Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen Ends Adele's Run At #1

14 Mar 2012 11:29:29 EDT

Wrecking Ball narrowly beats out 21 to top Billboard albums chart.
By Gil Kaufman

For the first time this year, someone other than Adele will post up in the #1 spot on the Billboard albums chart next week. After a smash run at #1 during the first 10 weeks of 2012, Adele's 21 will settle for #2 next week thanks to the debut of Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball, which will barely win the race thanks to sales of nearly 196,000. In fact, the Boss appears to have edged out Adele by just over 1,300 copies, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan.

Even as she crossed the 8-million-sold barrier, Adele saw sales of 21 drop 21 percent to 195,000, which was still more than enough to hold off NOW 41 (#3, 152,000), one of several top 10 albums that got triple-digit sales boosts from a 25-cent online sale. Also benefitting: Lady Antebellum, Own the Night (up 12 spots to #4, 108,000, sales up 437 percent); Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto (up 24 spots to #5, 100,000, sales up 567 percent); and Lil Wayne, Tha Carter IV (up 29 spots to #8, 36,000, sales up 173 percent).

The rest of the top 10: Whitney Houston, The Greatest Hits (#6, 70,000); Drake, Take Care (#7, 58,000); Luke Bryan, Spring Break 4 ... Suntan City (30,000); and Andrew Bird, Break It Yourself (#10, 30,000).

Things took a dip for Kid Cudi's WZRD side project, which plummets 31 spots in its second week to #34 as sales trailed off by 84 percent to just over 10,000 for the disc that Cudi has complained was not promoted properly by his label.

Adele may have to lay back in the cut for another week during the next chart cycle, which brings the debut by U.K. boy band One Direction and the latest from the Shins.

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Bruce Springsteen To End Adele's Run At #1?

13 Mar 2012 11:17:03 EDT

Early estimates predict the Boss' Wrecking Ball will surpass 21 for top spot on week's Billboard albums chart.
By James Montgomery

There's been no other #1 album in 2012 besides Adele's unstoppable 21 — and it hasn't even been close — though all of that might change this week as Bruce Springsteen is poised to make a run at the top spot on the Billboard albums chart. According to industry site Hits Daily Double, Springsteen's new Wrecking Ball disc is giving 21 its toughest competition to date in the battle for #1 on next week's Top 200. With slightly more than half of retail data compiled, Adele has sold roughly 89,000 copies of her album, while Springsteen has sold nearly 82,000.

Based on those early estimates, Hits is estimating Wrecking Ball will sell approximately 200,000 copies (Springsteen's previous studio album, 2009's Working on a Dream, bowed at #1 with sales of more than 223,000 copies), ending Adele's run of 10 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard albums chart. The last record to sit at #1 besides 21 was Michael Bublé's Christmas, which outgunned Adele for the top spot during the week ending December 25. Since then, Adele's held tight at #1, and, in the process, her 21 has racked up chart records, seemingly with each passing week. The album has already surpassed the likes of the "Titanic" soundtrack and Whitney Houston's "The Bodyguard" soundtrack in terms of non-consecutive weeks at #1, and shattered the mark for biggest post-Grammy sales bump in the history of Nielsen SoundScan. If her reign atop the charts does come to an end this week, Adele will have spent 23 non-consecutive weeks at #1 — one short of tying iconic albums like Prince's Purple Rain and the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack.

Final sales figures for the week will be released Wednesday morning.

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Bruce Springsteen Kicks Off Grammy Awards

12 Feb 2012 21:32:03 EST

Boss opens show with new single 'We Take Care of Our Own.'
By Kevin P. Sullivan

The Boss kicked off the 54th Grammy Awards on Sunday (February 12) the only way he knows how. Bruce Springsteen opened up the awards show with the E Street Band performing his new single, the patriotic anthem "We Take Care of Our Own."

Backed with a whole company of stringed instruments, Springsteen was his usual self, jumping around, rocking out and leaving the audience, including a very enthusiastic Lady Gaga, on their feet cheering.

The first single off of his upcoming Wrecking Ball, "We Take Care of Our Own" concerns many of the same close-to-home themes the New Jersey singer has made a career out of. Taking a timely look at the economic crisis, the song reflects on the empathy that has disappeared among fellow Americans. It's a hard look at the state of the country, but as always with Springsteen, the message remains optimistic.

