Carátula del álbum Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. de Bruce Springsteen

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. de Bruce Springsteen

Álbum de Bruce Springsteen

1973
★★★★☆
Basado en 10 votos
  • Fecha de lanzamiento: 5 de Enero de 1973
  • Sello Discográfico: Columbia
  • Compositores: Bruce Springsteen
  • Productores: Mike Appel, Jim Cretecos

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Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. es un álbum de Bruce Springsteen, publicado en 1973 por Columbia. El disco incluye 9 canciones, entre ellas «Blinded by the Light», «Growin' Up», «Mary Queen of Arkansas» y «Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?».

Antecedentes: la audición que lo cambió todo

A principios de los años 70, Bruce Springsteen era un músico curtido en la escena de bares de Asbury Park, Nueva Jersey. Pese a su reputación local, aún no había conseguido un contrato discográfico. Todo cambió en 1972, cuando su mánager, Mike Appel, le consiguió una audición con el legendario cazatalentos de Columbia Records, John Hammond, el hombre que había descubierto a artistas de la talla de Bob Dylan y Billie Holiday. Armado solo con su guitarra acústica, Springsteen impresionó tanto a Hammond que le ofrecieron un contrato casi de inmediato.

Columbia Records vio en Springsteen a un cantautor en la vena de Dylan, y el plan inicial era que grabara un álbum acústico en solitario. Sin embargo, Springsteen insistió en grabar con la banda de músicos que había reunido en Jersey, lo que más tarde se convertiría en el núcleo de la E Street Band. "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." nació de esta tensión entre la visión de la discográfica de un trovador folk y la visión de Springsteen de un sonido de banda de rock and roll con raíces en el soul.

Cómo se grabó

La grabación del álbum se llevó a cabo en los 914 Sound Studios en Blauvelt, Nueva York, en el verano de 1972. Las sesiones fueron rápidas y de bajo presupuesto. Springsteen grabó la mayoría de las canciones con su banda, que incluía a futuros miembros de la E Street Band como Garry Tallent, Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez y David Sancious. El legendario saxofonista Clarence Clemons, aunque no era un miembro oficial en ese momento, tocó en dos canciones clave.

Una anécdota famosa de estas sesiones es que, después de que el álbum estuviera casi terminado, el presidente de Columbia, Clive Davis, sintió que el disco carecía de un sencillo de éxito. En respuesta, Springsteen se fue a casa y escribió "Blinded by the Light" y "Spirit in the Night" en una sola noche. Estas dos canciones, grabadas rápidamente y añadidas al álbum, se convertirían en dos de las más emblemáticas de su primera etapa.

Sonido y letras

"Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." es un álbum líricamente denso y musicalmente ecléctico. La influencia de Bob Dylan es innegable en las complejas estructuras de las canciones y el torrente de imágenes poéticas. Las letras de Springsteen pintan un vívido retrato de la vida en la costa de Nueva Jersey, poblada por personajes marginales, soñadores y perdedores que buscan una salida. Es un álbum lleno de anhelo juvenil, romance y la promesa de la carretera abierta.

Musicalmente, el disco es una mezcla de folk-rock acústico, R&B y rock and roll de bar. La instrumentación es a menudo vibrante y desordenada, reflejando la energía cruda de sus actuaciones en vivo. Canciones como "For You" y "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City" muestran su lado de trovador urbano, mientras que "Spirit in the Night" introduce el sonido de R&B y soul que definiría a la E Street Band.

Repaso a los temas clave

"Blinded by the Light": La canción de apertura es un torbellino de palabras e imágenes surrealistas. Su compleja letra la hizo difícil de digerir para el público general en ese momento. Sin embargo, la canción se haría famosa cuatro años más tarde, cuando la banda británica Manfred Mann's Earth Band la versionó y la llevó al número 1 en Estados Unidos.

"Spirit in the Night": Esta es la primera canción en la que se puede escuchar el sonido clásico de la E Street Band. Con su ritmo de R&B, su saxofón sensual cortesía de Clarence Clemons y su narrativa sobre una noche de aventuras juveniles, la canción se convirtió en una de las favoritas de sus conciertos durante toda su carrera.

"Growin' Up": Un himno autobiográfico sobre la adolescencia y el poder liberador del rock and roll. Es una de las canciones más directas y optimistas del álbum, una celebración de la identidad y el descubrimiento personal que se convertiría en una pieza central de su mitología.

"It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City": Una de las canciones que Springsteen tocó en su audición para John Hammond. Es un retrato crudo y cinematográfico de la vida en la calle, con una letra afilada y una interpretación vocal apasionada.

La imagen del álbum

La portada del álbum es tan icónica como su música. Diseñada por John Berg, imita una postal turística de Asbury Park. La imagen en blanco y negro de la portada, la tipografía y los elementos de diseño refuerzan la sensación de que el álbum es un mensaje desde un lugar específico, un saludo desde el mundo que Springsteen conocía tan bien. Curiosamente, la postal original en la que se basa la portada no incluía el apóstrofo en "Greetings", un detalle que se mantuvo en el título del álbum.

Ventas y crítica

A pesar del entusiasmo de la crítica, "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J." fue un fracaso comercial en su lanzamiento inicial. Vendió solo unas 25,000 copias en su primer año. La campaña de marketing de Columbia, que lo promocionaba fuertemente como "el nuevo Dylan", pudo haber sido contraproducente, creando expectativas que no encajaban del todo con la diversidad musical del álbum.

La crítica fue en gran medida positiva. Revistas como Rolling Stone y Creem elogiaron la ambición lírica y la energía de Springsteen, reconociendo la llegada de un talento único. Con el tiempo, y a medida que la fama de Springsteen creció con álbumes posteriores como "Born to Run", "Greetings" fue reevaluado y ha alcanzado el estatus de multiplatino. Hoy en día, es considerado un debut clásico y una fascinante instantánea del artista en sus inicios.

Posición en listas:

Listado de Canciones

  1. Blinded by the Light5:02

    Letra

    Madman drummers, bummers and Indians in the summer With a teenage diplomat In the dumps, with the mumps as the adolescent pumps His way into his hat With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin’ kinda older I tripped the merry-go-round With this very unpleasing, sneezing and wheezing The Calliope crashed to the ground Some all-hot, half-shot was headin’ for a hot spot Snappin’ his fingers, clappin’ his hands And some fleshpot, mascot was tied into a lovers knot With a whatnot in her hand And now young Scott, with a slingshot Finally found a tender spot And throws his lover in the sand And some bloodshot, forget-me-not Whispers “Daddy’s within earshot Save the buckshot, turn up the band” And she was blinded by the light Oh, cut loose like a deuce Another runner in the night Blinded by the light She got down, but she never got tight But, she’ll make it, alright Some brimstone, baritone, anticyclone Rolling stone preacher from the east He says: “Dethrone the Dictaphone Hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least” And some new-mown chaperone was standin’ in the corner All alone watchin’ the young girls dance And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin’ with his frozen zone To remind him of the feeling of romance Yeah, he was blinded by the light Oh, cut loose like a deuce Another runner in the night Blinded by the light He got down, but he never got tight But, he's gonna make it, tonight Some silicone sister with her manager’s mister Told me I got what it takes She said “I'll turn you on sonny to something strong If you play that song with the funky break” And go-cart Mozart was checkin’ out the weather chart To see if it was safe to go outside And little early-pearly came by in her curly-wurly And asked me if I needed a ride Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer Playin’ backyard bombardier Yes, and Scotland Yard was trying hard They sent some dude with a calling card It said, “Do what you like, but don't do it here” Well, I jumped up, turned around Spit in the air, fell on the ground Asked him which was the way back home He said “Take a right at the light” “Keep going straight until night” “And then boy, you're on your own” And now in Zanzibar, a shootin’ star Was ridin’ in a side car, hummin’ a lunar tune Yes, and the Avatar said “Blow the bar But, first remove the cookie jar We’re gonna teach those boys to laugh too soon And some kidnapped handicap Was complaining that he caught the clap From some mousetrap he bought last night Well, I unsnapped his skull cap And between his ears I saw a gap But, figured he'd be all right He was just blinded by the light Cut loose like a deuce Another runner in the night Blinded by the light Mama always told me not to look into the sights of the sun Whoa, but, mama that's where the fun is Woo, yeah (I was blinded) Oh, mama, oh, mama, oh mama (I was blinded) Oh, mama, oh, mama (I was blinded) I was blinded (I was blinded) I was blinded (I was blinded) I was blinded (I was blinded) I was blinded (I was blinded) I was blinded (I was blinded) I was blinded
  2. Growin' Up3:05

