Radio Nowhere
Encyclopedia
"Radio Nowhere" is the first single released from Bruce Springsteen
's 2007 studio album Magic
.
"Radio Nowhere" was awarded Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song
at the Grammy Awards of 2008.
-driven, modern rock
er that features the work of E Street Band
members Max Weinberg
on drums, Garry Tallent
on bass guitar, Clarence Clemons
on saxophone, Steven Van Zandt
, Clemons and Patti Scialfa
on background vocals, and Nils Lofgren
on a guitar part underneath Clemons's sax solo. The opening guitar riff and chord progression are somewhat reminiscent of Tommy Tutone
's 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny
" with Tommy Tutone lead singer Tommy Heath
quoted as saying: "Everybody’s calling me about it," and that, "I think it's close enough that if I wanted to [take legal action], I could work with it."
Springsteen's 1990s twang
reasserts itself in the first verses of the down-mixed vocal line. "Radio Nowhere"'s lyrical themes address alienation and a desire for musical and social connection, a theme similar to some of his previous work:
Springsteen's lyrics appear to intentionally and repeatedly allude to his previous songs, an important artistic tradition in poetry and songwriting, continuing and reconnecting the artist's chosen themes they wish to emphasize. The lyric "I was driving through the misty rain" is likely a reference to his song "Downbound Train
" on his album Born in the U.S.A.
with the lyric "I feel her kiss in the misty rain." And the lyric "Dancing down a dark hole" likely refers to his song "Dancing in the Dark
" from the same album.
In addition, the line "is there anybody alive out there?", while not a previous Springsteen lyric, has been a staple exhortation of his live show. He has been yelling it out for years — notably during the 1999-2000 E Street Reunion Tour
— as the show enters its final stretch and he wants to rally the crowd one more time. It is also arguably the central question running through his entire body of work, reflecting the primal importance that he gives to the connective power of rock'n'roll
.
The single was released ahead of the album, initially leaking to the Internet on August 22, 2007, to satellite radio
the following day and to regular terrestrial radio
the day after that. Scott
and Todd
played the song twice on the morning of August 24 on New York City
's 95.5 WPLJ-FM. After the first airing, a disgruntled Sony representative called in ordering them not to play the song again. It is unclear as to whether this was a radio bit, designed to drum up publicity for record, or if the Sony rep was truly upset. Either way, Scott and Todd told the caller that they would not play the song again as long as he was on the phone with them. They proceeded to hang up on him and then play Radio Nowhere for a second time. Later in the day, classic rocker Q104.3
in New York City reportedly played the song several times in a row. The song was also played twice in the afternoon of August 24 by "Fast" Freddie of 93.3 WNCD
the Wolf, in Youngstown, Ohio
. After being contacted by a Columbia Records representative, they stopped playing it. The official release for radio was set for Tuesday, August 28, 2007. "Radio Nowhere" received some of its biggest promotion and early airplay from a huge Springsteen fan, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, sports talk host on WFAN
in New York, who could not stop raving about it. In fact, callers frequently open their conversations with Russo by chanting Springsteen's "Is there anyone alive out there?" line from the song. It was also admired by other artists within rockdom: At the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007
in Munich
, Germany
, when asked by Foo Fighters
frontman Dave Grohl
which song he wished he had written, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe
cited "Radio Nowhere".
"Radio Nowhere" was made available as a free, limited-timespan download "exclusively" from the iTunes Music Store starting on August 28, 2007 (although it was also available from Guardian Unlimited). The site also offered a pre-order of the new album. Sony BMG themselves created the site www.radionowheredownload.com (no longer active), which also offered the single free for Springsteen's fan base in Europe (for whom iTunes is not always an option), making it available for free well in advance of the commercial release of the album.