Even with such heavy subject matter, the performance did not fail to get the crowd on its feet, ready to party for the rest of the night, despite the somber tone set by the death of Whitney Houston the night before.

Springsteen hammed it up with E Street guitarist Steven Van Zandt, the two playing back to back in their usual manner.

The group suffered a significant loss of their own less than a year ago. The saxophone player for the E Street Band, Clarence Clemons, died less than a year ago, in June 2011.

Stick with MTV News for all the news on Whitney Houston's tribute, the Grammy red-carpet fashion, Grammy winners and more until the hangover wears off!

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Obama Campaign Playlist Includes Wilco, U2, Al Green

10 Feb 2012 17:44:08 EST

Ricky Martin, Bruce Springsteen, Dierks Bentley and Sugarland also in the mix.
By Gil Kaufman

We already know President Obama likes to listen to (and occasionally sing) Al Green songs. And he's told us that his iPod has a bit of Jay-Z and Lil Wayne on it. But with the toughest re-election campaign of his career on the horizon, what music will Obama 2012 be using to pump up crowds at rallies?

Judging by a playlist uploaded to Spotify this week, it looks like a cheerful, noncontroversial mix of classic rock, country, soul and R&B, but, alas, no hip-hop.

Instead, in a clear bid to appeal to the broad middle, Obama chose songs by beloved soul acts like Booker T. & the MG's ("Green Onions"), Earth Wind & Fire ("Got to Get You Into My Life"), The Impressions ("Keep on Pushing") and, yes, Green (the pleading "Let's Stay Together").

From the rock pile, he went with Wilco ("I Got You"), Arcade Fire ("We Used to Wait"), U2 ("Even Better Than the Real Thing") and the new blue-collar recession anthem from Bruce Springsteen ("We Take Care of Our Own"). For those visits to the heartland, he loaded up on country goodness from Sugarland ("Stand Up" and "Everyday America"), Darius Rucker ("This"), Zac Brown Band ("Keep Me in Mind") and Dierks Bentley ("Home").

There are a few oddball picks in there as well, including a deep cut from No Doubt ("Different People"), a very literal AM radio staple from REO Speedwagon ("Roll with the Changes"), a cover of the Band's "The Weight" by Aretha Franklin, some indie rock from Noah and the Whale ("Tonight's the Kind of Night") and a Ricky Martin/ Joss Stone duet ("The Best Thing About Me Is You").

While likely GOP opponent Mitt Romney takes the stage to the rousing strains of Kid Rock's Americana anthem "Born Free," Obama plans to get crowds pumped with the likes of modern R&B master Raphael Saadiq ("Keep Marchin' "), Florence and the Machine ("You've Got the Love") and afro-era prog popsters Electric Light Orchestra ("Mr. Blue Sky").

Rounding out the list is obscure jam act AgesAndAges, whose "No Nostalgia" is a handclapping ditty that just begs for a group hug, Jennifer Hudson's "Love You I Do," Ledisi's self-explanatory "Raise Up," James Taylor's feel-good "Your Smiling Face," country duo Montgomery Gentry's small-town homage "My Town" and Ray LaMontagne's tear-in-your-beer lovefest "You Are the Best Thing."

It might sound tame, but don't forget that back in 2008 when he was still just Candidate Obama, the president's taste in music was pretty similar. At the time, the future boomer-in-chief said he listened to everything from Bob Dylan, Elton John, Earth Wind & Fire and the Rolling Stones to Sheryl Crow, Springsteen and a number of jazz and classic giants, including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Yo-Yo Ma.

What songs would you add to the president's playlist? Let us know in comments below!

Check back for up-to-the-minute coverage of the primaries and stick with PowerOf12.org throughout the 2012 presidential election season.

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Bruce Springsteen Added To Grammys Lineup

02 Feb 2012 11:51:54 EST

Katy Perry, Adele and Rihanna are also slated to perform at the February 12 awards show.
By Gil Kaufman

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will join the already superstar-heavy lineup of performers booked for the Grammy Awards on February 12. The 20-time Grammy-winning rock icon will take the stage to promote his upcoming studio album, Wrecking Ball, the first release since the death last summer of saxophone player and Springsteen right-hand man Clarence Clemons.

