Working on a Dream

Working on a Dream
Studio album by Bruce Springsteen
Released January 27, 2009
Recorded 2007–2008
Genre Rock
Length 51:20
Label Columbia
Producer Brendan O'Brien
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band chronology
Greatest Hits
(2009)		 Working on a Dream
(2009)		 The Promise
(2010)
Singles from Working on a Dream
  1. "Working on a Dream"
    Released: November 21, 2008
  2. "My Lucky Day"
    Released: November 28, 2008
  3. "The Wrestler"
    Released: December 16, 2008
  4. "What Love Can Do"
    Released: 2009

Working on a Dream is the sixteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009 through Columbia Records.[1] It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the United States as of September 2010.[2]

History

The album was officially announced, along with a track listing, on November 17, 2008.[3] The album first began selling in Germany and Ireland, on January 23.

The album came out of songwriting and recording that Springsteen continued with towards the close of his previous work, 2007's Magic, as the band worked on a video for one of that album's songs.[4][5] "What Love Can Do" was written, in Springsteen's words, as a "love in the time of Bush" meditation, but felt like the start of something new rather than a candidate for Magic.[4] Encouraged by his 2000s producer Brendan O'Brien, Springsteen decided to start work on a new album and wrote "This Life," "My Lucky Day," "Life Itself," "Good Eye," and "Tomorrow Never Knows" during the next week.[4] They were then recorded with the E Street Band members during breaks on their 2007–2008 Magic Tour, with most being finished in just a few takes.[3] This all reflected a faster pace of producing new music than Springsteen had been known for in the past;[4] Springsteen said, "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."[5] As with Magic, most of the tracks were first recorded with a core rhythm section band comprising Springsteen, drummer Max Weinberg, bassist Garry Tallent, and pianist Roy Bittan; other members' contributions were then added subsequently.[6]

The album is the last to feature new work of founding E Street Band member Danny Federici, who died in April 2008. Federici's son Jason also plays on the album.[7]

Title number "Working on a Dream" was first performed during Springsteen's November 2, 2008 appearance in Cleveland for Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign (accompanied by Patti Scialfa), and then a chopped-up airing of the recorded version first appeared during the November 16 NBC Sunday Night Football broadcast at halftime. The intact "Working on a Dream" began airing on radio stations and their websites on November 21;[8][9] it was made available for free download via iTunes and the Sony BMG website on November 24. The track entered the UK Singles Chart at position 195 the following week.[10] A music video appeared on some foreign sites showing the recording of the song. "My Lucky Day" was made available in the United States on amazon.com on December 1, accompanied by a longer music video that showed Springsteen and the band arranging and recording the song.[11] "Life Itself" was released as a free download from amazon.com on December 28, with a music video that featured studio footage interspersed with vague scene snippets that may illuminate the moody song.[12]

On January 12, 2009, the album leaked onto the internet. On January 19, NPR.org scheduled a streaming of it free for a week, in advance of the actual release.[13] Sony BMG's Irish website also began streaming it.[14] An extensive and carefully planned promotional push for Springsteen and the album was put together, incorporating appearances at the Golden Globe Awards, the Barack Obama presidential inauguration, a new greatest hits album, the half-time show of Super Bowl XLIII and an anticipated appearance at the 81st Academy Awards.[15] The last of these went awry when, in what Rolling Stone termed "shocking news," "The Wrestler" was snubbed by the Academy and failed to gain a nomination.[16] Nevertheless, all the activity led Springsteen to say, "This has probably been the busiest month of my life."[17]

An abbreviated version of "Working on a Dream" was included in Springsteen's February 1 performance during the Super Bowl. VH1 Classic aired the documentary Bruce Springsteen: The Making Of 'Working On A Dream' in early February 2009.[18] The Working on a Dream Tour began on April 1, 2009, in the wake of the album's release.

