Springsteen Song Rankings, Updated

Back in 2016, I went through Bruce Springsteen’s entire catalogue and did a daily review of one song per day. That culminated in the following rankings, which my friends at Casual Hoya were kind enough to publish.

Since then, Bruce has released two new albums, one of which I consider to be among the best of his career. And of course, I’ve changed and maybe grown these past five years, which means my own impressions of many of these songs had changed.

Below is my reassessed list, incorporating the songs from the new albums and making some changes among the existing rankings. The headline is likely that “Promised Land,” a scream to the universe about striving in the face of adversity, has replaced the fun, frolicking “Rosalita” at Number 1. The other usual suspects remain in the top 10, along with the always controversial “Girls in their Summer Clothes” and newcomer “Ghosts.” Recency bias? Maybe, but that song has packed a wallop for me these past fifteen months.

The List:

1. Promised Land
2. Rosalita
3. Thunder Road
4. Backstreets
5. Born to Run
6. Girls in their Summer Clothes
7. Jungleland
8. Ghosts
9. Atlantic City
10. Death to my Hometown
11. American Land
12. Born in the USA
13. Tenth Avenue Freezeout
14. Land of Hope and Dreams
15. Jersey Girl (cover)
16. Glory Days
17. Badlands
18. Wrecking Ball
19. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
20. The Rising
21. The Ghost of Tom Joad
22. Independence Day
23. We Take Care of Our Own
24. Meet Me In the City
25. I’ll Work For Your Love
26. The Promise
27. The River
28. Mary’s Place
29. Out in the Street
30. My Hometown
31. Prove it All Night
32. Streets of Philadelphia
33. Trapped (cover)
34. Growing Up
35. Spirit in the Night
36. Incident on 57th Street
37. My City of Ruins
38. Hungry Heart
39. Further Up the Road
40. I’m On Fire
41. American Skin (41 Shots)
42. Racing in the Street
43. Rocky Ground
44. The Price You Pay
45. No Surrender
46. Darkness on the Edge of Town
47. Dancing in the Dark
48. Last Man Standing
49. Red Headed Woman
50. Long Walk Home
51. We are Alive
52. Bobby Jean
53. Better Days
54. She’s The One
55. Because the Night
56. Letter to You
57. Just Like Fire Would (Cover)
58. It’s Hard to Be A Saint in the City
59. One Step Up
60. Livin in the Future
61. New York City Serenade
62. Radio Nowhere
63. The Wrestler
64. Lost in the Flood
65. Factory
66. The E Street Shuffle
67. Pay Me My Money Down
68. Open All Night
69. You’ll Be Coming Down
70. Ain’t Good Enough for You
71. For You
72. One Minute You’re Here
73. Someday We’ll Be Together
74. Downbound Train
75. Hello Sunshine
76. The Wish
77. Fire
78. So Young and in Love
79. You’re Missing
80. Tougher than The Rest
81. Back in Your Arms
82. Kingdom of Days
83. Save My Love
84. Outside Looking In
85. Working on the Highway
86. Pink Cadillac
87. Shackled and Drawn
88. State Trooper
89. Jack of All Trades
90. I’m Going Down
91. Cover Me
92. Western Stars
93. Human Touch
94. When the Saints Go Marching In (cover)
95. Loose Ends
96. Roll of the Dice
97. Darlington County
98. Something in the Night
99. Blinded by the Light
100. Tunnel of Love
101. Hunter of Invisible Game
102. With Every Wish
103. Point Blank
104. Secret Garden
105. Gave It A Name
106. Mansion on the Hill
107. Brilliant Disguise
108. Nebraska
109. Candy’s Room
110. Night
111. Cadillac Ranch
112. Burnin’ Train
113. Streets of Fire
114. Talk to Me
115. What Love Can Do
116. The Ties That Bind
117. Chasin’ Wild Horses
118. Someday We’ll be Together
119. You’ve Got it
120. The Power of Prayer
121. Jesse James
122. Man at the Top
123. Waitin on a Sunny Day
124. I Wish I Were Blind
125. Jesus Was an Only Son
126. Empty Sky
127. Easy Money
128. Erie Canal
129. Old Dan Tucker
130. Rendezvous
131. Mrs. McGrath
132. Last to Die
133. All I’m Thinking About Is You
134. High Hopes
135. Tucson Train
136. Froggie Went A Courtin’
137. Detroit Medley (cover)
138. Oh Mary Don’t You Weep
139. Magic
140. From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)
141. There Goes My Miracle
142. Matamoros Banks
143. Code of Silence
144. Sad Eyes
145. This Hard Land
146. If I Should Fall Behind