In addition to Springsteen, the producers of the 54th annual Grammys announced another round of presenters as well, including actor Jack Black, Fergie, Roots drummer ?uestlove and Beatles drummer Ringo Starr. Other presenters include Drake, Gwyneth Paltrow, Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley.

The Springsteen announcement came just a day after Katy Perry was also added to the show. The currently blue-haired pop star is up for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her feel-good empowerment track, "Firework."

Adele announced her Grammy appearance on Tuesday. The long-rumored performance marks her first since a November vocal surgery. "I'm immensely proud to have been asked to perform at this year's Grammy Awards," Adele said. "It's an absolute honor to be included in such a night and for it to be my first performance in months is very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all."

Rihanna, Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Aldean and Nicki Minaj are also confirmed to perform live at the show, which will be hosted by LL Cool J.

MTV News is all over the Grammys! Stick with us from now through Sunday's show as we bring you everything you need to know. And don't miss our pre-show live stream with all the celebs on the red carpet at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com!

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Bruce Springsteen Announces First Leg Of Wrecking Ball Tour

24 Jan 2012 11:32:34 EST

Stateside portion of first tour since Clarence Clemons' death begins March 18 in Atlanta.
By James Montgomery

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band had been teasing a lengthy run of U.S. shows in support of the upcoming Wrecking Ball album, and on Tuesday (January 24), they finally revealed the first leg of dates.

Kicking off March 18 in Atlanta, the first stateside portion of the Wrecking Ball World Tour sees Bruce and the Band playing arenas in cities like Tampa, Boston, Philadelphia, East Rutherford, New Jersey — of course — New York, Detroit and Los Angeles, before coming to a close with a May 2 gig in Newark. Select dates go on sale as early as Friday. For more information, check out the Boss's website.

The shows mark Springsteen's first U.S. gigs since the death of founding E Street member Clarence Clemons last year. Much like the title of the tour implies, they'll be playing songs from the upcoming Wrecking Ball album, which hits stores on March 6. Just last week, Springsteen premiered the first single off the album, a surging slice of Americana called "We Take Care of Our Own," and early reports seem to indicate that the new disc may very well be a heavy, heady thing, featuring guests like Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello and Pearl Jam's Matt Chamberlain, and tackling issues like economic injustice.

The first leg of Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball Tour, according to a spokesperson:

» 3/18 -- Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
» 3/19 -- Greensboro, NC @ Greensboro Coliseum
» 3/23 -- Tampa, FL @ Tampa Bay Times Forum
» 3/26 -- Boston, MA @ TD Garden
» 3/28, 29 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
» 4/1 -- Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
» 4/3, 4 -- East Rutherford, NJ @ Izod Center
» 4/6, 9 -- New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
» 4/12 -- Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
» 4/13 -- Buffalo, NY @ First Niagara Center
» 4/16 -- Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
» 4/17 -- Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
» 4/24 -- San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
» 4/26 -- Los Angeles, CA @ Los Angeles Memorial
Sports Arena » 4/29 -- New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
» 5/2 -- Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center

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Bruce Springsteen Returns With New Album, Wrecking Ball

19 Jan 2012 11:22:50 EST

Springsteen's first album since the death of E Street sax man Clarence Clemons is due in March.
By James Montgomery

Late last year, in a message posted on his official site, Bruce Springsteen let fans know that he and the E Street Band were putting the finishing touches on a new album — their first since the death of iconic sax man Clarence Clemons — and concluded by promising "we'll get back to you real soon."

Well, now he has. On Thursday (January 19), Springsteen announced a brand-new album, Wrecking Ball, and premiered the first single, "We Take Care of Our Own," over on his site. The album, due March 5, was produced by Ron Aniello and Springsteen, features 11 tracks, and, according to longtime manager Jon Landau, finds the Boss tackling decidedly of-the-moment issues.

"Bruce has dug down as deep as he can to come up with this vision of modern life," Landau said in a statement. "The lyrics tell a story you can't hear anywhere else, and the music is his most innovative of recent years ... The writing is some of the best of his career."