Themes

The release of the first two songs prompted The New York Times to proclaim Springsteen as "more hopeful, less bleak" than on his previous album Magic.[19] It saw this go-around of the Springsteen persona manifesting "the voice of an honest striver redeemed by love and hard work."[19] E Street Band guitarist Steve Van Zandt sees Working on a Dream as part of a trilogy with The Rising and Magic: "They make sense together in terms of sound, concept and writing style. The three records have been a projection more toward the pop-rock form – this one more than the other two."[6]

The album's opener, "Outlaw Pete", which some observers felt borrowed a central riff from Kiss's 1979 disco hit "I Was Made for Lovin' You",[20][21][22][23][24] is more than eight minutes long, while two others clock in at less than three minutes.[7]

Listeners considered it one of Springsteen's most stylistically diverse efforts overall.[15] The album recalls some of Springsteen's earlier efforts, as "The Last Carnival" has been interpreted as a sequel to "Wild Billy's Circus Story" from 1973's The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle.[25] 1960s production flourishes are omnipresent, including ones derived from Wall of Sound, girl group, British Invasion-era Top 40, Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds, and The Byrds and "Eight Miles High".[22][25]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[26]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[27]
Blender[28]
Billboard(favorable)[29]
Entertainment Weekly(A)[30]
The Guardian[31]
NME[32]
musicOMH[33]
Pitchfork Media(5.8/10)[34]
PopMatters[35]
Rolling Stone[36]
Spin[37]

Working on a Dream debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 224,000 copies in its first week of release, knocking off a seven-week continuous run by Taylor Swift's Fearless.[38] It was Springsteen's ninth number one album in the United States.[38] This tied him with The Rolling Stones for the fourth-highest total in that regard; only The Beatles (with 19), Jay-Z (with 11), and Elvis Presley (with 10) have more.[38] Working on a Dream also debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, Top Digital Albums chart, and Top Internet Albums chart.

In all, it reached No. 1 in 17 countries around the world, and reached the Top 10 almost everywhere else.

Critical reception to Working on a Dream ranged widely. Rolling Stone gave it a five-star rating and compared it to 1975's Born to Run in scale and ambition.[25] But Los Angeles Times writer Ann Powers said "The best thing that can be said about Working on a Dream is that it's boisterously scatterbrained, exhilaratingly bad."[39] Review aggregator Metacritic calculated the album as having an overall weighted average score of 72 out of 100,[40] the lowest score of Springsteen's six albums released during the 2000s.[41]

Track listing

All tracks written by Bruce Springsteen. 

No.TitleLength
1."Outlaw Pete"  8:00
2."My Lucky Day"  4:01
3."Working on a Dream"  3:30
4."Queen of the Supermarket"  4:40
5."What Love Can Do"  2:57
6."This Life"  4:30
7."Good Eye"  3:01
8."Tomorrow Never Knows"  2:14
9."Life Itself"  4:00
10."Kingdom of Days"  4:02
11."Surprise, Surprise"  3:24
12."The Last Carnival"  3:11
13."The Wrestler" (Bonus track)3:50

Bonus tracks and outtakes

"The Wrestler" first appeared in August 2008 at the 65th Venice International Film Festival debut of the film The Wrestler. In December 2008 it received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and won the award during the 66th Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2009. The album version, without end-credits string introduction, became available on iTunes on December 16, in advance of the film's U.S. major cities openings in the subsequent days.

"A Night with the Jersey Devil" first appeared in October 2008 on Springsteen's website, accompanied by a Halloween-themed music video.[1] But subsequent press releases omitted mention of it, and Springsteen sources confirmed it had been removed, for reasons unknown.[42] The song was announced by eil.com to be included as the 14th track on the Japanese CD edition on the album, but the current track list does not include it.[43] The video, however, is featured in the DVD included with the album's deluxe edition (as listed below).

"Frankie Fell in Love" was another song recorded during the album sessions however would go unreleased until Springsteen re-recorded it for his 2014 album, High Hopes.

Deluxe edition

Includes the full CD plus a DVD featuring:

  1. "The Sessions DVD"
    • A 38-minute documentary showing behind-the-scenes footage of the recording of the album.[7] 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."[44] It also contains demos and early band versions of the songs as they were worked up.[44]
  2. "A Night with the Jersey Devil" (Springsteen, Robert Jones, Gene Vincent) – 3:23

Outlaw Pete graphic novel

In November 2014, Springsteen released a graphic novel titled Outlaw Pete which is based on the opening track from Working on a Dream.