Despite all this initial drama, the song was not a chart success in the U.S. (with the exception of reaching number 2 on the Triple-A
chart). It failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100
. The song charted significantly higher in European countries, with it being most successful in Norway
and Ireland
(peaking at number 2 on both charts). Nevertheless, the song earned a degree of mind share
in the mass media. For example, it was used during the broadcast of the final game of the 2007 World Series
as the background music for the production credits and underneath a montage of all the major plays of the series. In addition, "Radio Nowhere" is being used very frequently in American sports arenas during halts in play. In a similar vein, ESPN Radio
's The Mike Tirico Show features "Radio Nowhere" as the show's opening theme.
"Radio Nowhere" was included in Springsteen's subsequent compilation album, the 2009 Wal-Mart
-only Greatest Hits
.
for "Radio Nowhere", directed by Thom Zimny, was released to Amazon.com
on September 4, 2007. It consists mostly of Springsteen and the E Street Band playing the song in a darkened studio, interspersed with filmed Manhattan
street scenes and a few shots of a recent promotional photograph of Springsteen being torn. Of the E Streeters, Scialfa, Van Zandt, Weinberg, and Lofgren get the most face time
in the video; quasi-member Soozie Tyrell
is absent altogether.
during the first leg. It subsequently shifted to being the second song played, with various other choices ahead of it, but overall it was performed in every show of that tour but one.
When the 2009 Springsteen and band Working on a Dream Tour
commenced, "Radio Nowhere" became the only Magic song to make it into show set lists. Its position in the show was often moved around to match the changing show segment where 18-year-old Jay Weinberg
subbed for his father on drums; the younger drummer gave the song a slightly more frenetic feel.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's 2007 studio album Magic
Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)
Magic is the 15th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2007 on Columbia Records. It is his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002...
.
"Radio Nowhere" was awarded Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song
Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre...
at the Grammy Awards of 2008.
History
The song is an up-tempo, electric guitarElectric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
-driven, modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
er that features the work of E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
members Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg
Max Weinberg is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.Weinberg grew up in suburban New Jersey...
on drums, Garry Tallent
Garry Tallent
Garry Wayne Tallent , sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the longtime bass player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band....
on bass guitar, Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
on saxophone, Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...
, Clemons and Patti Scialfa
Patti Scialfa
Vivienne Patricia "Patti" Scialfa is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She is married to Bruce Springsteen and they have three children.- Early life :...
on background vocals, and Nils Lofgren
Nils Lofgren
Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
on a guitar part underneath Clemons's sax solo. The opening guitar riff and chord progression are somewhat reminiscent of Tommy Tutone
Tommy Tutone
Tommy Tutone is a New Wave band, best known for its 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Although it is usually referred to as a San Francisco band, it was actually based in Willits, California, at the time that "Jenny" was released...
's 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny
867-5309/Jenny
"867-5309/Jenny" is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in 1982...
" with Tommy Tutone lead singer Tommy Heath
Tommy Heath
Tommy Heath is the lead singer/rhythm guitarist/occasional keyboardist of Tommy Tutone, a 1980s rock band most famous for their top 5 hit, "867-5309/Jenny." A common misconception is that Tommy Tutone is the name of the lead singer; it is the name of the band. The name of the band developed from...
quoted as saying: "Everybody’s calling me about it," and that, "I think it's close enough that if I wanted to [take legal action], I could work with it."
Springsteen's 1990s twang
Twang
An old onomatopoeia for the sound of a vibrating string - for instance of a bow or a musical instrument, or the sound of a vibrating spring of an air gun....
reasserts itself in the first verses of the down-mixed vocal line. "Radio Nowhere"'s lyrical themes address alienation and a desire for musical and social connection, a theme similar to some of his previous work:
- I was tryin' to find my way home,
- But all I heard was a drone—
- Bouncing off a satellite,
- Crushin' the last lone American night.
- This is Radio Nowhere . . . is there anybody alive out there?