According to several reports, Wrecking Ball also boasts cameos from Rage Against the Machine guitarist (and fellow social activist) Tom Morello and former Pearl Jam drummer Matt Chamberlain, and is Springsteen's "angriest album," dealing with topics like economic injustice. It also reportedly features "unexpected textures — loops, electronic percussion ... influences and rhythms from hip-hop to Irish folk."

Springsteen and the E Street Band will promote the album with an extensive tour, but only European dates have been announced so far.

The track list for Bruce Springsteen's Wrecking Ball:

» "We Take Care of Our Own"
» "Easy Money"
» "Shackled and Drawn"
» "Jack of All Trades"
» "Death to My Hometown"
» "This Depression"
» "Wrecking Ball"
» "You've Got It"
» "Rocky Ground"
» "Land of Hope and Dreams"
» "We Are Alive"

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Bruce Springsteen Details First Tour Since Clarence Clemons' Death

21 Nov 2011 12:05:19 EST

E Street Band will return to the road next year; band is also putting finishing touches on new album.
By James Montgomery

Bruce Springsteen is heading back out on the road with the E Street Band, for their first string of shows since the death of founding member Clarence Clemons earlier this year.

That's according to a new post on Springsteen's official site , which also mentions that the band is putting the finishing touches on a new album.

"Things are starting to heat up down on E Street," the post reads. "A lot of you have been hearing that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will be on tour in 2012. That is absolutely correct. European dates run from the middle of May until the end of July ... info on the U.S. dates ... will be coming up shortly.

"In addition, we want you to know that the music is almost done (but still untitled), we have almost settled on the release date (but not quite yet), and that we are all incredibly excited about everything that we're planning for 2012," the statement continues. "That's all the info we have for right now, but we'll get back to you real soon."

It's not clear whether Springsteen and the Band plan on replacing Clemons, the much-loved "Big Man" who passed away in June after complications from a stroke (a spokesperson for Springsteen did not respond to MTV News' request for comment by press time), though in a tribute posted on his site, Springsteen made it clear that "Clarence doesn't leave the E Street Band when he dies. He leaves when we die."

Following Clemons' death, Springsteen paid tribute to his longtime friend at a memorial service in Florida, calling him "a man of unconditional love ... when you were in his presence, it was like being in a sovereign nation."

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Bruce Springsteen Eulogizes Clarence Clemons At Memorial Service

22 Jun 2011 09:50:18 EDT

New Jersey will honor Clemons by flying flags at half-staff on Thursday.
By Gil Kaufman

Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to his musical brother, late sax player Clarence Clemons, on Tuesday at a memorial service in Florida. The titanic 69-year-old musician died on Saturday at a Palm Beach hospital after complications from a recent stroke.

The private two-hour funeral at a small church near Palm Beach was attended by Springsteen's wife, Patti Scialfa, as well as fellow E Street bandmember Steven Van Zandt, singer Jackson Browne and Miami Heat general manager Pat Riley.

"Clarence was a man of unconditional love, but his love came with a lot of conditions," Springsteen said of his friend of more than four decades. His comments drew some knowing laughs and nods from the crowd of 150 packed into the small Royal Poinciana Chapel, according to the Palm Beach Daily News. "He was a complex guy ... an ongoing project. But when you were in his presence, it was like being in a sovereign nation."

The paper also reported that one of Clemons' final requests was that his fifth wife, Victoria, scatter his ashes on a cherished spot in Hawaii in the presence of "all of the special women in his life," which included his previous wives. Three of the musician's four ex's were in attendance at the service, and Victoria announced at the memorial that she would honor her husband's wishes.

Last week, a number of fellow musicians, from U2 to Coldplay and Slash, paid tribute to Clemons, who was most recently heard on two tracks on Lady Gaga's Born This Way album and appeared in her "Edge of Glory" video.

The service was reportedly late getting started thanks to a last-minute rehearsal for the performers, which included Springsteen, Browne and some E Street Band members. Taking the stage solo, Springsteen played a tender version of the song that tells the tale of his first meeting with Clemons, "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," which features the lyrics, "When the change was made uptown/ And the big man joined the band."