Personnel

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Top 50 Albums[46] 3
Austrian Top 75 Albums[47] 1
Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums[48] 1
Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums[49] 2
Canadian Albums Chart[50] 1
Croatian Top 40 International Albums[51] 1
Danish Top 40 Albums[52] 1
European Albums[53] 1
Finnish Top 40 Albums[54] 1
French Top 200 Albums[55] 2
German Albums Chart[56] 1
Greek Top 50 Albums[57] 1
Hungarian Top 40 Albums[58] 2
Irish Top 75 Albums[59] 1
Italian Top 20 Albums[60] 1
Japanese Top 30 Albums[61] 17
Netherlands Top 100 Albums[62] 1
New Zealand Top 40 Albums[63] 1
Norwegian Top 40 Albums[64] 1
Polish Top 50 Albums[65] 8
Portuguese Top 30 Albums[66] 5
Spanish Top 100 Albums[67] 1
Swedish Top 60 Albums[68] 1
Swiss Top 100 Albums[69] 1
UK Albums Chart[70] 1
US Billboard 200[71] 1
US Digital Albums[72] 1
US Rock Albums[73] 1
US Tastemaker Albums[74] 1

Year-end charts

Year-end Charts (2009) Position
German Albums Chart[75] 27
Swiss Albums Chart[76] 30

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[77] Gold 10,000*
Belgium (BEA)[78] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[79] Platinum 80,000^
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[80] Platinum 30,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[81] Gold 12,410[81]
Germany (BVMI)[82] Gold 100,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[83] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Italy (FIMI)[84] Platinum 60,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[85] Platinum 60,000^
Sweden (GLF)[86] Platinum 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[87] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[88] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[89] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Preceded by
Fearless by Taylor Swift		 Billboard 200 number-one album
February 14, 2009 		Succeeded by
The Fray by The Fray
Preceded by
To Lose My Life... by White Lies		 UK Albums Chart Number-one album
February 1, 2009 – February 14, 2009 		Succeeded by
It's Not Me, It's You by Lily Allen
Preceded by
The Crying Light by Antony and The Johnsons		 Belgian (Flanders) Albums Chart number-one album
February 7–14, 2009 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
Only by the Night by Kings of Leon
Preceded by
Songs for You, Truths for Me by James Morrison		 Irish Albums Chart number one album
January 29 – February 5 		Succeeded by
The Fame by Lady Gaga

