Carátula del álbum The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle de Bruce Springsteen

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle de Bruce Springsteen

Álbum de Bruce Springsteen

1973
★★★★☆
Basado en 37 votos
  • Fecha de lanzamiento: 11 de Septiembre de 1973
  • Sello Discográfico: SME Records
  • Compositores: Bruce Springsteen
  • Productores: Mike Appel, Jim Cretecos

Valora este álbum

The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle es un álbum de Bruce Springsteen, publicado en 1973 por SME Records. El disco incluye 7 canciones, entre ellas «E Street Shuffle», «4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)», «Kitty's Back» y «Wild Billy's Circus Story».

Antecedentes: la búsqueda de un sonido

Lanzado tan solo ocho meses después de su debut, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle" marcó una evolución musical rápida y dramática para Bruce Springsteen. Tras las modestas ventas de "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.", Columbia Records seguía presionando a Springsteen, pero esta vez le dieron más libertad para desarrollar el sonido de su banda. El resultado fue un álbum que se alejó de las comparaciones con Bob Dylan y abrazó una fusión de rock, soul, R&B y jazz inspirada en artistas como Van Morrison.

Este es el álbum donde la E Street Band realmente comienza a forjar su identidad. Las canciones son más largas, más complejas y con arreglos más elaborados, funcionando como suites musicales que permiten a cada miembro de la banda brillar. El disco captura la atmósfera de un verano largo y caluroso en la costa de Nueva Jersey, lleno de romance, peligro y la nostalgia por una juventud que se desvanece.

Proceso de grabación

Al igual que su predecesor, el álbum fue grabado en los 914 Sound Studios con los productores Mike Appel y Jim Cretecos. Sin embargo, el enfoque fue diferente. Las sesiones fueron más relajadas y experimentales, con Springsteen y la banda desarrollando las canciones en el estudio. El organista Danny Federici se unió a la banda a tiempo completo, y su sonido, junto con el piano de David Sancious y el saxofón de Clarence Clemons, se convirtió en el corazón del sonido expansivo del álbum.

El álbum consta de solo siete canciones, pero la mayoría son largas y épicas, con múltiples secciones y cambios de ritmo. Esto refleja la naturaleza de sus legendarios conciertos en vivo, donde las canciones se extendían en largas improvisaciones. El álbum fue un intento de capturar esa energía y libertad en una grabación de estudio.

Análisis musical y lírico

"The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle" es un álbum cinematográfico y romántico. Las letras de Springsteen son menos densas y más narrativas que en su debut, contando historias detalladas de personajes en el paseo marítimo de Jersey. Hay una sensación de mitología en las canciones, una idealización de la vida de los jóvenes de clase trabajadora que buscan amor y aventura en una noche de verano.

Musicalmente, es un disco exuberante y lleno de alma. La influencia de Van Morrison, particularmente de su álbum "Astral Weeks", es evidente en la fusión de folk, jazz y R&B. Las canciones fluyen con una soltura casi improvisada, y los arreglos de viento y teclado crean paisajes sonoros ricos y detallados. Es un sonido más cálido, más suelto y más seguro que el de su primer álbum.

Repaso a los temas clave

"The E Street Shuffle": La canción de apertura establece el tono del álbum. Es un tema de R&B y funk con una sección de vientos vibrante que describe una colorida escena callejera. Es la canción que le dio a la E Street Band su nombre y encapsula el sonido enérgico y comunitario del disco.

"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)": Una de las baladas más queridas y nostálgicas de Springsteen. Con su tierno acordeón y su letra melancólica, la canción es un retrato agridulce del final del verano y de la juventud en el paseo marítimo. Es una canción de amor a un lugar y a un tiempo que ya no existen.

"Kitty's Back": Una épica de más de siete minutos que es una clase magistral de R&B y jazz-rock. La canción es un vehículo para que la banda demuestre su destreza musical, con largos solos de órgano, piano, guitarra y saxofón. Es la pieza central del álbum y una de las favoritas en sus conciertos.

"Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)": Aunque nunca fue lanzada como sencillo en su momento, "Rosalita" se convirtió en la canción más famosa del álbum gracias a sus legendarias interpretaciones en vivo. Es un torbellino de rock and roll de siete minutos, una explosión de alegría juvenil sobre un chico que intenta convencer a su amada de que se escape con él. Durante años, fue la canción de cierre obligatoria de sus conciertos, un número de alta energía que dejaba al público exhausto y eufórico.

Ventas y crítica

Al igual que su debut, "The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle" fue un fracaso comercial en su lanzamiento. No logró entrar en las listas de éxitos y las ventas fueron decepcionantes. Columbia Records consideró seriamente rescindir su contrato, y fue solo la creciente reputación de Springsteen como un artista en vivo fenomenal lo que salvó su carrera.

La crítica fue mucho más entusiasta. La revista Rolling Stone, en particular, elogió el álbum, reconociendo su ambición musical y su visión romántica. Con el tiempo, a medida que la fama de Springsteen creció, el álbum fue redescubierto y ahora es considerado por muchos fans y críticos como una de sus obras maestras y, quizás, su álbum más puramente romántico. Ha sido certificado doble platino en Estados Unidos.

Posición en listas:

Listado de Canciones

  1. E Street Shuffle
  2. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)

    Letra

    Sandy the fireworks are hailin' over Little Eden tonight Forcin' a light into all those stoned-out faces left stranded on this Fourth of July Down in town the circuit's full with switchblade lovers so fast so shiny so sharp As the wizards play down on Pinball Way on the boardwalk way past dark And the boys from the casino dance with their shirts open like Latin lovers along the shore Chasin' all them silly New York girls Sandy the aurora is risin' behind us The pier lights our carnival life forever Love me tonight for I may never see you again Hey Sandy girl Now the greasers they tramp the streets or get busted for trying to sleep on the beach all night Them boys in their spiked high heels ah Sandy their skins are so white And me I just got tired of hangin' in them dusty arcades bangin' them pleasure machines Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk where they promise to unsnap their jeans And you know that tilt-a-whirl down on the south beach drag I got on it last night and my shirt got caught And that Joey kept me spinnin' I didn't think I'd ever get off Oh Sandy the aurora is risin' behind us The pier lights our carnival life on the water Runnin' down the beach at night with my boss's daughter Well he ain't my boss no more Sandy Sandy the angels have lost their desire for us I spoke to 'em just last night and they said they won't set themselves on fire for us anymore Every summer when the weather gets hot they ride that road down from heaven on their Harleys they come and they go And you can see 'em dressed like stars in all the cheap little seashore bars parked making love with their babies out on the Kokomo Well the cops finally busted Madame Marie for tellin' fortunes better than they do This boardwalk life for me is through You know you ought to quit this scene too Sandy the aurora's rising behind us The pier lights our carnival life forever Oh love me tonight and I promise I'll love you forever
  3. Kitty's Back

    Letra

    Catlong sighs holding Kitty's black tooth She left to marry some top cat, ain't it the cold truth And there hasn't been a tally since Sally left the alley Since Kitty left with Big Pretty things have got pretty thin It's tight on this fence since them young dudes are musclin' in Jack Knife cries 'cause baby's in a bundle She goes running nightly, lightly through the jungle And them tin cans are explodin' out in the ninety-degree heat Cat somehow lost his baby down on Bleecker Street It's sad but it sure is true Cat shrugs his shoulders, sits back and sighs OOh, what can I do, ooh, what can I do? OOh, what can I do, ooh what can I do? Catlong lies back bent on a trash can, Flashing lights cut the night, dude in the white says he's the man Well you better learn to move fast when you're young or you're not long around Cat somehow lost his Kitty down in the city pound So get right, get tight, get down Well who's that down at the end of the alley? She's been gone so long Kitty's back in town, here she comes now Kitty's back in town Kitty's back in town, here she comes now Kitty's back in town Kitty's back in town, here she comes now Kitty's back in town Now Cat knows his Kitty's been untrue And that she left him for a city dude But she's so soft, she's so blue When he looks into her eyes He just sits back and sighs Ooh, what can I do, ooh, what can I do?
  4. Wild Billy's Circus Story

