High Hopes (album)

Did You Know?

• The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, Springsteen's eleventh number one, placing him third behind the Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (13).
• The album sold about 99,000 copies in its first week in the US and 213,000 as of October 2015.
• The deluxe version included a limited edition DVD titled Born in the U.S.A. Live: London 2013.

Background

Springsteen described the new music as some of his best unreleased material from the past decade and felt it deserved a proper studio recording. Work began on December 9, 2012, when he contacted producer Ron Aniello about unfinished demos of older songs. Aniello started production in Los Angeles while the band continued the Wrecking Ball Tour. Springsteen was away most of the time, so they could not work through everything in one room; it took nearly a year for him to finalize the album.

In March 2013, the day before flying to Australia for tour dates, Springsteen went to Los Angeles to do mixes and pose for album photos. Aniello recalled Springsteen working 15-hour days. While in Australia, with Tom Morello substituting for Steven Van Zandt, the band recorded new music during off time without specific plans for an album. Recording engineer Nick DiDia was available, making the sessions possible.

Further recording occurred at studios in New Jersey, Atlanta, New York City, and Nashville. Critics noted a lack of cohesion, but Aniello stated that Springsteen spent months sequencing the album until he was satisfied.

Songs

High Hopes is Springsteen's first studio album composed entirely of covers, outtakes, and reimagined versions of earlier songs. "American Skin (41 Shots)" was written in 2000 after the death of Amadou Diallo; a live version appeared on Live in New York City, and a studio version was issued on a rare promo CD. Springsteen revived the song during the Wrecking Ball Tour as a tribute to Trayvon Martin. "The Ghost of Tom Joad" was the first single from the 1995 album of the same name and had been performed often with Morello on guitar; Rage Against the Machine covered it in 1997.

"Harry's Place" was written in 2001 for The Rising; "Heaven's Wall", "Down in the Hole", and "Hunter of Invisible Game" date from 2002 to 2008. "The Wall" was written around 1998 from an idea by Joe Grushecky, recounting Springsteen's visit to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and memories of musician Walter Cichon. Morello suggested two covers: "Just Like Fire Would" by The Saints and "Dream Baby Dream" by Suicide. A version of "Dream Baby Dream" was released as a music video tribute in September 2013.

Among the 20 songs recorded that did not make the final cut were "Cold Spot", "Hey, Blue Eyes", "American Beauty", and "Mary, Mary"; some appeared on the American Beauty EP.

Release and promotion

The album was preceded by the single "High Hopes". A music video for "Just Like Fire Would" was released on January 22, 2014, and one for "The Wall" aired during the 2014 HBO special Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes. On July 9, 2014, Springsteen released a short film for "Hunter of Invisible Game", marking his directorial debut. In April 2014, he released the American Beauty EP, containing four songs that did not make the album.

On December 28, 2013, Amazon.com briefly made the album available as individual MP3 files through its mobile app, leading to a leak. On January 12, 2014, the television series The Good Wife featured snippets of three songs as part of a deal between Springsteen's label and CBS to gain wider exposure. On January 14, 2014, an entire episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was dedicated to Springsteen; he and the E Street Band, with Tom Morello, performed three songs, and Springsteen and Fallon performed a parody of "Born to Run" about the Fort Lee lane closure scandal.

On April 4, 2014, HBO aired a 30-minute documentary on the making of the album. In May 2014, Sony Music Netherlands released a 45-minute documentary titled High Hopes in South Africa.

Critical reception

High Hopes received a mixed reception from critics. Metacritic gave it a score of 67 out of 100 based on 37 reviews, indicating a generally favorable response. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that the songs do not cohere into a mood or narrative, contrasting with Springsteen's earlier deliberate albums. David Fricke of Rolling Stone described the cumulative effect as retrospect with a cutting edge.

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said the album crackles with immediacy despite its cobbled-together nature. Andy Gill of The Independent noted the lack of thematic unity but praised Tom Morello's reinvigoration of old material. NME gave a rave review, proclaiming "Still The Boss". Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune praised "Just Like Fire Would", "Hunter of Invisible Game", and "The Wall" but called the rest ho-hum.

Jessica Hopper of Spin said the album does not play like a Springsteen album. Stephen M. Deusner of Pitchfork noted that thick arrangements distract from good songwriting. PopMatters concluded there is no lack of strong songs but an unusual surfeit of so-so songs undercuts the album. Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine saw Springsteen aligning himself with a tradition of folksingers.

Ian Gittins of The Guardian viewed the album as a stopgap assembled with care. USA Today's Edna Gundersen ran a review headlined "Grab-bag material could hurt Springsteen's 'High Hopes'". In December 2014, Rolling Stone named High Hopes the second best album of 2014 on its Top 50 Albums list.