Writer: Bruce Springsteen
Producers: Jon Landau and Bruce Springsteen
Recorded: Spring 1977 through early spring 1978 at the Record Plant and Atlantic Studios in New York City
Released: June, 1978
| Players: | Bruce Springsteen–vocals, guitar Miami Steve Van Zandt–guitar Garry Tallent–bass Clarence Clemons–saxophone Roy Bittan–piano Danny Federici–organ Max Weinberg–drums |
| Album: | Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Columbia, 1978) |
The lead-off track of Bruce Springsteen's fifth album, “Badlands” was also the E Street Band's concert opener at most of its concerts in 1978 and 1979.
The recording of Darkness On The Edge Of Town was delayed by legal machinations between Springsteen and his former manager, Mike Appel. The two battled in court over Springsteen's song publishing and ownership of his masters, finally settling out of court in May 1977.
By that time, Springsteen had a wealth of material ready and reportedly worked on nearly 30 songs during the year-long recording sessions.
Among the songs not used on Darkness were: “Fire,” which became a hit for the Pointer Sisters; “Because The Night,” which became a hit for Patti Smith; “Rendezvous,” which was covered by several artists; and “Hearts Of Stone” and “Talk To Me,” which were recorded by fellow New Jersey rockers Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes.
Springsteen said the lawsuit with Appel had an impact on the songs he wrote for the album. “Musically I wanted the record to sound leaner and less grand than Born To Run. That sound wouldn't suit these songs for the people I was writing about.” Consequently, the songs were “infused with an early pop class consciousness…the stress and tension of my father's and mother's life that came with the difficulties of trying to make ends meet.”
In the liner notes of his Greatest Hits album, Springsteen wrote that Darkness “was the record…where I figured out what I wanted to write about, the people that mattered to me, and who I wanted to be. I saw friends and family struggling to lead decent, productive lives, and I felt an everyday kind of heroism in this. Still do.”
“Badlands” is infused with political and social consciousness, including lines such as “Poor man wanna be rich/Rich man wanna be king/And a king ain't satisfied/Till he rules everything.” At the same time, it's an optimistic song in which Springsteen declares that “I believe in the love that you gave me/I believe in the faith that can save me.”
The song was named after director Terence Malick's 1973 film that starred Martin Sheen as an outlaw on the run.
One particularly memorable performance of “Badlands” came on the night after Ronald Reagan was elected president in November 1980. Introducing the song, Springsteen said, “I don't know what you guys think about what happened last night, but I think it's pretty frightening. You guys are young. There's gonna be a lot of people depending on you coming up, so this is for you.”
Darkness peaked at Number Five on the Billboard 200 and at Number 16 on the U.K. album chart.
It was certified platinum the same month as its release.
