Death to My Hometown

"Death to My Hometown" is a song written and recorded by American musician Bruce Springsteen and was the third single from his album, Wrecking Ball. It is a protest song, as well as a prominent example of Springsteen's experimentation with Celtic rock rhythms.

A music video for the song was released through Springsteen's website on April 13, 2012, and was compiled from live performances and rehearsals at the Apollo Theater, Atlanta, and SXSW featuring Tom Morello.^[1]

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History

"Death to My Hometown" became a staple of the Wrecking Ball Tour, usually being played towards the beginning of the sets. The tin whistle riff from the album version was handed over to the newly assembled 5-piece horn section during the shows. The song had been played at every Wrecking Ball show as of June 11, 2012.^[2]^[3]

Themes

The song is an allegorical protest song concerning the causes and fallout of the financial crisis of 2007–2008. Springsteen uses archaic imagery to show how "death" came to his hometown not by war, but by allegedly reckless economic practices. He also references the supposed lack of accountability for the practices by bankers that allegedly led to the crisis. "The greedy thieves who came around/And ate the flesh of everything they found/Whose crimes have gone unpunished now/Who walk the streets as free men now," he sings.^[4]

The album version of the song contains a sample of "The Last Words of Copernicus", a hymn by Sarah Lancaster on the subject of death from The Sacred Harp, recorded by Alan Lomax in 1959.^[5]

Chart (2012)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)^[6]	51

Personnel

Bruce Springsteen – lead vocal, guitar
Ron Aniello – bass guitar, keyboards, loops, backing vocals
Art Baron – euphonium, tuba
Kevin Buell – drums and backing vocals
Matt Chamberlain – drums and percussion
Charlie Giordano - organ
Rob LeBret - backing vocals
Clif Norrell - backing vocals
Ross Petersen – backing vocals
Soozie Tyrell – violin

References

^ "Tom Morello Joins Bruce Springsteen in 'Death to My Hometown' Video". Loudwire. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
^ "Death to My Hometown by Bruce Springsteen Song Statistics - setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
^ Video on YouTube
^ "Death to My Hometown". Retrieved 14 December 2016.
^ Plunkett, John; Karlsberg, Jesse P. (March 28, 2012). "Bruce Springsteen's Sacred Harp Sample". The Sacred Harp Publishing Company Newsletter. 1 (1).
^ "Bruce Springsteen – Death To My Hometown" (in Dutch). Ultratip.

External links

Brucespringsteen.net

v t e Bruce Springsteen songs
Singles Songs
Singles	"Blinded by the Light" "Spirit in the Night" "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" "Born to Run" "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" "Prove It All Night" "Badlands" "The Promised Land" "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" "Hungry Heart" "Fade Away" "Sherry Darling" "The River" "Cadillac Ranch" "Point Blank" "Atlantic City" "Open All Night" "Dancing in the Dark" "Cover Me" "Born in the U.S.A." "I'm on Fire" "Glory Days" "I'm Goin' Down" "My Hometown" "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" "War" "Fire" "Brilliant Disguise" "Tunnel of Love" "One Step Up" "Tougher Than the Rest" "Spare Parts" "Human Touch" "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" "Better Days" "Streets of Philadelphia" "Secret Garden" "The Ghost of Tom Joad" "Sad Eyes" "The Rising" "Lonesome Day" "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" "Devils & Dust" "Radio Nowhere" "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" "Working on a Dream" "My Lucky Day" "The Wrestler" "We Take Care of Our Own" "Death to My Hometown" "High Hopes" "Just Like Fire Would" "Hello Sunshine" "There Goes My Miracle" "Tucson Train" "Western Stars" "Letter to You" "Ghosts" "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" "Nighshift" "Don't Play That Song" "Turn Back the Hands of Time"
Charting songs	"Be True" "Ramrod" "Nebraska" "Johnny 99" "No Surrender" "Bobby Jean" "Stand on It" "Trapped" (live) "Because the Night" (live) "Chimes of Freedom" (live) "Youngstown" "American Skin (41 Shots)" "Pay Me My Money Down" "Long Walk Home" "My City of Ruins" "Rocky Ground" "The Power of Prayer"
Other songs	"Growin' Up" "For You" "Incident on 57th Street" "The Fever" "Thunder Road" "Night" "Backstreets" "She's the One" "Meeting Across the River" "Jungleland" "Adam Raised a Cain" "Racing in the Street" "Darkness on the Edge of Town" "Stay" "The Ties That Bind" "Independence Day" "Out in the Street" "Stolen Car" "Wreck on the Highway" "Highway Patrolman" "Darlington County" "Working on the Highway" "Downbound Train" "Pink Cadillac" "Jersey Girl" "Light of Day" "The New Timer" "Land of Hope and Dreams" "Hunter of Invisible Game" "Chinatown"

This page was last edited on 21 March 2024, at 00:47

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