Bruce Springsteen Tribute - Lebanese Tribute to Bruce Springsteen

THIS LIFE^©

Album's version

A bang then stardust in your eyes
A billion years or just this night
Either way it'll be all right

A blackness then the light of a million stars
As you slip into in my car
The evening sky strikes sparks

This life, this life and then the next
With you I have been blessed
What more can you expect

At night at my telescope alone
This emptiness I've roamed
Searching for a home

The stars, a brief string of shining charms
Rushing in red out of our arms
Into the drifting dark

This life, this life and then the next
With you I have been blessed
What more can you expect

This life, this life and then the next
I finger the hem of your dress
My universe at rest

We reach for starlight all night long
But gravity's too strong
Chained to this earth we go on and on and on and on and on

Then a million suns cresting where you stood
A beauty in the neighborhood
This lonely planet never looked so good

This life, this life and then the next
With you I have been blessed
What more can you expect

This life, this life and then the next
I finger the hem of your dress
My universe at rest

Page last updated: 25 Jan 2009

Intro

Music and lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, THIS LIFE is from Bruce Springsteen's 2009 album Working On A Dream.

The track duration is 4:30. The first (partial) public preview of the song was on 15 Dec 2008 when 30-second samples of the album tracks were published on Amazon.co.uk.

Composition and Recording

According to Springsteen, THIS LIFE was written during the last weeks (May-Jun 2007) of mixing Magic, which was taking place at Southern Tracks Studios, Atlanta, GA. Springsteen laid down a demo of the song with producer Brendan O'Brien before they left the studio when Magic was completed.

As it is the case with most of Working On A Dream, this track was recorded with the E Street Band at Southern Tracks Studios, Atlanta, GA, during breaks on the 2007-2008 Magic Tour, and most probably in January or May 2008.

Working On A Dream

Working On A Dream is Springsteen's 24th album (and 16th studio album). It was released on 27 Jan 2009 on Columbia Records. The album was officially announced, along with its track listing, on 17 Nov 2008. The album is produced by Brendan O'Brien and was recorded with the E Street Band during breaks on their 2007-2008 Magic Tour. It was recorded and mixed at Southern Tracks in Atlanta, GA with additional recording in New York City, Los Angeles, and New Jersey.

Springsteen said about the album, "Towards the end of recording 'Magic,' excited by the return to pop production sounds, I continued writing. When my friend producer Brendan O'Brien heard the new songs, he said, 'Let's keep going.' Over the course of the next year, that's just what we did, recording with the E Street Band during the breaks on last year's tour. I hope 'Working on a Dream' has caught the energy of the band fresh off the road from some of the most exciting shows we've ever done. All the songs were written quickly, we usually used one of our first few takes, and we all had a blast making this one from beginning to end."

Bruce Springsteen -- Working On A Dream [album cover art]

Click thumbnail to enlarge/reduce
album artwork

The album features 12 new Springsteen compositions plus a bonus track and clocks at 51:08.

Track list:

Bonus track:

THE WRESTLER

A deluxe edition of Working On A Dream features a bonus DVD that contains a 38-minute behind-the-scenes footage of the recording of the album. Produced, directed, and edited by Thom Zimny, it includes studio footage edited to the tracks of MY LUCKY DAY, QUEEN OF THE SUPERMARKET, KINGDOM OF DAYS, WORKING ON A DREAM, LIFE ITSELF, and THE LAST CARNIVAL. It also contains demos and early band versions of the songs as they were worked up. The DVD also includes video for A NIGHT WITH THE JERSEY DEVIL.

The album was also available as a vinyl record.

Credits

Thanks John Gillette, John Eick, and Michelle for the help.