The Ties That Bind (song)

Infobox Song
Name = The Ties That Bind


Artist = Bruce Springsteen
Album = The River
B-side =
Released = October 1980
Format =
Recorded = May or June 1979 at The Power Station in New York
Genre = Rock
Length = 3:34
Label = Columbia Records
Writer = Bruce Springsteen
Producer = Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
Chart position =
Reviews =
Last single =
This single =
Next single =

"The Ties That Bind" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was the opening song on his fifth album, "The River". It was recorded at The Power Station in New York in May or June 1979. [ [http://www.brucebase.org.uk/8.htm BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - ON THE TRACKS V4 ] ] It was one of the earlier songs Springsteen wrote for "The River", as it was written on the road during his 1978 tour. [cite book|title=Born to Run The Bruce Springsteen Story|author=Marsh, Dave|year=1981|page=231|id=ISBN 0-440-10694-X] The song was also often performed during the latter part of that tour. [cite book|title=Born to Run The Bruce Springsteen Story|author=Marsh, Dave|year=1981|page=277|id=ISBN 0-440-10694-X]

"The Ties That Bind" was originally intended to be released as the title track of a single album that was to be released in 1979. [cite book|title=The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen A to E to Z|author=Graff, Gary|year=2005|page=304|id=ISBN 1578591570] [cite book|title=Born to Run The Bruce Springsteen Story|author=Marsh, Dave|year=1981|page=247|id=ISBN 0-440-10694-X] This proposed album was eventually scrapped and expanded to become the double album "The River".

The songs on "The River" reveal a tension between the need for community and the need to be alone. "The Ties That Bind", along with "Two Hearts" and "Out in the Street", is one of the key songs on the album about the need for community. [cite book|title=Glory Days|author=Marsh, Dave|year=1996|page=88|id=ISBN 1-56025-101-8] [cite book|title=Bruce Springsteen|author=Humphries,Patrick|page=36|year=1996|id=ISBN 0 7119 5304 X] It is a pulsing rocker that was influenced by Jackie De Shannon's "When You Walk in the Room", Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Who'll Stop the Rain" and by The Searchers. [cite book|title=Bruce Springsteen|author=Humphries,Patrick|page=36|year=1996|id=ISBN 0 7119 5304 X]

"The Ties That Bind" has been a reasonably popular song in concert over the years, with 178 performances through 2003. [ [http://www.brucesetlists.com/townlist.php The Bruce Springsteen Setlist Page] ] An encyclopedia about Bruce Springsteen took its name from the title of this song. [cite book|author=Graff, Garry|title=The Ties That Bind A to E to Z|year=2005|id = ISBN 978-1578591572]

External links

* [http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/TheTiesThatBind.html Lyrics & Audio clips from Brucespringsteen.net]

References