The memorial also featured the gospel tune "Take My Hand Precious Lord," a rollicking version of "How Great Thou Art," a mournful saxophone version of "Amazing Grace" by Clemons' nephew and an upbeat take on the 1985 Browne/Clemons tune "You're a Friend of Mine," performed by Springsteen, the E Street Band and Browne.

New Jersey will pay tribute to Clemons on Thursday by flying flags at half-staff in his honor. "Clarence Clemons represented the soul and spirit of New Jersey," Governor Chris Christie told CNN. "His partnership with Bruce Springsteen and the rest of the E Street Band brought great pride to our state and joy to every fan of this music around the world." Clemons was born in Virginia in 1942, but moved to Jersey as a youth counselor before joining Springsteen's band.

"On a personal note, when I heard about the Big Man's passing on Saturday night, I was struck with an overwhelming feeling that the days of my youth were now finally over," Christie said in a statement. "My condolences to Clarence's family and all the members of the E Street Band."

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Clarence Clemons, In Memoriam: The Big Man, In More Ways Than One

19 Jun 2011 10:01:14 EDT

The iconic sax man for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band (and Lady Gaga) towered over contemporary music for nearly five decades.
By James Montgomery

Clarence Clemons was affectionately known as "The Big Man," probably because, well, he was a big man. Standing six-feet, four-inches tall -- and nearly just as wide -- he towered over Bruce Springsteen, the E Street Band, and whomever else he shared the stage with during his five-decade career, casting a shadow as formidable as it was striking (it's no wonder Bruce decided to lean on him, like some sort of lamppost, on the cover of 1975's Born To Run).

But his physical size only told part of the story. Because Clemons was also a massive talent, a saxophonist as adept at filing an arena with his booming solos as he was providing a rock-solid backbone to Springsteen's churning, yearning rock. He was the Big Man because everything ran through him, because he was capable of both taking the lead (like on "Jungleland") and laying back in the cut (like on "10th Avenue Freeze Out," where his presence definitely shapes the song, but at no point overshadows its other components), and because of the tones he charmed from his sax ... crisp and clear-eyed, grandiose yet gritty, big yet decidedly blue-collar (just like he was), no one played like Clarence did. And when he died on Saturday at the age of 69 after complications from a stroke he suffered last week, not only did we lose a mountain of a man, but an icon as well.

See photos of Clemons throughout his career.

Simply put, Clemons was the most prominent sax player in popular music. And as proof, I'll ask you to name any of his contemporaries. Chances are, you can't; not because they don't exist, but because they couldn't begin to approach his stature. He was the go-to guy when the stars needed a session hand (recording with the likes of Aretha Franklin and Twisted Sister, and performing live with everyone from the Grateful Dead to Ringo Starr,) and, more recently, Lady Gaga tapped him to perform on her Born This Way album -- he appears in her new "The Edge Of Glory" video, a move that no doubt introduced his sublime playing to a whole new generation of fans. Shoot, he even appeared on "The Simpsons," "The Wire" and "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," where he played, fittingly enough, one of the Three Most Important People in the World.

Remember Clemons with us on Facebook.

In passing, he leaves behind a catalog that's nearly as massive as his frame: not only his notable guest appearances, but several solo albums (and records he cut with backing bands like the Temple of Soul and the Red Bank Rockers) and, of course, the myriad of albums he cut with Springsteen and the E Street Band. And it's on those recordings -- starting with 1973's Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. and continuing right on through 2009's Working on a Dream and last year's reissue The Promise -- where Clemons not only shone the brightest, but also showcased the reason why he earned his "Big Man" nickname. Sure, he burns on songs like "Badlands" and "Born To Run," but listen to his work on songs like "Prove It All Night" and "Dancing in the Dark" (to name six dozen) ... the times where he proves to be the Bigger Man, letting his fellow bandmates get their share, too.

Rarely has there been a player so soulful and selfless ... one so secure in his own status that he was willing to let others shine. It's why Clarence Clemons will forever be known as "The Big Man," and why, even in death, he still casts a formidable shadow over popular music and popular culture. He was the sax man's sax man. To paraphrase Springsteen on "Freeze Out," not only was the change was made uptown when the Big Man joined the band, but the mould was broken, too.

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