References

  1. 1 2 Cohen, Jonathan. "Bruce Springsteen 'Dreams' Big on New Album". Billboard. November 17, 2008.
  2. ↑ Grein, Paul (September 15, 2010). "Chart Watch – Week Ending Sept. 12, 2010: The Dulcet Tones of Bruno Mars". Yahoo! Music.
  3. 1 2 "Bruce Springsteen's 'Working On A Dream' Set For January 27 Release On Columbia Records" (Press release). Shore Fire Media. November 17, 2008. Retrieved November 18, 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Message From Bruce Springsteen" (Press release). Shore Fire Media. December 23, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
  5. 1 2 Fricke, David (January 22, 2009). "The E Street Band Keep Rolling in '09". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Fricke, David (January 21, 2009). "The Band on Bruce: Their Springsteeb". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 Cohen, Jonathan (December 8, 2008). "Billboard Bits: Bruce Springsteen, Faith Hill & More". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009.
  8. ↑ Goldstein, Stan (November 20, 2008). "Hear "Working on a Dream" on Friday". The Star Ledger. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Title track to Bruce Springsteen's new album released". WAXQ. November 21, 2008.
  10. ↑ UK Singles Chart, chart date December 6, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen "My Lucky Day" from the new album Working on a Dream". amazon.com. Retrieved December 1, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Life Itself (Amazon Exclusive)". amazon.com. Retrieved December 28, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Exclusive First Listen: Bruce Springsteen". NPR. January 9, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream". Sony BMG. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
  15. 1 2 Smith, Ethan (January 16, 2009). "Born to Run – and Promote". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 16, 2009.
  16. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (January 22, 2009). "Oscars Snub Springsteen, Celebrate "Slumdog" As Nominations Are Announced". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  17. ↑ Wallace, Lindsay (February 10, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen Exclusive: 'I Didn't Even Know I Was Up For A Grammy!'". MTV News. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  18. ↑ "The Making Of Working On A Dream Episode". VH1. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
  19. 1 2 Chinen, Nate (December 12, 2008). "Playlist: Lucky Days and Marvelous Times : Bruce Springsteen". The New York Times. Retrieved December 15, 2008.
  20. ↑ Gottlieb, Jed (January 23, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen working to find that old magic, but it's just a 'Dream'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  21. ↑ Cooper, Leonie (January 28, 2009). "Working on a Dream". NME. UK. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  22. 1 2 Deusner, Stephen M. (January 27, 2009). "Bruce Springsteen: Working on a Dream". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  23. ↑ Lu, Anne (February 3, 2009). "Kiss' Fans Accuse Bruce Springsteen Of Plagiarism". All Headline News. Celebrity News Service. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  24. ↑ Brinn, David (March 4, 2009). "Disc Review: Bruce Springsteen, 'Working on a Dream'". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  25. 1 2 3 Hiatt, Brian (January 21, 2009). "Album Review: Working on a Dream". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Working on a Dream - Metacritic".
  27. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: Working on a Dream – Bruce Springsteen". Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
  28. ↑ "Blender review".
  29. ↑ "Billboard review".
  30. ↑ "Entertainment Weekly review". January 21, 2009.
  31. ↑ Williams, Richard (January 23, 2009). "The Guardian review". London.
  32. ↑ "NME review".
  33. ↑ "musicOMH review".
  34. ↑ "Pitchfork Media review".
  35. ↑ "PopMatters review".
  36. ↑ "Rolling Stone review".
  37. ↑ "Spin review".
  38. 1 2 3 Hasty, Katie and Keith Caulfield. "Springsteen Has 'Dream' Debut Atop Album Chart". billboard.com. February 4, 2009.
  39. ↑ Powers, Ann (January 24, 2009). "Album review: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 'Working on a Dream'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  40. ↑ "Working On A Dream reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  41. ↑ "Index of Music Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  42. ↑ "Devil, I Cast Thee Out!". News. Backstreets.com. November 25, 2008. Retrieved November 28, 2008.
  43. ↑ "current tracklist of Japan CD edition". eil.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  44. 1 2 "Working on a Dream – Deluxe Package Details". News. Backstreets.com. December 12, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  45. ↑ Though Tyrell is sometimes viewed as an E Street Band member, her photograph was not included with the other band members in the album liner notes. However, her "additional musicians" line was separated by a blank line from the other additional musicians.
  46. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Australian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  47. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Austrian Charts (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  48. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  49. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  50. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Album & Song Chart History: Canadian Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  51. ↑ "Top Stranih – Tjedan 5, 2009" (PHP). HDU-Toplista.com (in Croatian). Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  52. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Danish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  53. ↑ "European Albums: Week of February 14, 2009". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  54. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Finnish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  55. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Les Charts (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  56. ↑ "Chartverfolgung / Springsteen,Bruce / Longplay". Music Line (in German). Media Control Charts. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  57. ↑ "Top 50 Ξένων Άλμπουμ: Εβδομάδα 7/2009". IFPI Greece (in Greek). Archived from the original on March 7, 2009.
  58. ↑ "Archivum: Top 40 Album". MAHASZ (in Hungarian). Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  59. ↑ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending February 5, 2009" (JSP). GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  60. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Italian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  61. ↑ 2009年02月第2週の邦楽アルバムランキング情報 (PHP). Oricon Style (in Japanese). Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  62. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Dutch Charts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  63. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  64. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Norwegian Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  65. ↑ "Oficjalna Lista Sprzedaźy: February 16, 2009" (ASP). OLiS (in Polish). Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  66. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Portuguese Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  67. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Spanish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  68. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream (Album)" (ASP). Swedish Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  69. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream" (ASP). Swiss Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  70. ↑ "All the Number One Albums: 2009". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  71. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  72. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Album & Song Chart History: Digital Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  73. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Album & Song Chart History: Rock Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  74. ↑ "Bruce Springsteen Album & Song Chart History: Tastemaker Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  75. ↑ Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  76. ↑ "Swiss Year-End Charts 2009". Media Control. Hung Medien. Retrieved February 6, 2009.
  77. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Bruce Springsteen in the field Interpret. Enter Working on a Dream in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
  78. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – 2009". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch.
  79. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream". Music Canada.
  80. ↑ "Danish album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream". IFPI Denmark. Click on næste to go to page 31 if certification from official website
  81. 1 2 "Bruce Springsteen" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  82. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bruce Springsteen; 'Working on a Dream')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  83. ↑ "Irish album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream". Irish Recorded Music Association.
  84. ↑ "Italian album certifications – Springsteen Bruce – Working on a Dream" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select Album e Compilation in the field Sezione. Enter Springsteen Bruce in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
  85. ↑ "Spanish album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select the "Chart", enter ' in the field "Year". Select ' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  86. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2009" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  87. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Bruce Springsteen; 'Working on a Dream')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  88. ↑ "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – Working on a Dream". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Working on a Dream in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  89. ↑ "American album certifications – Springsteen, Bruce – Working on a Dream". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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