I love older artists reflecting on what affects us all. John and Bruce are so vital in that respect. The virus and the political climate has really made these days troubling.
I was looking at the pre-order for the album on iTunes. Apart from Wasted Days, two more songs are credited to John Mellencamp & Bruce Springsteen. Did You Say Such a Thing, and the final track on the album, A Life Full of Rain.
“Bruce and I have done two paintings together,” John declares with evident pleasure. “We have a painting that we worked on for two days straight. He painted one side and I painted the other. Bruce had never painted at all and he was really good, really into it. I was surprised at how hard he tried. He was like, ‘How do you do this, John? How do I make this work?’ We’re trying to figure out how to sell it and give the money to charity. But I was proud of him. He went after it.”
Bruce, John and Nils get together... have three shots of tequila each... and record Wasted Nights, Bruce's long time coming and now 70 year olds response to Neil Young's Tonights The Night.
“Bruce came on stage ... And I remember this, he was the only guy that I ever sang with -- and I've sang with a lot of people -- that I could feel his presence next to mine. I always felt like, you know, whoever I was singing with that I was overshadowing them because of my presence. But when Springsteen came on stage, it was like, ‘Jesus Christ, this guy’s got some energy.’”
We have cross over here between this and the more general 'John and Bruce in Indiana' thread. So I'll add my thoughts here too.
As per my post in the other thread, I hear a distinct 'Independence Day' melody and /or chord progression in parts... so distinct to my ears, I have to assume John (as the writer) threw it in deliberately.
I'll add that if we assume this is recently written by John, I think it's infused with the potential reaction of older people to the unfortunate circumstances brought into their lives by the COVID pandemic. Otherwise healthy and happy but ageing adults, still with things they would like and want to do but with the awareness their time is now finite, suddenly have 18 months of that time taken from them. The track gets more moving with each listen through that lens.
Your second to last sentence hits head on what I’ve been feeling this last year or so. Some hard thinking on how to go forward given that here in the U.K. it doesn’t feel as if were out the other side yet.
Over the years, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp have followed roughly similar career arcs. They both debuted in the ’70s as under-appreciated singer-songwriters. They both became stadium-status MTV icons in the ’80s by singing anthemic and synthy rock anthems about common-man struggles. They have both since eased into elder-statesman respectability. Springsteen and Mellencamp aren’t exactly on equal levels historically, but it’s fair to call them peers. And now they have a song together.
Springsteen and Mellencamp have always been friendly. Way back in the late ’70s, on a song that went unreleased for years, Mellencamp sang, “It’s getting hard to justify my position when everything I’m sayin’ can be said better by Mr. Springsteen.” Years later, in 1988, Springsteen joined Mellencamp onstage at one of his shows to cover Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” Since then, they’ve performed together a few more times. Two years ago, at a benefit in New York, they sang “Glory Days” and “Pink Houses” together. This past year, Springsteen and Mellencamp have been spotted hanging out in public a few times, and Springsteen has mentioned that he’s been working with Mellencamp on a new album. Today, they’ve shared “Wasted Days,” their first-ever on-record duet.
Mellencamp wrote and produced “Wasted Days.” Springsteen sings and plays acoustic guitar on it. The song is probably about what you’d expect from these two guys at this stage. It’s a grizzled, folksy lament about mortality: “We watch our lives just fade away/ More wasted days.” But both of them sound very much alive, and it’s cool to hear those two voices together.
I wouldn’t pull this one out during a party….but it’s a good contemplative type of song. And those type of tunes often hit there mark in a meaningful way.I’m liking this one better with each listen.
Looking forward to this....
I love older artists reflecting on what affects us all. John and Bruce are so vital in that respect. The virus and the political climate has really made these days troubling.
I was looking at the pre-order for the album on iTunes. Apart from Wasted Days, two more songs are credited to John Mellencamp & Bruce Springsteen. Did You Say Such a Thing, and the final track on the album, A Life Full of Rain.
Roll on January 21st....
I could do with a release date for the album.
It really sounds like a fantastic song to me. They have unquestionable chemistry that works perfectly. I could get used to more songs like this!
By the way, Bruce is very thin. He is probably at his lowest weight in a very long time.
Hmmmmm....
“Bruce and I have done two paintings together,” John declares with evident pleasure. “We have a painting that we worked on for two days straight. He painted one side and I painted the other. Bruce had never painted at all and he was really good, really into it. I was surprised at how hard he tried. He was like, ‘How do you do this, John? How do I make this work?’ We’re trying to figure out how to sell it and give the money to charity. But I was proud of him. He went after it.”
I'm so hot to hear the other two tracks they did together.
In my perfect world, Bruce writes a sequel called Wasted Nights, duets it with John and puts it on his next album.
Nice lil article here on the friendship between Bruce and John--and explains how they're now good friends after being no more than acquaintances until relatively recently.
The song has grown on me to the point where I now have Bruce's high vocalled Wasted Days on a loop in my brain... T'ain't no bad thing neither.
We have cross over here between this and the more general 'John and Bruce in Indiana' thread. So I'll add my thoughts here too.
As per my post in the other thread, I hear a distinct 'Independence Day' melody and /or chord progression in parts... so distinct to my ears, I have to assume John (as the writer) threw it in deliberately.
I'll add that if we assume this is recently written by John, I think it's infused with the potential reaction of older people to the unfortunate circumstances brought into their lives by the COVID pandemic. Otherwise healthy and happy but ageing adults, still with things they would like and want to do but with the awareness their time is now finite, suddenly have 18 months of that time taken from them. The track gets more moving with each listen through that lens.
(I corrected spelling errors)
Over the years, Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp have followed roughly similar career arcs. They both debuted in the ’70s as under-appreciated singer-songwriters. They both became stadium-status MTV icons in the ’80s by singing anthemic and synthy rock anthems about common-man struggles. They have both since eased into elder-statesman respectability. Springsteen and Mellencamp aren’t exactly on equal levels historically, but it’s fair to call them peers. And now they have a song together.
Springsteen and Mellencamp have always been friendly. Way back in the late ’70s, on a song that went unreleased for years, Mellencamp sang, “It’s getting hard to justify my position when everything I’m sayin’ can be said better by Mr. Springsteen.” Years later, in 1988, Springsteen joined Mellencamp onstage at one of his shows to cover Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” Since then, they’ve performed together a few more times. Two years ago, at a benefit in New York, they sang “Glory Days” and “Pink Houses” together. This past year, Springsteen and Mellencamp have been spotted hanging out in public a few times, and Springsteen has mentioned that he’s been working with Mellencamp on a new album. Today, they’ve shared “Wasted Days,” their first-ever on-record duet.
Mellencamp wrote and produced “Wasted Days.” Springsteen sings and plays acoustic guitar on it. The song is probably about what you’d expect from these two guys at this stage. It’s a grizzled, folksy lament about mortality: “We watch our lives just fade away/ More wasted days.” But both of them sound very much alive, and it’s cool to hear those two voices together.
They should have billed themselves as Little Bastard & The Boss.
Nothing wrong with this tune at all, and I'm not at all a JM fan.
I like it a lot.
Like that a lot. The tune, the lyrics, the delivery.
As well as "Dustland" with the Killers.
Very nice collaborations.
Keep it up
Springsteen.
Mellencamp.
Ain't that America...