147. My Oklahoma Home
148. Lonesome Day
149. John Henry
150. My Love Will Not Let You Down
151. Blood Brothers
152. I Wanna Be With You
153. This Land Is Your Land
154. Dream Baby Dream
155. Murder Incorporated
156. City of Night
157. Quarter to Three
158. Gypsy Biker
159. Gotta Get That Feeling
160. Cynthia
161. Living on the Edge of World
162. Jacob’s Ladder
163. Wrong Side of the Street
164. The Brokenhearted
165. Highway Patrolman
166. Working on a Dream
167. We Shall Overcome (cover)
168. County Fair
169. Nothing Man
170. Candy’s Boy
171. Eyes on the Prize
172. Dollhouse
173. Be True
174. Souls of the Departed
175. Living Proof
176. Seaside Bar Song
177. Roulette
178. Shenandoah
179. Johnny 99
180. Take Em As They Come
181. My Beautiful Reward
182. Drive All Night
183. The Way
184. Two Hearts
185. All the Way Home
186. The Time That Never Was
187. Long Time Comin
188. Shut Out the Light
189. Thundercrack
190. Rockaway the Days
191. Sleepy Joe’s Cafe
192. Janey Needs A Shooter
193. All or Nothing at All
194. Sundown
195. Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips
196. Lift Me Up
197. Hearts of Stone
198. My Father’s House (cover)
199. Countin on a Miracle
200. This Depression
201. The Big Muddy
202. Cindy
203. How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times as These?
204. Local Hero
205. Johnny Bye Bye
206. I’m A Rocker
207. Dead Man Walkin
208. Used Cars
209. Drive Fast
210. Leah
211. Wayfarer
212. The Hitter
213. Moonlight Motel
214. Wages of Sin
215. Mary Lou
216. Into the Fire
217. This Little Light of Mine
218. Linda Let Me Be The One
219. Rendezvous
220. Iceman
221. Give the Girl A Kiss
222. Two Faces
223. Crush on You
224. Meeting Across the River
225. Frankie Fell In Love
226. My Lucky Day
227. Devils and Dust
228. Real World
229. When You Need Me
230. Hitch Hikin
231. One Way Street
232. Two for the Road
233. My Book of Dreams
234. Sherry Darling
235. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
236. Kitty’s Back
237. Viva Las Vegas (cover)
238. Held Up Without a Gun
239. Stolen Car
240. Restless Nights
241. Youngstown
242. Raise Your Hand
243. House of a Thousand Guitars
244. Spare Parts
245. Man’s Job
246. The Last Carnival
247. Don’t Look Back
248. Loose Change
249. Car Wash
250. Bishop Danced
251. Stones
252. Jackson Cage
253. Ain’t Got You
254. Paradise by the C
255. Surprise, Surprise
256. Harry’s Place
257. Lion’s Den
258. The Little Things (My Baby Does)
259. Trouble in Paradise
260. Leap of Faith
261. When the Lights Go out
262. Party Lights
263. The Honeymooners
264. The Man Who Got Away
265. Janey Don’t Lose Your Heart
266. It’s A Shame
267. Chain Lightning
268. Little White Lies
269. Walk Like A Man
270. This Life
271. The Wall
272. Seven Angels
273. Bring on the Night
274. Where the Bands Are
275. Stray Bullet
276. Cross My Heart
277. My Best Was Never Good Enough
278. Lucky Man
279. Santa Ana
280. Breakaway
281. Maria’s Bed
282. Gloria’s Eyes
283. Cautious Man
284. Life Itself
285. My Lover Man
286. Paradise
287. Leavin Train
288. Stand On It
289. Missing
290. The New Timer
291. Heaven’s Wall
292. Night Fire
293. None But The Brave
294. Ramrod
295. Lucky Town
296. Spanish Eyes
297. This is Your Sword
298. White Town
299. TV Movie
300. A Good Man is Hard To Find
301. Brothers Under the Bridges
302. Pony Boy
303. Silver Palomino
304. All That Heaven Will Allow
305. Down in the Hole
306. Over the Rise
307. Sinaloa Cowboys
308. Going Cali
309. The Line
310. Happy
311. Balboa Park
312. Wild Bill’s Circus Story
313. Does this Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
314. Part Man, Part Monkey
315. When You’re Alone
316. Valentine’s Day
317. Zero and Blind Terry
318. Dry Lightning
319. Straight Time
320. Highway 29
321. The Long Goodbye
322. Outlaw Pete
323. The Fuse
324. Worlds Apart
325. Somewhere North of Nashville
326. 57 Channels and Nothin On
327. Let’s Be Friends (Skin to Skin)
328. Across the Border
329. 329. Galveston Bay
330. Reno
331. Black Cowboys
332. Mary Queen of Arkansas
333. The Angel
334. Ricky Wants A Man Of Her Own
335. Adam Raised A Cain
336. Good Eye
337. Real Man
338. Rainmaker
339. Queen of the Supermarket