Джунглэнд: История создания легендарной песни Брюса Спрингстина

1975 song by Bruce Springsteen

"Jungleland" is a song by the American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen from his 1975 album Born to Run. Over nine minutes in length, it contains one of the E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons' most recognizable solos. It also features short time E Streeter Suki Lahav, who performs the delicate 23 note violin introduction to the song, accompanied by Roy Bittan on piano in the opening.

Though much is made of the six months it took to record "Born to Run", "Jungleland" was not completed until 19 months after its first rehearsal take on January 8, 1974, at 914 Sound Studios, Blauvelt, New York. It was on July 12, 1974, at The Bottom Line, New York, that Springsteen finally decided to debut it live; at this juncture it is still very much of a piece like other jazzed up mini operas from The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, influenced by David Sancious. When the E Street Band assembled at 914 Sound Studios on August 1, 1974, it was to secure a usable basic track for "Jungleland", "already earmarked as the centrepiece of the album". The August 1 tape box suggests they cut two takes of "Jungleland", the second complete. Later that month, David Sancious and drummer Ernest "Boom" Carter gave their notice, replaced by Roy Bittan and Max Weinberg, and a violinist, Suki Lahav, who would make important contributions to "Jungleland". In the following months, "Jungleland" was played live regularly, losing its jazz influences, adding Suki's violin to the introduction, and Springsteen making many lyrical modifications. Devoted Springsteen fan Melissa Etheridge praised the song to RollingStone. com, saying, "When Bruce Springsteen does those wordless wails, like at the end of 'Jungleland,' that's the definition of rock and roll to me. He uses his whole body when he sings, and he puts out this enormous amount of force and emotion and passion."