The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen song)
Encyclopedia
"The Promised Land" is a song by Bruce Springsteen
from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town
. It was released as a single in Europe, backed by another song from Darkness on the Edge of Town, "Streets of Fire," the third single from the album after "Badlands
" and "Prove It All Night
." "The Promised Land" was also included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen
. The song has been a staple of Springsteen's live shows since 1978, and has been included on several concert albums and videos. The live album Live/1975–85 includes a 1985 performance of "The Promised Land" from a concert in Los Angeles, California
. A performance of the song from a 2003 concert in Barcelona is included on the Live in Barcelona
video. A June 28, 2009 live performance in London from the Working on a Dream tour
was included on the London Calling: Live in Hyde Park
DVD. The box set The Promise
contains video of three live performances of "The Promised Land," a 2009 performance from the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey
, without an audience, a 1978 performance from a concert in Phoenix, Arizona
and another 1978 performance from a concert in Houston, Texas
. Darren Hanlon
covered "The Promised Land" on Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool.
for "The Promised Land" before he was able to come up with the lyrics for the verses. The song's title pays homage to Chuck Berry
's song "Promised Land
". In Berry's song, the singer leaves his Virginia
home to go to the "promised land" of California
. Author Patrick Humphries considers Springsteen's song bleaker than Berry's. The singer has been working in his father's garage by day, and drives all night "chasing some mirage." The singer faces difficulties, but he is now ready to face them and committed to addressing them, instead of running away from them. He sings that "I've done my best to live the right way," but that hasn't eliminated his troubles. Now he will address his problems by blowing away anything "that ain't got the faith to stand its ground."
In the chorus
, the singer sings that "I believe in the promised land." Different authors have different answers as to what the "promised land" represents. June Skinner Sawyers believes it means the American ideal or even America itself. Daniel Wolff noted that unlike Berry's promised land, in which one could obtain the American dream by going west to California, Springsteen's promised land is defined by what doesn't happen there: "you aren't 'lost or broken hearted,' your dreams don't 'tear you apart' and your blood doesn't 'run cold.'" Jimmy Gutterman remarked that the singer believes in his promised land despite a lack of evidence.
In the documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness On the Edge of Town, Springsteen said the song is about "how we honor the community and the place we came from." In the same documentary Springsteen noted that elements of the song reflected his own situation when he wrote it. He was unable to record a new album due to a lawsuit, and felt weak, unable to do what he wanted and that he was letting down the other members of the band. The song reflects the sense of despair but also of resilience and determination and desire to transcend his limitations that he was feeling at the time. Ultimately, Springsteen suggested that the message of the song is the need to lose one's illusions of a life without limitations while holding onto a sense of the possibilities in life.
The lyrics of "The Promised Land" include a number of links to other Springsteen songs, particularly those on Darkness on the Edge of Town. The idea of the singer believing in something better despite a lack of evidence also occurs in "Badlands
." Also like "Badlands," the protagonist of "The Promised Land" is prepared to take control. Like a number of songs from Darkness on the Edge of Town, including "Badlands," "Prove It All Night
," "Racing in the Street
," "Factory" and "Adam Raised a Cain," "The Promised Land" includes references to working and a working life. Like "Adam Raised a Cain" and non-Darkness songs such as "Pink Cadillac
," "The Promised Land" incorporates biblical imagery. Sawyers notes that the possibility of violence implicit in the lyrics foreshadow the explicit violence in the lyrics of some of the songs on Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska
.
The music for "The Promised Land" is in the key
of G major
. It is based on five chords. Springsteen plays a harmonica
solo at the beginning and end of the song. The song also incorporates guitar and saxophone
solos.
referred to "The Promised Land" as a model "of how an unsophisticated genre can illuminate a mature, full-bodied philosophical insight." Sputnik Music critic John Cruz called "The Promised Land" one of the "more hopeful" songs on Darkness on the Edge of Town, stating that "the band goes along for the ride with just the right amount of flair and steadiness to deliver the songwriter's vision with crystal clear clarity."
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel...
. It was released as a single in Europe, backed by another song from Darkness on the Edge of Town, "Streets of Fire," the third single from the album after "Badlands
Badlands (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Badlands" was the leadoff track on Bruce Springsteen's fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town, and its second single.- Themes :The song tells the story of a man down on his luck and angry at the world, who wants a better lot in life....
" and "Prove It All Night
Prove It All Night
"Prove It All Night" is the penultimate song on Bruce Springsteen's fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town, and the first single released from it....
." "The Promised Land" was also included on the compilation album The Essential Bruce Springsteen
The Essential Bruce Springsteen
- Charts :- Certifications :- External links :* *...
. The song has been a staple of Springsteen's live shows since 1978, and has been included on several concert albums and videos. The live album Live/1975–85 includes a 1985 performance of "The Promised Land" from a concert in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. A performance of the song from a 2003 concert in Barcelona is included on the Live in Barcelona
Live in Barcelona
Live In Barcelona is a full concert video DVD of a performance by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band of their Rising Tour performance of October 16, 2002 at Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain....
video. A June 28, 2009 live performance in London from the 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...
was included on the London Calling: Live in Hyde Park
London Calling: Live in Hyde Park
London Calling: Live in Hyde Park is a full concert video of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band in their Working on a Dream Tour performance of June 28, 2009, at the Hard Rock Calling music festival in Hyde Park, London. It was released a year later, on Blu-ray and DVD.The work takes it name...
