Three of Springsteen's folkie songs lauded

Three of Bruce Springsteen's folkie songs -- "Nebraska" and "The River" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad"-- received very high rankings in Caryn Rose's "All 314 Bruce Springsteen Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best."

Each appears early on:

9. "The River," The River. There are so many reasons why this is one of Springsteen's best compositions. The title seems so simple and direct, except that the nature of the river changes from verse to verse. It's a device of escape, of purification, of redemption, of solace. The first time I heard this song in Europe, the rapt applause made me remember that this is a story as old as time, as old as dirt, as old as humankind. It was an awe-inspiring, unifying moment. Instrumentally, the track is unparalleled. The harmonica opens the track, keening like a train whistle high in the distance. It's accompanied by an elegant 12-string guitar, the dueling melodies on organ and piano, and the barely controlled emotion lurking behind Springsteen's voice. The fact that he based "The River" on his sister's life is actually the least interesting thing about it.


10. "Atlantic City," Nebraska. "Atlantic City" immediately drags you to the action: "Well, they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night." Boom! You're there. The fading glory and distant memories of Atlantic City are right in Springsteen's wheelhouse, and he knocked this one out of the park. "I wanted the music to feel like a waking dream and the record to move like poetry," he wrote of Nebraska in Songs. He absolutely succeeded. Bonus points for the best video he ever made.



15. "The Ghost of Tom Joad," The Ghost of Tom Joad. Springsteen sings with a quiet, solemn conviction that makes you feel like he's telling a story he saw with his own eyes. It's written like a movie, each verse cutting to another scene: current events, snapshots of the past, and parts that could be a mixture of both. The electric version that Springsteen recorded with Tom Morello for High Hopes maintains the core elements of majesty and solemnity from the original, turned up to 11.