Five Bruce Springsteen Classics Covered by Other Artists

Bruce Springsteen has written and recorded nearly 400 songs. A staggering number of them have become hits and/or classic album tracks. In recognition of that fact, Columbia Records – his label since the start of his recording career – has released no fewer than four different albums purporting to collect his “greatest” or “best” tracks.

And quite a few of Bruce’s fellow recording artists have recognized the greatness of his work, going so far as to record their own takes on his music. In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of (his first) Greatest Hits album, here are five greats from The Boss that were covered by others.

“Because the Night” from Live 1975-85 (1986)
Poet, author, doyenne of the punk movement, New York legend Patti Smith had long since established herself as one of rock’s most important voices by the time she recorded Easter, her third album fronting the Patti Smith Group. That LP included “Because the Night,” a stirring anthem co-written by Smith and Bruce Springsteen. The song made it to #13 on the U.S. singles chart, faring even better (#5) in the UK. Fifteen years later, 10,000 Maniacs would score a hit with their own cover of the song (from MTV Unplugged). Springsteen never released a studio version of his own, but a live version is on Live 1975-85.

“Fire” from Live 1975-85 (1986)
Bruce Springsteen wrote “Fire” in 1977 and gave it to rockabilly singer Robert Gordon to record and release. Gordon did so – with Springsteen playing piano on the recording – and when released as a single, it bubbled under on the singles charts. A few months later, r&b hit makers The Pointer Sisters covered the song as well, releasing it on their 1978 LP Energy. Their single soared to #2 on Billboard’s singles chart; it also placed on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart (#14) and Adult Contemporary chart (#22), making it their biggest-ever hit. A Springsteen recording of the song finally surfaced on his 1986 live boxed set.

“Blinded by the Light” from Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band scored a massive hit (#1 U.S., Top Ten in three other countries, Top 40 in four more) with their reworking of this song, first recorded by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band for their 1973 debut LP. The Manfred Mann version was featured on the group’s seventh studio release, The Roaring Silence. Singer Chris Thompson claimed in an interview that at the time of recording his vocal for the song, he had never heard Springsteen’s original. And no, he doesn’t sing the word “douche.” It might be heresy among Bruce’s fans to say so, but Manfred Mann’s cover outdoes the original.

“Pink Cadillac” – B-side of “Dancing in the Dark” (1984)
Bruce’s “Dancing in the Dark” was one of his biggest MTV-era hits, thanks in part to a memorable music video featuring a then-unknown Courteney Cox. Released as a single, the song was paired with a non-album b-side. “Pink Cadillac” would first be covered by Bette Midler, but Bruce legally enjoined her from releasing it. Famed singer Natalie Cole recorded an urban r&b-flavored version of the song a few years later; released in 1988, it went Top Ten in the U.S. and UK.

“The Fever” from 18 Tracks (1999)
In 1998, Columbia Records released Tracks, a sprawling 4CD set of previously-unreleased Bruce Springsteen recordings. That set included 66 songs, but one of the greatest – possibly the greatest – track from The Boss wasn’t included. Recorded in 1972, “The Fever” is a searing, simmering classic. Leaked to radio stations at the time, it became a staple of progressive FM radio, and occasionally turned up in Springsteen’s live sets. Fellow Jersey boys Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes faithfully covered “The Fever” in 1976 on their album I Don’t Want to Go Home, but Bruce’s recording remains the definitive version.