Fade Away (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Fade Away


Artist = Bruce Springsteen
from Album = The River
B-side = "Be True"
Released = February 1981
Format = 7" single
Recorded = March to June 1980 at The Power Station in New York
Genre = Rock
Length = 4:46
Label = Columbia Records
Writer = Bruce Springsteen
Producer = Jon Landau, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt
Chart position = 20
Reviews =
Last single = "Hungry Heart"
(1980)
This single = "Fade Away"
(1981) (U.S.)
Next single = "Dancing in the Dark"
(1984)

"Fade Away" is a 1980 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band. It was contained on his album "The River", and the second single released from it in the United States.

History

The song was recorded at The Power Station in New York in March to June 1980, one of the last songs to be recorded for the album. [ [http://www.brucebase.org.uk/8.htm BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - ON THE TRACKS V4 ] ] Musically and lyrically it is a slow, pained lament:

:"Well now, you say you've found another man, who does things to you that I can't:"And that no matter what I do, it's all over now between me and you girl:"But I can't believe what you say!:"No, I can't believe what you say ...

Rock author Jimmy Guterman wrote that "Fade Away" is "certainly among his most pessimistic and helpless depictions of life and love gone wrong." [cite book | last=Guterman | first=Jimmy | authorlink=Jimmy Guterman | title=Runaway American Dream: Listening to Bruce Springsteen | publisher=Da Capo Press | year=2005 | isbn=0306813971 p. 116.]

This was the second single taken from "The River", released in February 1981 in the U.S. ["Born in the U.S.A. Tour" (tour booklet, 1984), p. 12.] and in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. (In the UK and Europe, "The River (Bruce Springsteen song)
The River" was released instead.) In the U.S., "Fade Away" was not as successful as the previous single from the album, "Hungry Heart", only reaching #20 on the U.S. pop singles chart. It was only performed sporadically on The River Tour, [http://www.brucespringsteen.it/DB/Databasex.htm Killing Floor database: query and searches online ] ] and its selection as the second single was blamed for slowing down sales of the album. [cite book | last=Hilburn | first=Robert | authorlink=Robert Hilburn | title=Springsteen | publisher=Rolling Stone Press | year=1985 | isbn=0-684-18456-7 p. 153.] It was then dropped from Springsteen's concert repertoire completely, only rematerializing for a handful of solo renditions on the 2005 Devils & Dust Tour. E Streeter Steve Van Zandt has proclaimed "Fade Away" as one of his favorite Springsteen songs, but thinks that it isn't played in band shows because it is too slow.cite news | url=http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/19516922/qa_steve_van_zandt | title=Q&A: Steve Van Zandt | publisher="Rolling Stone" | date=2008-03-17 | accessdate=2008-03-21] Regardless, he says, "It's just one of those funny, lost little gems, you know?"

Meanwhile, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes (old Van Zandt cohorts) had added "Fade Away" to his concerts from the 1980s on, and it would be included on his 1997 "Spittin' Fire" live album. [ [http://www.southsidejohnny.com/discography/index.htm Southside Johnny.com: Discography ] ] Southside's renditions have often been of a slow, bluesy nature, accompanied only by bandmate Bobby Bandiera.

Track listing

# Fade Away — 4:34
# Be True — 3:39

"Be True" is a track from "The River" sessions that continued the new Springsteen tradition of using songs that did not appear on his albums as B-sides. It was recorded on July 21, 1979 at The Power Station, in one the first sessions for the album. A featured selection on the 1988 Tunnel of Love Express, a live version from that tour was included on the "Chimes of Freedom" EP. The studio recording of "Be True" was eventually released on the "Tracks" box set in 1998.

References