"The Promised Land" is a song by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

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 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 BMG (previously Sony Music Entertainment). It includes songs ...

''. 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 ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. A performance of the song from a 2003 concert in Barcelona is included on the ''

Live in Barcelona Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

'' 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 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

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

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

, and another 1978 performance from a concert in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Darren Hanlon Darren Hanlon is an Australian singer-songwriter from Gympie, Queensland. Prior to becoming a solo artist in 1999, Hanlon was a member of Lismore indie rock band The Simpletons, with whom he released four albums and several EPs prior to their ...

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 best known as the lead vocalist and one of four guitarists of the Rock music, rock band Pearl Jam. He also appeared as a guest ...

has also covered this song live.

Background

"The Promised Land" originated through a trip to

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

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, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...

. After flying to

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

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), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

, 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, Bruce 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, Bruce 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) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

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, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined a ...

's song "

Promised Land The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew B ...

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

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

home to go to the "promised land" of

. 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 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 "

". 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 "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. The song has been called Springsteen's best song by several c ...

", "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 state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

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

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable com ...

. 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 in ...

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 instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

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

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

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 well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

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

Charts

Although "The Promised Land" didn't chart when it was first released as a single in 1978, it reached number three on the UK radio airplay chart in 2021.

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: *

– vocals, guitars, 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 musician and actor. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for The E Street Band. Clemons released several s ...

– saxophone *

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as the organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player and a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In 2014, Federici was posthumously induct ...

– 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 bass player and founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band si ...

– 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'' a ...

– drums

References

External links

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