And now I do a mini-review for every song on
High Hopes
"High Hopes"
The title track. Catchy beat. I can see this being played at live shows a lot. It's fun to sing along to and sounds great when the full band kicks in.
"Harry's Place"
This is a weird song. At least for Springsteen. It's about gangsters and the narrator talks about how you "don't fuck with Harry's money or fuck Harry's girls." The music itself sounds good, it's just an odd direction for Springsteen to go.
"American Skin (41 Shots)"
A song based off real life events where a man was shot 41 times by the NYPD because he reached into his back pallet to grab his wallet to prove his identity. The cops thought he was reaching for a gun, so they preemptively shot him. The song is very solemn and serious and was first performed back in 1999 or 2000. Very emotional song.
"Just Like Fire Would"
A cover. Fun, upbeat song with a clever title. This is another song that would work very well live. Not much else to say.
"Down in the Hole"
This was a song written about the 9/11 attacks. It was left off of
The Rising album because it sounded somewhat similar to another 9/11 remembrance song "Empty Sky. The song is moving and talks about the people trapped in the rubble of the twin towers.
"Heaven's Wall
One of my favorites off of the new album. It has a very gospel feel to it and works as a little bit of a call and response. Could definitely see this becoming a staple of live shows.
"Frankie Fell in Love"
This has that classic E Street feel to it. It's short, but fast and energetic. This is another song that could easily find a home on live setlists.
"This is Your Sword"
Catchy, upbeat, and about love. Sounds like it was meant to be on the
Working on a Dream album. It also has bit of an Irish feel to it like a lot of the songs on
Wrecking Ball.
"Hunter of Invisible Game"
Meh. This one's kind if forgettable.
"The Ghost of Tom Joad"
Easily one of my favorites on the new album. It's a reworking of an acoustic song that Springsteen wrote back in 1995. It has be rearranged as a faster, hard-rocking song. Tom Morello sings one of the verses. Here's a link
"The Wall"
This song is written about a friend of Bruce's who went off into Vietnam and never returned home. In the song, the narrator visits the Vietnam Memorial Wall. The song itself is decent, but the message is strong.
"Dream Baby Dream"
A short, simple song with few lyrics and is a cover. It's a nice song and a good way to close out the album.