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Commercially Released: March 6, 2012
Produced by Ron Aniello and Bruce Springsteen
Recorded by Ron Aniello and Toby Scott, assisted by Rob Lebret, Clif Norrell and Ross Petersen
at Stone Hill Studio, Very Loud House Studio and MSR Studio B
Mixed by Bob Clearmountain assisted Brandon Duncan at Mix This!
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway MasteringOverview
Following the conclusion of 2009's Working On A Dream Tour, Springsteen started to work on new material. It appears that "We Take Care Of Our Own" was among the earliest of the new songs to be written, in late 2009 / early 2010. "Shacked And Drawn" and "Rocky Ground" followed soon after. Springsteen has said that these three songs "came along for almost a gospel album package I was thinking about." Bruce has indicated that he wrote 30-40 songs in this period.
Initially, his focus was on solo material; "just me and a guitar singing these songs", as Bruce put it. The subject matter of these songs was similar to the overall tone of Wrecking Ball - greed, corruption and the current state of America. In January 2011 he started to work with producer Ron Aniello and the focus moved away from a solo album: "Then Ron brought a large library of sound that allowed me to explore – like maybe a hip-hop drum loop or country-blues stomp loop. The actual drums came later. There was no preconceived set of instruments that needed to be used, I could go anywhere, do anything, use anything. It was very wide open." While the album utilises loops, all the instruments are real - there are no computer generated instruments on the album.
Unlike the previous two albums that were recorded with the E Street Band, Wrecking Ball features an extensive list of guest musicians. In fact, there are only three songs that feature the E Street Band - "Wrecking Ball", "Land Of Hope And Dreams" and the bonus track "American Land". The rest see Springsteen and Aniello accompanied by Sessions Band members, choirs, strings and horns. Roy Bittan and Garry Tallent do not appear at all, and Steve Van Zandt only lends vocals to two tracks. At present it is unclear exactly how and when the album was recorded, hopefully this will become clearer in the future. Aniello has said that four songs were cut from the album. "American Man" is likely one of these, "American Skin (41 Shots)" may be another, so at least two titles remain unidentified.
Please note that Ron Aniello has stated that the album credits are "a mess", and any errors will be fixed for future re-issues.
The information below is based on the current album credits and, as such, will contain the same errors.Released
| # | Song Title | Running Time | Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN | 3:53 | WRECKING |
| 2. | EASY MONEY | 3:36 | WRECKING |
| 3. | SHACKLED AND DRAWN | 3:46 | WRECKING |
| 4. | JACK OF ALL TRADES | 5:59 | WRECKING |
| 5. | DEATH TO MY HOMETOWN | 3:28 | WRECKING |
| 6. | THIS DEPRESSION | 4:07 | WRECKING |
| 7. | WRECKING BALL | 5:49 | WRECKING |
| 8. | YOU'VE GOT IT | 3:48 | WRECKING |
| 9. | ROCKY GROUND | 4:40 | WRECKING |
| 10. | LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS | 6:58 | WRECKING |
| 11. | WE ARE ALIVE | 5:36 | WRECKING |
| 12. | SWALLOWED UP (IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE) (1) | 5:35 | WRECKING |
| 13. | AMERICAN LAND (1) | 4:25 | WRECKING |
Total Running Time: 1:01:29
1: These studio recordings tracks come with the bonus-package.
Additional Recordings
| Song Title | Running Time | Release |
|---|---|---|
| AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) | uncirculating | |
| AMERICAN MAN | uncirculating |
Details
| Song Title | Running Time | Release |
|---|
| AMERICAN LAND - V1 | uncirculating | |
| AMERICAN LAND - V2 | uncirculating | |
| AMERICAN LAND - V3 | 4:25 | WRECKING |
Note: V1 recorded on January 21, 2006 at the third of the three Seeger Sessions. Bruce recorded another version (V2), this time solo, at his home studio sometime later in 2006. Both studio versions remain unreleased. Written by Springsteen and inspired by the song "He Lies In The American Land" (a Slovakian worker's poem later adapted and set to music by Pete Seeger). A live version (the debut performance, recorded June 22, 2006 in New York City) was issued as a bonus track on the American Land CD edition of WSO in October 2006. V3 subsequently recorded with the E Street Band and other artists for the 2012 album Wrecking Ball. Included as a bonus track with some editions of the album.
