My Hometown
"My Hometown" is a single by Bruce Springsteen off his Born in the U.S.A. album, that was the then-record-tying seventh and last top 10 single to come from it, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart, making the song Springsteen's only #1 song on this chart to date.[2] The song is a synthesizer-based, low-tempo number that features Springsteen on vocals.
| "My Hometown" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Bruce Springsteen | ||||
| from the album Born in the U.S.A. | ||||
| B-side | "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" | |||
| Released | November 21, 1985 | |||
| Recorded | June 29, 1983[1] | |||
| Studio | The Hit Factory | |||
| Genre | Heartland rock | |||
| Length | 4:33 (album version) 4:10 (edit) | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
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Lyrics Edit
The song's lyrics begin with the speaker's memories of his father instilling pride in the family's hometown. While it first appears that the song will be a nostalgic look at the speaker's childhood, the song then goes on to describe the racial violence and economic depression that the speaker witnessed as an adolescent and a young adult. The song concludes with the speaker's reluctant proclamation that he plans to move his family out of the town, but not without first taking his own son on a drive and expressing the same community pride that was instilled in him by his father.
Some of the song's images reference the recent history of Springsteen's hometown Freehold Borough, New Jersey, in particular the racial strife in 1960s New Jersey and economic tensions from the same times (such as the "textile mill being closed" was the A & M Karagheusian Rug Mill at Center and Jackson Streets of Freehold).[3]
Reception Edit
Cash Box called it a "tender and somber look at the real American hometown" that is "evocative in rare way."[4] Billboard called it a "contemplative, insightful single."[5]
Music video Edit
The music video for "My Hometown" was a straightforward video filming of a performance of the song at a Springsteen and E Street Band concert late in the Born in the U.S.A. Tour, eschewing fast-paced cutting for slower montages of Springsteen and various band members. Despite its lack of visual excitement, it still managed substantial MTV airplay in late 1985 and early 1986.
Track listing Edit
- "My Hometown" - 4:33
- "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" - 4:27
The B-side of the single, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town", was a semi-comical live recording of the Christmas favorite from a Springsteen and E Street Band concert on December 12, 1975, at C. W. Post College on Long Island, New York. Long familiar to Springsteen fans from its distribution years earlier to rock radio stations, it had previously been released on the fairly unknown 1981 children's album In Harmony 2; now in time for the Christmas season it was being issued again. Always a radio favorite, "Santa Claus" would benefit from the all-holiday-music-all-the-time formats of the 2000s, and during the 2005 holiday season "Santa Claus" would appear on the Billboard Top 40 Adult Recurrents and Hot Digital Songs charts.
Covers Edit
- U2 performed the song live on their 1985 The Unforgettable Fire Tour.
- Cindy Kallet, Ellen Epstein & Michael Cicone performed the song on their 1993 album Only Human.
- Neil Young recorded the song on his 2014 album A Letter Home.[6]
- Pavel Bobek performed the song as "Můj rodný dům" on his 1988 album Já při tom byl.
- Mischief Brew, Erik Petersen recorded and digitally released the song on Thanks, Bastards.
Personnel Edit
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[7]
- Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars
The E Street Band
- Roy Bittan – keyboards
- Clarence Clemons – tambourine
- Danny Federici – organ
- Garry Tallent – bass
- Max Weinberg – drums
- Ruth Jackson – backing vocals
Charts Edit
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 47 |
| Canada (RPM Magazine)[8] | 16 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 6 |
| Netherlands Music Chart | 24 |
| New Zealand Music Chart | 28 |
| Sweden Music Chart | 21 |
| UK Singles Chart | 9 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 6 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Album Rock Tracks (Billboard) | 6 |
Sales and certifications Edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[9] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[10] | Silver | 250,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
| ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ Heylin, Clinton (2012). Song By Song. London: Penguin. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ Demasters, Karen (April 9, 2000). "A Factory That Wove Rugs and Bound a Town Together". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-03-28.
The mill was referred to in the Bruce Springsteen song My Hometown; Mr. Springsteen's father worked there for a time. ...
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. December 7, 1985. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ "Reviews". Billboard. December 7, 1985. p. 75. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
- ^ Greene, Andy (18 April 2014). "Neil Young's New Covers Album Available Right Now: Surprise!". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ^ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2020). Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 252. ISBN 978-1-78472-649-2.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 1, 1986" (PDF).
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown". Music Canada. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
- ^ "British single certifications – Bruce Springsteen – My Home Town/Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Bruce Springsteen – My Hometown". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 1, 2022.