    Letra

    I stood stone - like at midnight suspended in my masquerade I combed my hair till it was just right and commanded the night brigade I was open to pain and crossed by the rain and I walked on a crooked crutch I strolled all alone through a fallout zone and come out with my soul untouched I hid in the clouded wrath of the crowd but when they said "sit down", I stood up Ooh... Growin' up The flag of piracy flew from my mast, my sails were set wing to wing I had a jukebox graduate for first mate, she couldn't sail, but she sure could sing I pushed b-52 and bombed 'em with the blues with my gear set stubborn on standing I broke all the rules, strafed my old high school, never once gave thought to landing I hid in the clouded warmth of the crowd but when they said, "come down", I threw up Ooh... Growin' up I took month-long vacations in the stratosphere and you know it's really hard to hold your breath I swear I lost everything I ever loved or feared, I was the cosmic kid in full costume dress Well, my feet they finally took root in the earth but I got me a nice little place in the stars And I swear I found the key to the universe in the engine of an old parked car I hid in the mother breast of the crowd but when they said, "pull down", I pulled up Ooh... Growin' up. Ooh... Growin' up
  3. Mary Queen of Arkansas5:20

    Letra

    Mary queen of Arkansas, it's not too early for dreamin' The sky is grown with cloud seed sown and a bastard's love can be redeeming Mary, my queen, your soft hulk is reviving No, you're not too late to desecrate, the servants are just rising Well I'm just a lonely acrobat, the live wire is my trade I've been a shine boy for your acid brat and a wharf rat of your state Mary, my queen, your blows for freedom are missing You're not man enough for me to hate or woman enough for kissing The big top is for dreamers, we can take the circus all the way to the Border And the gallows wait for martyrs whose papers are in order But I was not born to live to die and you were not born for queenin' It's not too late to infiltrate, the servants are just leavin' Mary queen of Arkansas, your white skin is deceivin' You wake and wait to lie in bait and you almost got me believin' But on your bed Mary I can see the shadow of a noose I don't understand how you can hold ma so tight and love me so damn loose But I know a place where we can go, Mary Where I can get a good job and start all over again clean I got contacts deep in Mexico where the servants have been seen
  4. Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?2:05

    Letra

    Hey bus driver keep the change, bless your children, give them names, Don't trust men who walk with canes, drink this and you'll grow wings on your feet Broadway Mary, Joan Fontaine, advertiser on a downtown train Christmas crier bustin' cane, He's in love again. Where dock worker's dreams mix with panther's schemes to someday own the rodeo Tainted women in Vistavision perform for out-of-state kids at the late Show. Wizard imps and sweat sock pimps, interstellar mongrel nymphs Rex said that lady left him limp. Love's like that (sure it is). Queen of diamonds, ace of spades newly discovered lovers of the everglades They take out a full page ad in the trades to announce their arrival And Mary Lou she found out how to cope, she rides to heaven on a gyroscope The Daily News asks her for the dope She says "Man, the dope's that there's still hope" Se? Orita, Spanish rose, wipes her eyes and blows her nose Uptown in Harlem she throw a rose to some lucky, young matador.
  5. Lost in the Flood5:14

    Letra

    The ragamuffin gunner is returnin' home like a hungry runaway He walks through town all alone He must be from the fort he hears the high school girls say His countryside's burnin' with wolfman fairies dressed in drag for homicide The hit and run, plead sanctuary, 'neath a holy stone they hide They're breakin' beams and crosses with a spastic's reelin' perfection Nuns run bald through Vatican halls pregnant, pleadin' immaculate conception And everybody's wrecked on Main Street from drinking unholy blood Sticker smiles sweet as gunner breathes deep, his ankles caked in mud And I said "Hey gunner man that's quicksand, that's quicksand that ain't mud Have you thrown your senses to the war or did you lose them in the flood? " That pure American brother, dull-eyed and empty-faced Races Sundays in Jersey in a Chevy stock super eight He rides 'er low on the hip, on the side he's got Bound For Glory in red, White and blue flash paint He leans on the hood telling racing stories, the kids call him Jimmy The Saint Well the blaze and noise boy, he's gunnin' that bitch loaded to blastin' Point He rides head first into a hurricane and disappears into a point And there's nothin' left but some blood where the body fell That is, nothin' left that you could sell Just junk all across the horizon, a real highwayman's farewell And he said "Hey kid, you think that's oil? Man, that ain't oil that's blood" I wonder what he was thinking when he hit that storm Or was he just lost in the flood? Eighth Avenue sailors in satin shirts whisper in the air Some storefront incarnation of Maria, she's puttin' on me the stare And Bronx's best apostle stands with his hand on his own hard ware Everything stops, you hear five, quick shots, the cops come up for air And now the whiz-bang gang from uptown, they're shootin' up the street And that cat from the Bronx starts lettin' loose but he gets blown right off His feet And some kid comes blastin' round the corner but a cop puts him right away He lays on the street holding his leg screaming something in Spanish Still breathing when I walked away And somebody said "Hey man did you see that? His body hit the street with such a beautiful thud" I wonder what the dude was sayin' or was he just lost in the flood? Hey man, did you see that, those poor cats are sure messed up I wonder what they were gettin' into, or were they just lost in the flood?
  6. The Angel3:23

    Letra

    The angel rides with hunch-backed children, poison oozing from his engine Wieldin' love as a lethal weapon, on his way to hubcap heaven. Baseball cards poked in his spokes, his boots in oil he's patiently soaked The roadside attendant nervously jokes as the angel's tires stroke his precious pavement. The interstate's choked with nomadic hordes in Volkswagen vans with full running boards dragging great anchors Followin' dead-end signs into the sores The angel rides by humpin' his hunk metal whore Madison Avenue's claim to fame in a trainer bra with eyes like rain She rubs against the weather-beaten frame and asks the angel for his name Off in the distance the marble dome reflects across the flatlands with a naked feel off into parts unknown. The woman strokes his polished chrome and lies beside the angel's bones.
  7. For You4:39

