is a mixed bag, the soaring ballad “I Wish I Were Blind” was an undeniable highlight, as it tells the story of a man who can’t bear to see his ex with a new man. To get just the right feel for this ‘60s-flavored track, Springsteen called upon Bobby Hatfield, who teamed with Bill Medley to form The Righteous Brothers. Hatfield’s high harmonies added just the right touch of longing to the proceedings.
5. “Disorder in the House” (with Warren Zevon)
Zevon and Springsteen struck up a friendship in the late ‘70s born out of mutual admiration. In terms of collaborations, Zevon once famously borrowed the title of an unreleased Springsteen song called “Janey Needs a Shooter” for his own “Jeannie Needs a Shooter.” It made sense, then, that Springsteen would be there to help out as Zevon was making what would be his final album, The Wind. Springsteen duetted on “Disorder in the House,” a raucous rocker filled with so many winning Zevon one-liners that you can actually hear Springsteen laughing as he tried to sing his part. The song ended up winning a Grammy, a posthumous honor for Zevon, who died of cancer just weeks after the album was released in 2003.
6. “Jack of All Trades” (with Tom Morello)
Springsteen began collaborating with Morello, the guitarist and songwriter of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame, circa 2008. Morello even briefly became a temporary member of the E Street Band, filling in for Steve Van Zandt on one tour. He also appears on several Springsteen recordings from around that time. Perhaps the most memorable of those instances came on “Jack of All Trades,” a stunning ballad released on the Boss’ 2012 album, Wrecking Ball. The song depicts a man pushed to do a series of odd jobs just to make ends meet in a collapsing economy, with Morello’s towering guitar solo providing the emotional gut punch.
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