Bruce Springsteen's song “The River” charted

The River Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen (see lyrics here) Released: May 1981 First Charted: June 13, 1981 Peak: 19 CL, 35 UK, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.5 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, -- video, 109.28 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Bruce Springsteen recorded “The River” for an album called The Ties That Bind. When he decided to expand the album to a double, he re-titled it The River. The title cut and six other cuts from Ties emerged on the new album. Springsteen said he considered “The River,” “Point Blank,” “Independence Day,” and “Stolen Car,” to be “the heart and soul” of the album. WK Lyrically, the song was inspired by Springsteen’s sister Ginny and her husband Mickey. They got married when she was still a teenager and he faced challenges when he lost his construction job, but still worked hard to support his wife and child without complaining. SF Writer Robert Hilburn described the song as “a classic outline of someone who has to re-adjust his dreams quickly.” WK The song drew inspiration from Hank Williams. It depicts economic difficulties interlaced with local culture with some inspiration in “Long Gone Lonesome Blues” WK and also was influenced by “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It.” SF The song foreshadowed the more stripped-down style of his next album, 1982’s Nebraska, with its “haunting harmonica part” WK and “a sense of hopelessness.” WK “The River” was released as a single in Europe, reaching #35 in the UK and was a top 10 hit in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Portugal. It got to #1 in Israel. The song was not released as a single in the United States, but did garner airplay on album-rock radio stations and became one of the best-known songs in Springsteen’s repertoire. During his tour for Born in the U.S.A., Springsteen would often tell a story about his conflict with his father while growing up before playing the song. It was included on the box set Live/1975-85. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bruce Springsteen SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 10/26/2022; last updated 2/19/2023.