Bruce Springsteen has released a video for his new song ‘Tucson Train’ that shows him performing the tune with a large band. It’s the third single from his upcoming album Western Stars, but the first one to feature a video that he appears in.
“Tucson Train” is the story of a down-and-out man that leaves San Francisco “tired of the pills and the rain” after his relationship with a woman falls apart. “We fought hard over nothing,” Springsteen sings. “We fought till nothing remained/I’ve carried that nothing for a long time/Now I carry my operator’s license/And spend my days just running this train/And my baby is coming in on a Tucson train.” In the video, he is joined by his wife Patti Scialfa and a band that includes strings and horns.
Western Stars (out June 14th) was recorded with a large band that includes original E Street Band keyboardist David Sancious and violinist Soozie Tyrell and organist Charlie Giordano from the current incarnation of the band. “This record is a return to my solo recordings featuring character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements,” Springsteen said in a statement. “It’s a jewel box of a record.”
Springsteen has not talked about the album in any real depth since it was announced late last month, but in December he did discuss it with Variety. “That record is influenced by Southern California pop music of the ’70s,” he said. “Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, those kinds of records. I don’t know if people will hear those influences, but that was what I had in my mind. It gave me something to hook an album around; it gave me some inspiration to write. And also, it’s a singer-songwriter record. It’s connected to my solo records writing-wise, more ‘Tunnel of Love’ and ‘Devils and Dust,’ but it’s not like them at all. Just different characters living their lives.”
As of now, there’s not even a hint that he plans on supporting Western Stars with a tour. But he has said that he’s already looking ahead to his next album. “I’ll record with the E Street Band in autumn,” he recently told an Italian newspaper, “and, when we are done, we’ll go on tour.”