Springsteen's lyrics appear to intentionally and repeatedly allude to his previous songs, an important artistic tradition in poetry and songwriting, continuing and reconnecting the artist's chosen themes they wish to emphasize. The lyric "I was driving through the misty rain" is likely a reference to his song "Downbound Train
Downbound Train
"Downbound Train" is a song that appears on the 1984 Bruce Springsteen album Born in the U.S.A.. The song is a lament to a lost spouse, and takes on a melancholy tone....
" on his album Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...
with the lyric "I feel her kiss in the misty rain." And the lyric "Dancing down a dark hole" likely refers to his song "Dancing in the Dark
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Dancing in the Dark" is a 1984 song, written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. Adding up-tempo synthesizer riffs and some syncopation to his sound for the first time, it became his biggest hit and, as the first single released from Born in the U.S.A., started it off to...
" from the same album.
In addition, the line "is there anybody alive out there?", while not a previous Springsteen lyric, has been a staple exhortation of his live show. He has been yelling it out for years — notably during the 1999-2000 E Street Reunion Tour
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour
The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour was a lengthy, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place over 1999 and 2000....
— as the show enters its final stretch and he wants to rally the crowd one more time. It is also arguably the central question running through his entire body of work, reflecting the primal importance that he gives to the connective power of rock'n'roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
.
The single was released ahead of the album, initially leaking to the Internet on August 22, 2007, to satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
the following day and to regular terrestrial radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
the day after that. Scott
Scott Shannon
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ, host of The True Oldies Channel, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show.-Early Radio Career:...
and Todd
Todd Pettengill
Todd Clark Pettengill is a radio disc jockey for WPLJ 95.5 in the New York area. He is perhaps best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as an on-screen interviewer in the mid-to-late 1990s.-Radio career:...
played the song twice on the morning of August 24 on New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's 95.5 WPLJ-FM. After the first airing, a disgruntled Sony representative called in ordering them not to play the song again. It is unclear as to whether this was a radio bit, designed to drum up publicity for record, or if the Sony rep was truly upset. Either way, Scott and Todd told the caller that they would not play the song again as long as he was on the phone with them. They proceeded to hang up on him and then play Radio Nowhere for a second time. Later in the day, classic rocker Q104.3
WAXQ
WAXQ is a radio station with a classic rock format in New York City. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-WFDR:...
in New York City reportedly played the song several times in a row. The song was also played twice in the afternoon of August 24 by "Fast" Freddie of 93.3 WNCD
WNCD
WNCD is a commercial radio station serving Youngstown, Ohio, owned by Clear Channel and broadcasting a mainstream rock format at 93.3 MHz. Its signal covers Youngstown, Warren, and New Castle, PA, and at times even reaches Erie and New Kensington, Pennsylvania. However, as one approaches Meadville...
the Wolf, in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. After being contacted by a Columbia Records representative, they stopped playing it. The official release for radio was set for Tuesday, August 28, 2007. "Radio Nowhere" received some of its biggest promotion and early airplay from a huge Springsteen fan, Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, sports talk host on WFAN
WFAN
WFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
in New York, who could not stop raving about it. In fact, callers frequently open their conversations with Russo by chanting Springsteen's "Is there anyone alive out there?" line from the song. It was also admired by other artists within rockdom: At the MTV Europe Music Awards 2007
MTV Europe Music Awards 2007
2007 was the 14th MTV European Music Awards, taking place at the Olympiahalle in Munich with hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg as host. The show attracted 78 million votes, the biggest in MTV Europe Music Awards history....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, when asked by Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
frontman Dave Grohl
Dave Grohl
David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter for Foo Fighters; the former drummer for Nirvana and Scream; and the current drummer for Them Crooked Vultures...
which song he wished he had written, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe
Michael Stipe
John Michael Stipe is an American singer and lyricist. He was the lead vocalist of the alternative rock band R.E.M.Stipe is noted and occasionally parodied for the "mumbling" style of his early career as well as his social and political activism. He was in charge of R.E.M.'s visual image; often...
cited "Radio Nowhere".
