Bruce Springsteen fans have pointed to a Greatest Hits deep cut as one of his most “underrated” songs.
Fans of The Boss took to a Reddit page dedicated to news and opinions on his music and discussed “one of his best” songs, which can be found on a compilation of his best works. This Hard Land appears to have won fans over as they discussed its longevity as one of the best songs not just on the Greatest Hits album, but in Springsteen’s discography. A fan posting to the Bruce Springsteen subreddit wrote: “What an underrated song, one of his best. It is one of his best epics.”
Plenty of comments were in agreement over This Hard Land being one of his best works. One wrote: “Great song. I think the Greatest Hits version is my favourite.” Another wrote: “This is one of many Bruce songs that I go back and forth on whether the acoustic version is better or the studio version. They are both brilliant. The GH version from ‘95 slaps, including a hint of the live version of The River harp solo.”
Others have suggested the original version, which features on Tracks, is much better than the rendition heard on the Greatest Hits release. They wrote: “The original version on Tracks is much superior. The piano is virtually inaudible on the GH version.” Another agreed, writing: “Both versions are great but agree the Tracks version is better. A top 5-10 Bruce song for me.”
One fan even called it a “gateway drug” to listening to Springsteen. They wrote: “This song (on my Dad’s GH album) was my gateway drug to Springsteen.” A separate thread saw fans ask why Springsteen tended to play it only in Europe, along with Born in the U.S.A. being reserved for fans across the Atlantic.
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This hard land is a fantastic song and a favourite of Max Weinberg. I prefer the Full Band version.
Darkness on the edge of town was always my favorite.
I love Tunnel of Love and was disappointed at Bruce Springsteen’s Melbourne show that he didn’t play it.Wicked song, know the words off by heart
The greatest hits This Hard Land was in juke boxes in restaurants in 95. You could play it for people that decidedly weren’t Bruce fans and They would get swept up in the majestic roll of it. Maybe not a hit but a better song than most of Greatest Hits
Great song. “Stay hard, stay hungry, stay alive..if you can. And meet me in a dream of this hard land.”