A typically excellent piece by Ryan Leas, one of the best Springsteen writers out there. And I'm not just saying that because he singled out "Paradise" as one of Bruce's most underrated songs ever, which it most assuredly is.
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I think I'm the only Springsteen fan anywhere, ever, who doesn't highly rate Paradise. Now, to be clear, I don't dislike it. But it's one of the songs I'd remove from The Rising if someone told me to organise a more compact track list of, say, 12 songs for the album. Mainly because it seems sonically out of place... but it would be a walk up start for Devils And Dust.
Having said that, I do also admit my ability to really appreciate Paradise seems to be limited by me hearing The Sounds Of Silence in my head for the first two thirds of the song, and then hearing Brothers In Arms for the remainder when Bruce's guitar kicks in.