| AMERICAN MAN | N/A | uncirculating |
Note: In an interview, producer Ron Aniello has stated that "American Man" was the title of a song recorded for the album. However, it did not make the final cut. This is the only known outtake from Wrecking Ball, although many others likely exist.
| AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) - V1 | 5:13 | SA / 2001 promo |
| AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) - V2 | uncirculating | |
| AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS) - V3 | 7:24 | HOPES |
Note: Written by Springsteen during the spring of 2000 and soundchecked several times in April and May of 2000 before it was premiered live on June 4, 2000 in Atlanta. "American Skin (41 Shots)" was inspired by the February 1999 police shooting of Amadou Diallo in New York City. Springsteen recorded V1, or at least a new vocal, at The Hit Factory, New York City on March 2, 2001. It appears that this recording utilizes the backing music (with a slightly altered mix) from the live version recorded on July 1, 2000 at Madison Square Garden and officially released on Live In New York City. Produced by Springsteen and Chuck Plotkin, it was released on a promotion-only single in June 2001.
Ron Aniello revealed in a December 2013 interview with Rolling Stone that the song was also recorded during the Wrecking Ball recording sessions (V2), but ultimately was not used. "We did try a track of that," he said, "but it wasn't really an outtake." V3 was recorded in 2013 and features Tom Morello on guitar. "His presence made a big, big difference," Springsteen said. "He obviously brings those things to great life and deepens them and deepens the characters." Prior to the March 2013 Australian leg of the Wrecking Ball Tour, Tom Morello was sent the song to add guitar: "I did that in my home studio and Bruce seemed to like that very much," he told Andy Greene in a January 2014 interview for Rolling Stone. "That song to me was the most challenging one. It was also the first one I did. Normally I'll go in there and tinker with a song a bit and try to capture inspiration and see if the world likes it or not. But that song just didn't come together for me. I went back to it a couple of times, and I'm glad that I did because at the end of the day I was really pleased with how the guitar solo and the rhythm stuff came out. But that one felt like it was work. I had to really work on that one." The final result was issued on High Hopes in 2014.
| DEATH TO MY HOMETOWN | 3:28 | WRECKING |
Note: Features Springsteen, Ron Aniello (some combination of bass, keyboards, drums, percussion and /or loops, plus backing vocals), Matt Chamberlain (drums & percussion), Kevin Buell (drums & backing vocal), Charlie Giordano (piano, B-3 organ), Rob Lebret (backing vocals), Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, penny whistle), Soozie Tyrell (violin) and backing vocals from Ross Peterson and Clif Norrell (backing vocal).The recording includes excerpts of "The Last Words Of Copernicus", an old folk poem performed by The Sacred Harp Singers and recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959.
| EASY MONEY | 3:36 | WRECKING |
Note: Features Springsteen, Ron Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion and/or loops), Steve Jordan (percussion), Soozie Tyrell (violin & backing vocal), and backing vocals by Patti Scialfa, Lisa Lowell, Michelle Moore, Antoinette Savage, Corinda Carford, Tiffeny Andrews, Solomon Cobbs, and Lilly Brown.
| JACK OF ALL TRADES | 5:59 | WRECKING |
Note: Features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion and/or loops), Tom Morello (electric guitar), Curt Ramm (trumpet, cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax), Ed Manion (tenor & baritone sax), Dan Levine (alto horn, euphonium), Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, penny whistle), Soozie Tyrell (violin), and the New York Chamber Consort (strings).
| LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS - V1 | uncirculating | |
| LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS - V2 | uncirculating | |
| LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS - V3 | 6:58 | WRECKING |
Note: Written by Bruce sometime in 1998 or early 1999. The song was premiered live with the E Street Band on March 18, 1999 for the Reunion Tour. A later live version with the E Street Band was officially released on the Live In New York City package. Cut in 2011 and issued on the Wrecking Ball album. V3 features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion and/or loops), Charlie Giordano (piano, B-3 organ), Curt Ramm (trumpet, cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax), Ed Manion (tenor & baritone sax), Dan Levine (alto horn, euphonium), Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, penny whistle), Clarence Clemons (saxophone solo), and Soozie Tyrell (violin & backing vocal), with backing vocals from Patti Scialfa, Lisa Lowell and Michelle Moore and the Victorious Gospel Choir. Steve Van Zandt is uncredited, but clearly audible at times.
| ROCKY GROUND - V1 | 4:40 | WRECKING |
| ROCKY GROUND - V2 - modern mix | 3:22 | 2012 single |
Note: Among the earliest of the Wrecking Ball songs to be written. Springsteen has stated it was originally written for a movie. Features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and/or loops), Charlie Giordano (piano, B3 organ), Curt Ramm (trumpet, cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax), Ed Manion (tenor and baritone sax), Dan Levine (alto horn, euphonium), Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, penny whistle), Michelle Moore (backing vocal), and the Victorious Gospel Choir. The recording includes samples of "I'm A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord", a traditional gospel song performed by Congregation Of The Church Of God In Christ and recorded by Alan Lomax in 1942. V2 is the "modern mix" released on Springsteen's official website in June, 2012.
| SHACKLED AND DRAWN | 3:46 | WRECKING |
Note: Among the earliest of the Wrecking Ball songs to be written. Features Springsteen, Ron Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and/or loops, plus backing vocals), Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion), Charlie Giordano (piano, B3 organ), Curt Ramm (trumpet, cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax), Ed Manion (tenor and baritone sax), Dan Levine (alto horn, euphonium), Art Baron (euphonium, tuba, sousaphone, penny whistle), Soozie Tyrell (violin & backing vocal), and backing vocals from Patti Scialfa, Lisa Lowell, Cindy Mizelle, Ross Peterson, and Clif Norrell. The recording samples of "Me And My Baby Got Our Own Thing Going", originally recorded by Lyn Collins in 1972. Cindy Mizelle probably re-recorded the vocal.
| SWALLOWED UP (IN THE BELLY OF THE WHALE) | 5:35 | WRECKING |
Note: features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and/or loops), Charlie Giordano (accordion), Rob Lebret (backing vocals), Soozie Tyrell (violin, backing vocal), Patti Scialfa (backing vocal), Lisa Lowell (backing vocal), Ross Peterson (backing vocal), Clif Norrell (tuba, backing vocal), Clif Norrell (backing vocal), Jeremy McCoy (bass violin), Dan Shelly (bassoon), and Mark Romatz (contra bassoon). Included as a bonus track with some editions of Wrecking Ball.
| THIS DEPRESSION | 4:07 | WRECKING |
Note: Features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and/or loops), Tom Morello (electric guitar), Soozie Tyrell (violin, backing vocal), Patti Scialfa (backing vocal), and Lisa Lowell (backing vocal).
| WE ARE ALIVE - V1 | uncirculating | |
| WE ARE ALIVE - V2 | 5:36 | WRECKING |
Note: The officially released V2 features Springsteen, Aniello (some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and/or loops), Max Weinberg (drums), Charlie Giordano (piano, B3 organ), Greg Leisz (banjo, mandola, lap steel), Darrell Leonard (trumpet, bass trumpet), Soozie Tyrell (violin), and Patti Scialfa (backing vocal). V1 is the first version of the track recorded, with a faster, Ramones-style arrangement. Max Weinberg mentioned this take during an interview with Dave Marsh prior to the Apollo show in March 2012.
| WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN | 3:53 | WRECKING / ESSENTIAL: 2015 / BESTOF |
Note: The first song written for Wrecking Ball and the first single from the album, "We Take Care Of Our Own" was released digitally on January 19, 2012. Features Springsteen on vocals, guitars, banjo, piano, organ, drums, percussion, and loops and Ron Aniello on some combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, drums, and/or loops. Soozie Tyrell, Patti Scialfa and Lisa Lowell provide backing vocals. The New York Chamber Consort contribute strings.