"Radio Nowhere" was made available as a free, limited-timespan download "exclusively" from the iTunes Music Store starting on August 28, 2007 (although it was also available from Guardian Unlimited). The site also offered a pre-order of the new album. Sony BMG themselves created the site www.radionowheredownload.com (no longer active), which also offered the single free for Springsteen's fan base in Europe (for whom iTunes is not always an option), making it available for free well in advance of the commercial release of the album.
Despite all this initial drama, the song was not a chart success in the U.S. (with the exception of reaching number 2 on the Triple-A
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
chart). It failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song charted significantly higher in European countries, with it being most successful in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(peaking at number 2 on both charts). Nevertheless, the song earned a degree of mind share
Mind share
Mind share, or the development of consumer awareness or popularity, is one of the main objectives of advertising and promotion. When people think of examples of a product type or category, they usually think of a limited number of brand names. For example, a prospective buyer of a college education...
in the mass media. For example, it was used during the broadcast of the final game of the 2007 World Series
2007 World Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 24, 2007 at Fenway Park in Boston, MassachusettsThe Red Sox cruised to a blowout win in Game 1 behind ALCS MVP Josh Beckett, who struck out nine batters, including the first four he faced, en route to his fourth win of the 2007 postseason...
as the background music for the production credits and underneath a montage of all the major plays of the series. In addition, "Radio Nowhere" is being used very frequently in American sports arenas during halts in play. In a similar vein, ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
's The Mike Tirico Show features "Radio Nowhere" as the show's opening theme.
"Radio Nowhere" was included in Springsteen's subsequent compilation album, the 2009 Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
-only Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band album)
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Greatest Hits is Bruce Springsteen's fifth compilation album, released as a limited edition first in the United States, Canada and Australia on January 13, 2009 exclusively through Wal-Mart retailers....
.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Radio Nowhere", directed by Thom Zimny, was released to Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
on September 4, 2007. It consists mostly of Springsteen and the E Street Band playing the song in a darkened studio, interspersed with filmed Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
street scenes and a few shots of a recent promotional photograph of Springsteen being torn. Of the E Streeters, Scialfa, Van Zandt, Weinberg, and Lofgren get the most face time
Face time
Face time is an English idiom for direct personal interaction or contact between two or more people at the same time and physical location. Face time therefore occurs in "real life" or "meatspace" and contrasts primarily with interaction or contact which occurs over distance and/or electronically...
in the video; quasi-member Soozie Tyrell
Soozie Tyrell
Soozie Tyrell, , formerly known as Soozie Kirschner, is an American violinist and vocalist, most known for her work with Bruce Springsteen in the E Street Band.-Biography:...
is absent altogether.
Live performance history
"Radio Nowhere" was the set opener for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2007–2008 Magic TourMagic Tour (Bruce Springsteen)
The Magic Tour was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2007–2008 concert tour of North America and Western Europe.The tour began October 2, 2007, in Hartford, Connecticut, and concluded August 30, 2008 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
during the first leg. It subsequently shifted to being the second song played, with various other choices ahead of it, but overall it was performed in every show of that tour but one.
When the 2009 Springsteen and band Working on a Dream Tour
Working on a Dream Tour
The Working on a Dream Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which began in April 2009 and ended in November 2009...
commenced, "Radio Nowhere" became the only Magic song to make it into show set lists. Its position in the show was often moved around to match the changing show segment where 18-year-old Jay Weinberg
Jay Weinberg
Jay Weinberg is an American drummer and the son of drummer Max Weinberg. He has played with the punk band The Reveling and toured in 2009 as a drummer with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, substituting for his father. During 2010, he was briefly the drummer for Madball...
subbed for his father on drums; the younger drummer gave the song a slightly more frenetic feel.
Charts positions
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norway Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 3 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 2 |
| Portugal Singles Chart | 25 |
| Italian Download Chart | 25 |
| Poland Singles Chart | 45 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 55 |
| German Singles Chart | 90 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
96 |
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
102 |
External links
- SpringsteenLyrics.com - Lyrics and complete history