    Letra

    The machinist climbs his ferris wheel like a brave And the fire eater's lyin' in a pool of sweat, victim of the heatwave Behind the tent the hired hand tightens his legs on the sword swallower's blade And circus town's on the shortwave The runway lies ahead like a great false dawn Fat lady, big mama, Missy Bimbo sits in her chair and yawns And the man-beast lies in his cage sniffin' popcorn As the midget licks his fingers and suffers Missy Bimbo's scorn Circus town's been born Whoa, and a press roll drummer go, ballerina to and fro Cartwheelin' up on that tightrope with a cannon blast lightin' flash Movin' fast through the tent Mars bent, he's gonna miss his fall Oh God save the human cannonball. And the flying Zambinis watch Margarita do her neck twist, And the ringmaster gets the crowd to count along: "Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven" A ragged suitcase in his hand, he steals silently away from the circus grounds And the highway's haunted by the carnival sounds They dance like a great greasepaint ghost on the wind A man in baggy pants, a lonely face, a crazy grin Runnin' home to some small Ohio town Jesus send some good women to save all your clowns And circus boy dances like a monkey on barbed wire And the barker romances with a junkie, she's got a flat tire, And now the elephants dance real funky and the band plays like a jungle fire Circus town's on the live wire And the strong man Sampson lifts the midget little Tiny Tim way up on his shoulders, way up And carries him on down the midway past the kids, past the sailors To his dimly lit trailer And the ferris wheel turns and turns like it ain't ever gonna stop And the circus boss leans over, whispers into the little boy's ear "Hey son, you want to try the big top?" All aboard, Nebraska's our next stop.
  5. Incident On 57th Street

    Letra

    Spanish Johnny drove in from the underworld last night With bruised arms and broken rhythm and a beat-up old Buick But dressed just like dynamite He tried sellin' his heart to the hard girls over on Easy Street But they said, "Johnny, it falls apart so easy and You know hearts these days are cheap" And the pimps swung their axes and said, "Johnny, you're a cheater" Well, the pimps swung their axes and said, "Johnny, you're a liar" And from out of the shadows Came a young girl's voice Said, "Johnny don't cry" Puerto Rican Jane, Oh, won't you tell me What's your name? I want to drive you down to the other side of town Where paradise ain't so crowded There'll be action goin' down on Shanty Lane tonight All the golden heeled fairies in a real bitch-fight Pull thirty-eights and kiss their girls goodnight Ah, goodnight, it's alright, Jane Now let them black boys in to light the soul flame We may find it out on the street tonight, baby Or we may walk until the daylight, maybe Well, like a cool Romeo he made his moves Oh, she looked so fine Like a late Juliet she knew he'd never be true But then she really didn't mind Upstairs a band was playin', the singer was singin' Somethin’ about going home She whispered, "Spanish Johnny, you could leave me tonight But, just don't leave me alone" “Hey”! Johnny cried, “Puerto Rican Jane” “Word is down the cops have found the vein” Well, them barefoot boys they left their homes for the woods Them, little barefoot street boys, they said homes ain't no good They left the corners, threw away all their switchblade knives And kissed each other goodbye Johnny was sittin' on the fire escape Watchin' the kids playin' down the street He called down, "Hey little heroes, summer's long But, I guess it ain't very sweet Around here anymore” Janey sleeps in sheets, damp with sweat Johnny sits up alone and watches her dream on, dream on And the Sister prays for lost souls Then breaks down in the chapel after everyone's gone Jane moves over to share her pillow But opens her eyes to see Johnny up and putting his clothes on She says, "Those romantic young boys” (Those romantic young boys) “All they ever want to do is fight” Those romantic young boys (Those romantic young boys) They're callin' through the window “Hey, Spanish Johnny, you want to make a little easy money tonight? " And Johnny whispered, "Goodnight, it's all tight, Jane” “I'll meet you tomorrow night on Lover's Lane” “We may find it out on the street tonight, baby” “Or, we may walk until the daylight, maybe" Ah, goodnight, it's alright Jane I'm gonna meet you tomorrow night on Lover's Lane Aw, we can find it out on the street tonight, baby Or, we may walk until the daylight, maybe Ah, goodnight, it’s alright Jane I’ll meet you tomorrow night on Lover’s lane Now, we may find it out on, on the street tonight, baby Or, we may have to walk until the morning light, baby, yeah (Goodnight, it’s alright, Jane) (Goodnight, it’s alright, Jane) (Goodnight, it’s alright, Jane) (Goodnight, it’s alright, Jane)
  6. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

