Thunder Road (4:47)
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“Thunder Road” is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, and the opening track on his 1975 breakthrough album Born to Run. It is ranked as one of Springsteen’s greatest songs, and often appears on lists of the top rock songs of all time.
The lyrics to “Thunder Road” describe a young woman named Mary, her boyfriend, their hopeless lives and their “one last chance to make it real.” Thematically, it reads as a nostalgic companion piece to “Born to Run”.
Musically, the song opens with a quiet piano and harmonica introduction, meant, as Springsteen said years later in the Wings For Wheels documentary, as a welcoming to both the track and the album, a signifier that something was about to happen. Eschewing a traditional verse-and-chorus structure, the song’s arrangement gradually ramps up in instrumentation, tempo and intensity. The title phrase is not used until the middle section of the song, and then is not used again. Finally, after the closing line there is a saxophone-and-piano duet in the instrumental coda.
In this song, Springsteen mentions Roy Orbison “singing for the lonely” on the radio. Orbison, one of whose best-known songs is “Only the Lonely,” was a huge influence on Springsteen.
The song’s title comes from the Robert Mitchum film Thunder Road. Springsteen declared that he was somehow inspired from the movie even if, as he says, “I never saw the movie, I only saw the poster in the lobby of the theater.”
The lyrics to “Thunder Road” describe a young woman named Mary, her boyfriend, their hopeless lives and their “one last chance to make it real.” Thematically, it reads as a nostalgic companion piece to “Born to Run”.
Musically, the song opens with a quiet piano and harmonica introduction, meant, as Springsteen said years later in the Wings For Wheels documentary, as a welcoming to both the track and the album, a signifier that something was about to happen. Eschewing a traditional verse-and-chorus structure, the song’s arrangement gradually ramps up in instrumentation, tempo and intensity. The title phrase is not used until the middle section of the song, and then is not used again. Finally, after the closing line there is a saxophone-and-piano duet in the instrumental coda.
In this song, Springsteen mentions Roy Orbison “singing for the lonely” on the radio. Orbison, one of whose best-known songs is “Only the Lonely,” was a huge influence on Springsteen.
The song’s title comes from the Robert Mitchum film Thunder Road. Springsteen declared that he was somehow inspired from the movie even if, as he says, “I never saw the movie, I only saw the poster in the lobby of the theater.”
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Related Tracks
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Born to Run (4:29)
Bruce Springsteen -
Backstreets (6:27)
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Go Your Own Way (3:38)
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The Weight (4:34)
The Band -
Tangled Up In Blue (5:38)
Bob Dylan -
Tumbling Dice (3:46)
The Rolling Stones
Albums featuring this track
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Born to Run
Bruce Springsteen Buy- Download Album
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- 7digital $7.99
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- Buy Album
- Amazon $15.28
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Greatest Hits
Bruce Springsteen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $11.99
- 7digital $13.99
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $37.55
- eBay Search
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In concert MTV unplugged
Bruce Springsteen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Live 1975 - 1985 (disc 1)
Bruce Springsteen Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
Shouts
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Ytse_Ham wrote:
love the lyrics, his voice, the horn outro, the song, the man.
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tommybutlerjr wrote:
Rare and scratchy voiced Mr. Man! I love this guy! He told me once that the best part of singing a story-telling song is watching the crowd live it, as you sing it. Nuff-said!
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Lynnblue8910 wrote:
love, love, love this song and springsteen!!
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King_Creole_35 wrote:
Perfect way to start a perfect album...
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BeerNBuckeyes wrote:
Real.
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nollafyzzil wrote:
His best lyrics, for sure.
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minimans94 wrote:
This song made me shit my pants of excitement, littelry I had to go and wash me trousers clean of dirty pants that was fun I also eat beans also and sometimes horsemanure.
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LHayden224 wrote:
I get goosebumps everytime I listen to this song <3
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OskiRocks wrote:
You ain't a beauty, but hey you're allright....
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NoeLennon wrote:
for artie.
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bottle2throttle wrote:
Quite possibly the most incredible and ridiculous song every recorded . . . at the same time.
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dontmakemeatrgt wrote:
this song has gave me the most incredible amount of comfort over the last 24 hours. thank you bruce.
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kalle_wy wrote:
wonderfull song
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amusings_bnl wrote:
i needed this to be the first song served up this morning... thank you for continuing to break my heart bruce...
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nollafyzzil wrote:
Like a vision she dances across th porch. He's my Boss
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sirboagriusbeez wrote:
hes not my boss.....
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Moondancerchele wrote:
This version always makes me sad. It puts me on the meander pathway of the memories of my youth.
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arrowe1969 wrote:
Is it me or does this sound like Bat Out Hell.
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Alnusglutin wrote:
hey Boss!!
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rjoycerocknroll wrote:
The Boss !!
Bruce Springsteen
Thunder Road
full track
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Recent Activity
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