    Letra

    Princess cards she sends me With her regards Oh, barroom eyes shine vacancy To see her you gotta look hard Wounded deep in battle I stand stuffed like some soldier undaunted To her Cheshire smile I'll stand on file She's all I ever wanted Oh, but you let your blue walls get in the way of these facts Honey, get your carpetbaggers off my back You wouldn't even give me time to cover my tracks You said "Here's your mirror and your ball and jacks" But they're not what I came for And I'm sure you see that too I came for you, for you, I came for you But you did not need my urgency I came for you, for you, I came for you But your life was one long emergency And your cloud line urges me And my electric surges free Well, crawl into my ambulance Your pulse is getting weak Oh; reveal yourself all now to me girl While you've got the strength to speak Cause they're waiting for you at Bellevue With their oxygen masks But I could give it all to you now If only you could ask Well and don't call for your surgeon Even he says it's too late It's not your lungs this time It's your heart that holds your fate Don't give me money, honey I don't want it back You and your pony face and your Union Jack Well take your local joker and teach him how to act I swear I was never that way Even when I really cracked Didn't you think I knew that? You were born with the power of a locomotive Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound And your Chelsea suicide with no apparent motive You could laugh and cry in a single sound Oh, alright, mmm And your strength is devastating In the face of all these odds Remember how I kept you waiting When it was my turn to be the god? You were not quite half so proud When I found you broken on the beach Remember how I poured salt on your tongue And hung just out of reach And the band they played the homecoming theme As I caressed your cheek Yeah, that ragged, jagged melody She still clings to me like a leach But that medal you wore on your chest Always got in the way Like a little girl with a trophy So soft to buy her way We were both hitchhikers But you had your ear tuned to the roar Of some metal-tempered engine On an alien, distant shore So you left to find a better reason Than the one we were living for And it's not that nursery mouth I came back for It's not the way you're stretched out on the floor Cause I've broken all your windows And I've rammed through all your doors And who am I to ask you to lick my sores? And you should know that's true I came for you, for you, I came for you, But you did not need my urgency I came for you, for you, I came for you But life was one long emergency And your cloud line urges me And my electric surges free, wooo
  8. Spirit in the Night4:58
    vídeo del tema Spirit in the Night
    Crazy Janey and her mission man were back in the alley tradin' hands 'long came Wild Billy with his friend G-man all duded up for Saturday night Well Billy slammed on his coaster brakes and said anybody wanna go on up to Greasy Lake It's about a mile down on the dark side of route eighty-eight I got a bottle of rose so let's try it We'll pick up Hazy Davy and Killer Joe and I'll take you all out to where the gypsy angels go They're built like light and they dance like spirits in the night (all night) in the night (all night) Oh, you don't know what they can do to you Spirits in the night (all night) in the night (all night) Stand right up now and let them shoot through you Well now Wild Billy was a crazy cat and he shook some dust out of his coonskin cap He said, "Trust some of this it'll show you where you're at." or at least it'll help you really feel it By the time we made it up to Greasy Lake I had my head out the window and Janey's fingers were in the cake I think I really dug her 'cause I was too loose to fake I said, "I'm hurt." She said, "Honey let me heal it." And we danced all night to a soul fairy band and she kissed me just right like only a lonely angel can She felt so nice, just as soft as a spirit in the night (all night) In the night (all night). Janey don't know what she do to you Spirit in the night (all night) in the night (all night) Stand right up and let her shoot through me Now the night was bright and the stars threw light on Billy and Davy dancin' in the moonlight They were down near the water in a stone mud fight Killer Joe gone passed out on the lawn Well now Hazy Davy got really hurt, he ran into the lake in just his socks and a shirt Me and Crazy Janey was makin' love in the dirt singin' our birthday songs Janey said it was time to go so we closed our eyes and said goodbye to gypsy angel row, felt so right Together we moved like spirits in the night, all night Baby don't know what it do to you Spirits in the night (all the night) in the night (all night)
  9. It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City3:13

    Letra

    I had skin like leather and the diamond-hard look of a cobra I was born blue and weathered but I burst just like a supernova I could walk like Brando right into the sun Then dance just like a Casanova With my blackjack and jacket and hair slicked sweet Silver star studs on my duds just like a Harley in heat When I strut down the street I could hear its heart beat The sisters fell back and said, Don't that man look pretty The cripple on the corner cried out, Nickels for your pity Them gasoline boys downtown sure talk gritty It's so hard to be a saint in the city I was the king of the alley, mama, I could talk some trash I was the prince of the paupers crowned downtown at the beggar's bash I was the pimp's main prophet I kept everything cool Just a backstreet gambler with the luck to lose And when the heat came down it was left on the ground The devil appeared like Jesus through the steam in the street Showin' me a hand I knew even the cops couldn't beat I felt his hot breath on my neck as I dove into the heat It's so hard to be a saint when you're just a boy out on the street And the sages of the subway sit just like the living dead As the tracks clack out the rhythm, their eyes fixed straight ahead They ride the line of balance and hold on by just a thread But it's too hot in these tunnels you can get hit up by the heat You get up to get out at your next stop but they push you back down in your seat Your heart starts beatin' faster as you struggle to your feet Then you're outa that hole and back up on the street And them South Side sisters sure look pretty The cripple on the corner cries out, Nickels for your pity And them downtown boys sure talk gritty It's so hard to be a saint in the city