    Letra

    Spread out now Rosie doctor come cut loose her mama's reins You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game You pick up Little Dynamite I'm gonna pick up Little Gun And together we're gonna go out tonight and make that highway run You don't have to call me lieutenant Rosie and I don't want to be your son The only lover I'm ever gonna need's your soft sweet little girl's tongue and Rosie you're the one Dynamite's in the belfry playin' with the bats Little Gun's downtown in front of Woolworth's tryin' out his attitude on all the cats Papa's on the corner waitin' for the bus Mama she's home in the window waitin' up for us She'll be there in that chair when they wrestle her upstairs 'cause you know we ain't gonna come I ain't here on business I'm only here for fun Rosalita jump a little lighter Senorita come sit by my fire I just want to be your lover ain't no liar Rosalita you're my stone desire Jack the Rabbit and Weak Knees Willie you know they're gonna be there Ah Sloppy Sue and Big Bones Billy they'll be comin' up for air We're gonna play some pool skip some school act real cool Stay out all night it's gonna feel all right Rosie come out tonight Rosie come out tonight Windows are for cheaters chimneys for the poor Closets are for hangers winners use the door Rosalita jump a little lighter Senorita come sit by my fire I just want to be your lover ain't no liar Rosalita you're my stone desire Now I know your mama she don't like me 'cause I play in a rock and roll band And I know your daddy he don't dig me but he never did understand Papa lowered the boom he locked you in your room I'm comin' to lend a hand I'm comin' to liberate you confiscate you I want to be your man Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny But now you're sad your mama's mad And your papa says he knows that I don't have any money Tell him this is his last chance to get his daughter in a fine romance Because a record company Rosie just gave me big bucks My tires were slashed and I almost crashed but the Lord had mercy My machine she's a dud out stuck in the mud somewhere in the swamps of Jersey Hold on tight stay up all night 'cause Rosie I'm comin' on strong By the time we meet the morning light I will hold you in my arms I know a pretty little place in Southern California down San Diego way There's a little cafe where they play guitars all night and day You can hear them in the back room strummin' So hold tight baby 'cause don't you know daddy's comin' Rosalita jump a little lighter Senorita come sit by my fire I just want to be your lover ain't no liar Rosalita you're my stone desire
  7. New York City Serenade

    Letra

    Billy he's down by the railroad tracks Sittin' low in the back seat of his Cadillac Diamond Jackie, she's so intact As she falls so softly beneath him Jackie's heels are stacked Billy's got cleats on his boots Together they're gonna boogaloo down Broadway and come back home with the loot It's midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute It's a mad dog's promenade So walk tall or baby don't walk at all Fish lady, oh fish lady She baits them tenement walls She won't take corner boys They ain't got no money And they're so easy I said: Hey, baby Won't you take my hand Walk with me down Broadway Well mama take my arm and move with me down Broadway I'm a young man, I talk it real loud Yeah babe I walk it real proud for you Ah so shake it away So shake away your street life Shake away your city life Hook up to the train And hook up to the night train Hook it up Hook up to the train But I know that she won't take the train, no she won't take the train Oh she won't take the train, no she won't take the train Oh she won't take the train, no she won't take the train Oh she won't take the train, no she won't take the train She's afraid them tracks are gonna slow her down And when she turns this boy'll be gone So long, sometimes you just gotta walk on, walk on Hey vibes man, hey jazz man, play me your serenade Any deeper blue and you're playin' in your grave Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the blues boy Save your notes, don't spend 'em on the darlin' yearlin' sharp boy Straight for the church note ringin', vibes man sting a trash can Listen to your junk man Listen to your junk man Listen to your junk man He's singin', he's singin', he's singin' All dressed up in satin, walkin' past the alley He's singin', singin', singin', singin'