"The Promised Land" is a song by the American singer-songwriter

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

from his 1978 album ''

Darkness on the Edge of Town ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 2, 1978, by Columbia Records. The album was recorded after a series of legal disputes between Springsteen and his ...

''. It was released as a single in the United Kingdom, backed by another song from ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'', "Streets of Fire", the third single from the album after "

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, ...

" and " Prove It All Night". "The Promised Land" was also included on the compilation album ''

The Essential Bruce Springsteen ''The Essential Bruce Springsteen'' is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of ''Essential'' sets released by Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Music. It includes songs from vari ...

''.

Background

"The Promised Land" originated through a trip to

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

on August 16–20, 1977, with photographer Eric Meola (who shot the ''Born to Run'' cover) and guitarist

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared i ...

. After flying to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

and renting a red 1965 Ford Galaxie, the group set out towards Reno, Nevada, Meola looking for photo ops, Springsteen to see some of the places he envisioned in his dreams. He was also upset, because one of his heroes,

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

, had just died. Springsteen "wanted to take every single side road that we could in Nevada", according to Meola. On the trip, they slept in the Galaxie, saw the wilderness and got caught in a thunderstorm. Eric came back with the photographs that were used in 2010 for ''The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story''. Thirty days later, Springsteen came to the Record Plant with the words and music he had been working on since he left Nevada, for a song called "The Promised Land". The band did three takes on September 30, then came back on October 27, 1977 with a bunch of new lyrics, worked on it all day (20 takes), and finished the song. After mixing, Springsteen would change his mind at the last minute, ordering that Steve Van Zandt's guitar solo (comes right before the sax solo), which had been removed from the final mix, be put back in, after the record has already been sent to be mastered. As a result, side two had to be remastered. but the record was still released on June 2, 1978.

Lyrics and music

Like several other songs on ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'', Springsteen had the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

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 Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

's song "

Promised Land In the Abrahamic religions, the "Promised Land" ( ) refers to a swath of territory in the Levant that was bestowed upon Abraham and his descendants by God in Abrahamic religions, God. In the context of the Bible, these descendants are originally ...

". In Berry's song, the singer leaves his

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

home to go to the "promised land" of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 has not 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

, the singer sings that "I believe in a 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 "

". 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 Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

''. The music for "The Promised Land" is in the key of

G major G major is a major scale based on G (musical note), G, with the pitches G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, C (musical note), C, D (musical note), D, E (musical note), E, and F♯ (musical note), F. Its key signature has one sharp (music ...

. It is based on five chords. Springsteen plays a

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

solo at the beginning and end of the song. The song also incorporates guitar and

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

solos. The opening harmonica solo is covered by the New Jersey band

Titus Andronicus ''The Lamentable Tragedy of Titus Andronicus'', often shortened to ''Titus Andronicus'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first t ...

on their debut album '' The Airing of Grievances'' in the song "Joset of Nazareth's Blues".

Critical assessment

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

referred to "The Promised Land" as a model "of how an unsophisticated genre can illuminate a mature, full-bodied philosophical insight."

Live performances

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 Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. 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 Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 15,188, a decr ...

, without an audience, a 1978 performance from a concert in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, and another 1978 performance from a concert in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. Darren Hanlon covered "The Promised Land" on ''Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool''.

Eddie Vedder Eddie Jerome Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, primary lyricist, and one of three guitarists for the rock band Pearl Jam. He was previously a gues ...

has also covered this song live.

Charts

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon, and the album’s liner notes: *

– vocals, lead guitar, harmonica *

Roy Bittan Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synth ...

– piano *

Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American saxophonist. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Clemons rel ...

– saxophone *

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, where he was its organist, accordionist and glockenspiel player. Federici appeared on ten ...

– organ *

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the bass player and a founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing ...

– bass *

– guitars *

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) 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'' an ...

– drums

References

External links

Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Promised Land 1978 songs 1978 singles Bruce Springsteen songs Columbia Records singles Songs written by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Jon Landau Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen