Released three years after the epic Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen’s fourth album is full of the literal darkness in the album title—but it also also crackles with power and intensity. Darkness on the Edge of Town wasn’t an easy album to make: It didn’t arrive until 1978, largely because Springsteen had signed a contract preventing him from working with any producer not approved by the singer’s management. Springsteen sued his manager; his manager sued him back; and, as a result, the Boss spent a year and a half fighting to defend everything he had worked for.

That defiance can be found throughout Darkness on the Edge of Town, from the lyrics to the vocals to the instrumental performances. You can hear Springsteen’s anger—as well as the sheer relief of achieving his freedom. But you can also sense Springsteen’s very real fear that everyone had forgotten about him, and his awareness that this record was going to make or break his future. The material was powerful enough—but the emotional catharsis required to bring it together took Darkness on the Edge of Town to another level.

So there’s the snarling saga of father/son dynamics in “Adam Raised a Cain”; the firecracker fuse of lust in “Something in the Night” and “Candy’s Room”; the dull mundanity of the 9-to-5 job in “Factory”. Springsteen’s writing was informed by a new interest in classical country music, as well as an increasing affinity with American cinema. The dignity of adult life, and the sharp jump-cuts of B movies, informed a record featuring Springsteen’s now-familiar cast of ne’er-do-wells. These are people who’ve evolved past their days of living hard and getting into trouble. Springsteen’s characters in Darkness on the Edge of Town are trying to get by—but they’re desperate and making bad decisions along the way. They’re running out of road.

You can hear their desperation in “Racing in the Street” or on the sombre title track. But this is hardly a hopeless album. Springsteen also included beacons of light in the form of “Badlands”, “The Promised Land” and “Prove It All Night”—a trinity that would expand far beyond their roles as lifelines on this record, and come to symbolise the universal quest for hope and redemption.

Tracklisting

1. Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
2. Blinded By The Light (5:02)
3. Growin’ Up (3:05)
4. Mary Queen Of Arkansas (5:20)
5. Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street? (2:05)
6. Lost In The Flood (5:14)
7. The Angel (3:23)
8. For You (4:39)
9. Spirit In The Night (4:58)
10. It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City (3:13)
11. The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle
12. The E Street Shuffle (4:26)
13. 4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) (5:35)
14. Kitty’s Back (7:07)
15. Wild Billy’s Circus Story (4:43)
16. Incident On 57th Street (7:45)
17. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) (7:02)
18. New York City Serenade (9:56)
19. Born To Run
20. Thunder Road (4:50)
21. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (3:11)
22. Night (3:01)
23. Backstreets (6:29)
24. Born To Run (4:30)
25. She’s The One (4:30)
26. Meeting Across The River (3:16)
27. Jungleland (9:33)
28. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
29. Badlands (4:01)
30. Adam Raised A Cain (4:32)
31. Something In The Night (5:12)
32. Candy’s Room (2:45)
33. Racing In The Street (6:52)
34. The Promised Land (4:24)
35. Factory (2:17)
36. Streets Of Fire (4:03)
37. Prove It All Night (3:57)
38. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (4:28)
39. The River
40. The Ties That Bind (3:33)
41. Sherry Darling (4:02)
42. Jackson Cage (3:04)
43. Two Hearts (2:42)
44. Independence Day (4:46)
45. Hungry Heart (3:19)
46. Out In The Street (4:17)
47. Crush On You (3:10)
48. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch) (2:36)
49. I Wanna Marry You (3:26)
50. The River (4:59)
51. Point Blank (6:05)
52. Cadillac Ranch (3:02)
53. I’m A Rocker (3:34)
54. Fade Away (4:40)
55. Stolen Car (3:53)
56. Ramrod (4:04)
57. The Price You Pay (5:27)
58. Drive All Night (8:26)
59. Wreck On The Highway (3:53)
60. Nebraska
61. Nebraska (4:27)
62. Atlantic City (3:54)
63. Mansion On The Hill (4:03)
64. Johnny 99 (3:38)
65. Highway Patrolman (5:39)
66. State Trooper (3:15)
67. Used Cars (3:06)
68. Open All Night (2:53)
69. My Father’s House (5:03)
70. Reason To Believe (4:11)
71. Born In The U.S.A.
72. Born In The U.S.A. (4:39)
73. Cover Me (3:26)
74. Darlington County (4:48)
75. Working On The Highway (3:11)
76. Downbound Train (3:35)
77. I’m On Fire (2:36)
78. No Surrender (4:00)
79. Bobby Jean (3:46)
80. I’m Going Down (3:29)
81. Glory Days (4:15)
82. Dancing In The Dark (4:01)
83. My Hometown (4:33)

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