There’s so many Bruce Springsteen songs that could have made my Top 10 but I’ve included this one because of the live version. Listen to the album track and it’s good, not his best song but good. Listen to the live version and it’s a whole different song.

It’s almost as if there are two different people singing the song.

But that was Bruce Springsteen back then. Good on record, stunning live. The live version is basically just Bruce and his long time piano player ‘Professor’ Roy Bittan but it’s more powerful, more remarkable than the album version.

Thunder Road is true Americana, the American dream in song form and yet, to me at least, you feel the promise will never be fulfilled, the dream will never be realised and the final two lines of the song will always remain a dream:

“It’s a town full of losers
I’m pulling out of here to win”

Except Bruce himself did win, and won big. And I for one am very glad he did because I’ve loved his music for decades.