The Wrestler (song)
Encyclopedia
"The Wrestler" is the title song from the 2008 film, The Wrestler. The track was written and performed by Bruce Springsteen
.
The origins of the song are based in a lost and resumed friendship between Springsteen and Wrestler lead actor Mickey Rourke
; Rourke told Springsteen about his upcoming film and asked if Springsteen could write a song for it. Springsteen subsequently did, played it for Rourke and director Darren Aronofsky
before a concert. When they liked it, Springsteen gave them the song for no fee.
It first appeared in August 2008 at the 65th Venice International Film Festival
debut of the film The Wrestler. In December 2008 it received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
and won the award during the 66th Golden Globe Awards
on January 11, 2009. It also won the 2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song and was nominated for, but did not win, the 2008 Satellite Award for Best Original Song
. The song was widely expected to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
at the 81st Academy Awards
, where Springsteen would perform it on the awards show, but in what Rolling Stone
termed "shocking news", it was denied a nomination on January 22, 2009, when the Academy nominated only three songs in the category rather than the usual five.
It was nominated for a 2009 MTV Movie Award
, but lost to Miley Cyrus
' "The Climb".
The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Song written for a film, tv series, or other visual media.
on December 16, in advance of the film's U.S. major cities openings in the subsequent days. Springsteen recorded it at his Thrill Hill Recording studio in New Jersey, played all the instruments, and produced it himself.
It was then included as a bonus track on Springsteen's late-January 2009 album release, Working on a Dream
, although "The Wrestler" was a stark departure from the romantic pop themes and elaborate production of the rest of the album.
A music video
for the song was filmed in late January 2009 in a New Brunswick, New Jersey
boxing gym, and was released on Springsteen's social networking websites. It shows Springsteen with his hair combed back, in a ring and weightlifting, interspersed with scenes from the film. An extended version of the video was made available on iTunes, and it showed only Springsteen. Finally, a making-of-the-video video was made and released as part of the iTunes package; it contained voiceovers of Springsteen giving his interpretation of the film's main character, how that fit into his normal model of human nature, and how he tried to write the song to reflect this.
The video was included as a bonus feature on the April 2009 DVD release of the film.
. Played late in the main set, it was given a long synthesizer-style introduction, a quiet arrangement, and subdued stage lighting. During subsequent legs of the tour the song was rarely played.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
.
The origins of the song are based in a lost and resumed friendship between Springsteen and Wrestler lead actor Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
; Rourke told Springsteen about his upcoming film and asked if Springsteen could write a song for it. Springsteen subsequently did, played it for Rourke and director Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky
Darren Aronofsky is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University to study film theory and the American Film Institute to study both live-action and animation filmmaking...
before a concert. When they liked it, Springsteen gave them the song for no fee.
It first appeared in August 2008 at the 65th Venice International Film Festival
65th Venice International Film Festival
The 65th Venice International Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, was opened on August 27, 2008 by Burn After Reading, and closed on September 6, 2008....
debut of the film The Wrestler. In December 2008 it received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song was awarded for the first time in 1962 and has been awarded annually since 1965 by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.-1960s:...
and won the award during the 66th Golden Globe Awards
66th Golden Globe Awards
The 66th Golden Globe Awards Ceremony was broadcast on January 11, 2009, from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States on the NBC TV network...
on January 11, 2009. It also won the 2008 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song and was nominated for, but did not win, the 2008 Satellite Award for Best Original Song
Satellite Award for Best Original Song
The Satellite Award for Best Original Song is an annual award given by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :*1996: "You Must Love Me" performed by Madonna - Evita**"God Give Me Strength" - Grace of My Heart**"Kissing You" - Romeo + Juliet...
. The song was widely expected to receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
at the 81st Academy Awards
81st Academy Awards
The 81st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2008 and took place February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST...
, where Springsteen would perform it on the awards show, but in what Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
termed "shocking news", it was denied a nomination on January 22, 2009, when the Academy nominated only three songs in the category rather than the usual five.
It was nominated for a 2009 MTV Movie Award
2009 MTV Movie Awards
The 2009 MTV Movie Awards were presented on Sunday, May 31, 2009, at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Andy Samberg served as host for the 18th annual ceremony.- Performers :* Eminem — "We Made You" and "Crack a Bottle"...
, but lost to Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
' "The Climb".
The song was nominated for a Grammy for Best Song written for a film, tv series, or other visual media.
Recording and video
The recorded version, sans end-credits string introduction, became available on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on December 16, in advance of the film's U.S. major cities openings in the subsequent days. Springsteen recorded it at his Thrill Hill Recording studio in New Jersey, played all the instruments, and produced it himself.
It was then included as a bonus track on Springsteen's late-January 2009 album release, Working on a Dream
Working on a Dream
Working on a Dream is the 16th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009 through Columbia Records. It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the United States as of September 2010.-History:...
, although "The Wrestler" was a stark departure from the romantic pop themes and elaborate production of the rest of the album.
A music video
Music 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 the song was filmed in late January 2009 in a New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
boxing gym, and was released on Springsteen's social networking websites. It shows Springsteen with his hair combed back, in a ring and weightlifting, interspersed with scenes from the film. An extended version of the video was made available on iTunes, and it showed only Springsteen. Finally, a making-of-the-video video was made and released as part of the iTunes package; it contained voiceovers of Springsteen giving his interpretation of the film's main character, how that fit into his normal model of human nature, and how he tried to write the song to reflect this.
The video was included as a bonus feature on the April 2009 DVD release of the film.
Live performances
While Springsteen was never able to perform the song at the Academy Awards ceremony, he gave it a fairly regular slot during the first leg of the 2009 Working on a Dream TourWorking 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...
. Played late in the main set, it was given a long synthesizer-style introduction, a quiet arrangement, and subdued stage lighting. During subsequent legs of the tour the song was rarely played.
External links
- "The Wrestler" - Lyrics on official Springsteen site
- "The Wrestler on Fretbase" - Chords, Tabs, Info & Downloads