Wrecking Ball (Bruce Springsteen album)

Wrecking Ball is the 7th studio album by the legendary American rocker Bruce Springsteen. Like many of the Boss' best albums, Wrecking Ball was inspired by the U.S. falling on hard times economically, and in particular, it was inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement. The album's first single, "We Take Care of Our Own", was released on January 19, 2012. All but three of the songs (Wrecking Ball, American Land, & Land of Hope and Dreams) were written in 2011.

Track Listing and Lyrics
Below are the tracks on Wrecking Ball. Clicking the name of the song will take you to that song's lyrics on the Lyric Wiki.

Reviews

 * "Actually, for an election year, Wrecking Ball is a boldly apolitical record. The basic premise is that the true business of politics – responsible governing, a commerce of shared rewards -- is broken, with plenty of guilt to go around. It may be a sign of how hard optimism is to come by that Springsteen covers himself here -- reviving 'Land of Hope and Dreams,' originally released on 2001's Live in New York City – to insist all is not lost. He makes a glorious case. The new arrangement is Phil Spector gone tochurch with help from Curtis Mayfield. You get resurrection, too. The late Clarence Clemons is featured on saxophone, a beautiful extension of his life with Springsteen." - Rolling Stone
 * ""With economic injustice, Springsteen's powerful new disc has a subject he can sink his teeth into, and he matches it with music that hassome of the same clenched fury.The working man who 'always loved the feel of sweat on my shirt' now wakes up each morning feeling imprisoned in a system stacked against him. In 'Jack of All Trades,' another versatile worker recites the jobs he can do, ending with a blunt and horrific description of how he'd like to treat those he's worked for." - San Francisco Chronicle
 * "There's no doubt that die-hard fans will hear a fierce rallying cry on behalf of the 99 percent on "Wrecking Ball." With an awesomely rootsy production style ... the album even sounds like a cross section of America, drawing from folk, gospel, and hip-hop." - CNN
 * "Much of Wrecking Ball, though, is about keeping hope and dreams alive in the struggle down here. As ever, Springsteen is the voice of the people." - People
 * ""Bells and whistles aside, it’s still a Bruce Springsteen record, and that’s why it works; an album chock full of heartland rock that details economic crises and spirituality with equal gusto." - Consequence of Sound
 * ""Springsteen evokes that pair of late-career highlights on Wrecking Ball, which has the rousing boisterousness of Sessions and the unflagging sense of self-determination of The Rising. It could use a bit more of the former and less of the latter. As with most artists who’ve taken up protest music in the wake of Occupy Wall Street, Springsteen makes no room for humor or specificity, writing lyrics that nod to everyman characters but speak in the generalized language of 'This Land Is Your Land' and 'Blowin’ in the Wind.'In some ways, the too-slick production on Wrecking Ball is a scrim that allows Springsteen to compensate for his social detachment from his working-class subjects while perhaps convincing himself that he’s giving the people what they want -- a big rock record." - Paste Magazine
 * "Wrecking Ball is seamless and of a piece, as all great albums are. Each song slots perfectly into the next. Albums that work in this way are few and far between (Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band/The Beatles; Imperial Bedroom/Elvis Costello; Achtung Baby/U2; to name only a few) where the songs don't just work thematically but the overarching sound chocks in like a puzzle piece. This is all the more impressive in an album like this one with a mix of so many different genres and styles." - Huffington Post
 * "Undoubtedly his most powerful album of this century" - The Independent
 * "...A Battle Cry" - Billboard
 * "Wrecking Ball finds Bruce Springsteen sounding as vital as he's ever done" - Q magazine

Videos
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Music Videos
thumb|400px|left|Wrecking Ball Live at Giants Stadium