DVD. The box set The Promise
The Promise (Bruce Springsteen album)
The Promise is the 17th studio album by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen, released November 16, 2010 on Columbia Records. It is a double CD compilation of previously unreleased songs drawing from the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions. The album is also available as part of the box set...
contains video of three live performances of "The Promised Land," a 2009 performance from the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
, without an audience, a 1978 performance from a concert in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
and another 1978 performance from a concert in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
. Darren Hanlon
Darren Hanlon
Darren Hanlon is an Australian singer/songwriter who plays urban folk music. He has released five solo albums, three EPs and eight singles on Candle Records and Flippin Yeah industries , as well as several compilation tracks...
covered "The Promised Land" on Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool.
Lyrics and music
Like several other songs on Darkness on the Edge of Town, Springsteen has the chorusRefrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
for "The Promised Land" before he was able to come up with the lyrics for the verses. The song's title pays homage to Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
's song "Promised Land
Promised Land (song)
"Promised Land" is a song lyric written by Chuck Berry to the melody of "Wabash Cannonball", an American folk song. The song was first recorded in this version by Chuck Berry in 1964 for his album St. Louis to Liverpool. Released in 1965, it was Berry's first single issued following his prison term...
". In Berry's song, the singer leaves his Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
home to go to the "promised land" of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Author Patrick Humphries considers Springsteen's song bleaker than Berry's. The singer has been working in his father's garage by day, and drives all night "chasing some mirage." The singer faces difficulties, but he is now ready to face them and committed to addressing them, instead of running away from them. He sings that "I've done my best to live the right way," but that hasn't eliminated his troubles. Now he will address his problems by blowing away anything "that ain't got the faith to stand its ground."
In the chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
, the singer sings that "I believe in the promised land." Different authors have different answers as to what the "promised land" represents. June Skinner Sawyers believes it means the American ideal or even America itself. Daniel Wolff noted that unlike Berry's promised land, in which one could obtain the American dream by going west to California, Springsteen's promised land is defined by what doesn't happen there: "you aren't 'lost or broken hearted,' your dreams don't 'tear you apart' and your blood doesn't 'run cold.'" Jimmy Gutterman remarked that the singer believes in his promised land despite a lack of evidence.
In the documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness On the Edge of Town, Springsteen said the song is about "how we honor the community and the place we came from." In the same documentary Springsteen noted that elements of the song reflected his own situation when he wrote it. He was unable to record a new album due to a lawsuit, and felt weak, unable to do what he wanted and that he was letting down the other members of the band. The song reflects the sense of despair but also of resilience and determination and desire to transcend his limitations that he was feeling at the time. Ultimately, Springsteen suggested that the message of the song is the need to lose one's illusions of a life without limitations while holding onto a sense of the possibilities in life.
The lyrics of "The Promised Land" include a number of links to other Springsteen songs, particularly those on Darkness on the Edge of Town. The idea of the singer believing in something better despite a lack of evidence also occurs in "Badlands
Badlands (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Badlands" was the leadoff track on Bruce Springsteen's fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town, and its second single.- Themes :The song tells the story of a man down on his luck and angry at the world, who wants a better lot in life....
." Also like "Badlands," the protagonist of "The Promised Land" is prepared to take control. Like a number of songs from Darkness on the Edge of Town, including "Badlands," "Prove It All Night
Prove It All Night
"Prove It All Night" is the penultimate song on Bruce Springsteen's fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town, and the first single released from it....
," "Racing in the Street
Racing in the Street
"Racing in the Street" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town. In the original vinyl format, it was the last song of side one of the album...
," "Factory" and "Adam Raised a Cain," "The Promised Land" includes references to working and a working life. Like "Adam Raised a Cain" and non-Darkness songs such as "Pink Cadillac
Pink Cadillac (song)
"Pink Cadillac" is a humorous song by Bruce Springsteen which though a minor item in his canon of recorded music was a prominent concert number during Springsteen's 1984-85 Born in the U.S.A. Tour...
," "The Promised Land" incorporates biblical imagery. Sawyers notes that the possibility of violence implicit in the lyrics foreshadow the explicit violence in the lyrics of some of the songs on Springsteen's 1982 album Nebraska
Nebraska (album)
-Themes:The album begins with "Nebraska", a first-person narrative based on the true story of 19-year-old spree killer Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, and ends with "Reason to Believe", a complex narrative that renders its title phrase into contemptuous sarcasm...
.
The music for "The Promised Land" is in the key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
of G major
G major
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp, F; in treble-clef key signatures, the sharp-symbol for F is usually placed on the first line from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first space from the bottom...
. It is based on five chords. Springsteen plays a harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
solo at the beginning and end of the song. The song also incorporates guitar and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
solos.
Critical assessment
Robert ChristgauRobert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
referred to "The Promised Land" as a model "of how an unsophisticated genre can illuminate a mature, full-bodied philosophical insight." Sputnik Music critic John Cruz called "The Promised Land" one of the "more hopeful" songs on Darkness on the Edge of Town, stating that "the band goes along for the ride with just the right amount of flair and steadiness to deliver the songwriter's vision with crystal clear clarity."