Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

2.

Bruce Springsteen – Darkness On The Edge Of Town

There was going to be a Bruce Springsteen record in there, no matter what. I would have said Born to Run, but you’ve heard it a million times, and Darkness is the one that as I get a little older I see its complexities. It’s not as anthemic, but the reissues that came out last year made me investigate it again. The amount of work he put into it… They recorded, like, 70 songs for it.

‘Racing in the Streets’ is one of his best – I could listen to that 10 times in a row. ‘Candy’s Room’ is another song off that one that blows me away. It’s an adult record, I think that’s kind of important to me. My new record is also something like that. You get to a certain age and you want to write songs about adults. No one starts out doing that, you start off doing songs about teenagers. It’s a tough thing, an adult song, and Darkness On The Edge Of Town pulls it off.

Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Lord Spikeheart, Tom Ravenscroft
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