| WRECKING BALL | 5:49 | WRECKING / CHAPTER |
Note: Written in September 2009 and premiered on September 30th 2009, performed as a tribute to the soon-to-be-demolished Giants Stadium. Recorded by Ron Aniello at Very Loud House Studio, Woodland Hills, California.
| YOU'VE GOT IT | 3:48 | WRECKING |
Note: Features Springsteen, Ron Aniello (some combination of bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and/or loops, plus backing vocals), Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion), Marc Muller (pedal steel guitar), Greg Leisz (banjo, mandola, lap steel), Curt Ramm (trumpet, cornet), Clark Gayton (trombone), Stan Harrison (clarinet, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone), Ed Manion (tenor and baritone saxophone), and backing vocals from Ross Peterson, Rob Lebret, and Clif Norrell.
Possible Wrecking-era Songs
The following titles emanate from 2010-1018 period, based on Ron Aniello's statement on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…". all titles can be linked to the release of Western Stars
| Song Title | Running Time | Release |
|---|
| CHASIN' WILD HORSES - Demo | uncirculating | |
| CHASIN' WILD HORSES | 5:03 | WESTERN |
Note: A demo of "Chasin' Wild Horses" was first recorded in 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| DRIVE FAST (THE STUNTMAN) - Demo | uncirculating | |
| DRIVE FAST (THE STUNTMAN) | 4:16 | WESTERN |
Note: A demo of "Drive Fast (The Stuntman)" was first recorded in 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| HELLO SUNSHINE - Demo | uncirculating | |
| HELLO SUNSHINE | 3:56 | WESTERN / BESTOF / 2019 single |
Note: A demo of "Hello Sunshine" was most likely recorded 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| HITCH HIKIN' - V1 | uncirculating | |
| HITCH HIKIN' - V2 | 3:37 | WESTERN |
Note: V1 of "Hitch Hikin'" was recorded on October 20, 2010, at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| MOONLIGHT MOTEL - Demo | uncirculating | |
| MOONLIGHT MOTEL | 4:16 | WESTERN |
Note: A demo of "Moonlight Motel" was most likely recorded 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| SLEEPY JOE'S CAFÉ - Demo | uncirculating | |
| SLEEPY JOE'S CAFÉ | 3:14 | WESTERN |
Note: A demo of "Sleepy Joe's Cafe" was most likely recorded 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| STONES - Demo | uncirculating | |
| STONES | 4:44 | WESTERN |
Notes: A demo of "Stones" was recorded in 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| SUNDOWN - Demo | uncirculating | |
| SUNDOWN | 3:17 | WESTERN |
Notes: A demo of "Sundown" was recorded in 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| THE WAYFARER - V1 | uncirculating | |
| THE WAYFARER - V2 | uncirculating | |
| THE WAYFARER - V3 | 4:18 | WESTERN |
Note: "The Wayfarer" was recorded on March 18, 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Engineer Toby Scott recorded two complete versions, adding a few bars at the end of V2. V3 was completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019.
| THERE GOES MY MIRACLE - Demo | uncirculating | |
| THERE GOES MY MIRACLE | 4:05 | WESTERN / 2019 single |
Note: A demo of "There Goes My Miracle" was recorded in 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
| TUCSON TRAIN - V1 | uncirculating | |
| TUCSON TRAIN - V2 | 3:31 | WESTERN / 2019 single |
Note: "Tucson Train" was recorded October 2, 2012, at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. A lyric transcription was completed for its appearance on a proposed release of Western Stars in 2015, but those plans were cancelled. The track was completed by Ron Aniello and Bruce Springsteen, and released in 2019.
| WESTERN STARS - Demo | uncirculating | |
| WESTERN STARS | 4:41 | WESTERN / 2019 single |
Note: A demo of "Western Stars" was recorded most likely in 2010 at Stone Hill Studio, Colts Neck, New Jersey. Completed by Ron Aniello and Springsteen over a period of several years, ending early 2019, as stated by Ron Aniello on his Instagram: "started in 2010… finished in 2014… finished again in 2018. Sometimes it takes a minute…"
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