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Western Stars

Western Stars is the nineteenth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 14, 2019, by Columbia Records. It was produced by Ron Aniello, who worked with Springsteen on his two previous albums: Wrecking Ball (2012) and High Hopes (2014).

Western Stars
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 14, 2019 (2019-06-14)
Recorded2010, 2014, 2018–2019[1]
StudioStone Hill, Colts Neck, New Jersey; Ocean Studios, Burbank, California; Very Loud House, Woodland Hills, California; Avatar, New York City; Sage and Sound, Hollywood, California
Genre
Length51:00
LabelColumbia
ProducerRon Aniello, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Springsteen on Broadway
(2018)
Western Stars
(2019)
Letter to You
(2020)
Singles from Western Stars
  1. "Hello Sunshine"
    Released: April 26, 2019
  2. "There Goes My Miracle"
    Released: May 17, 2019
  3. "Tucson Train"
    Released: May 30, 2019
  4. "Western Stars"
    Released: June 14, 2019

The album was a chart success in the United States—where it became Springsteen's 20th top-10 album—and abroad. It was also met with widespread acclaim from critics, who found the music elegiac and evocative of the American West.

A full performance of the album was filmed and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. The soundtrack of this movie (Western Stars – Songs from the Film) has an almost identical track list and was released in September 2019.

Background edit

Springsteen stated in April 2019 that the album was influenced by "Southern California pop music" of the 1970s, including artists such as Glen Campbell and Burt Bacharach. Upon announcing the album in April 2019, he called it "a return to my solo recordings featuring character-driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements", with a press release characterizing it as about a "range of American themes, of highways and desert spaces, of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope".[6]

Marketing edit

"Hello Sunshine" was released on April 26, 2019, as the album's lead single, along with a music video.[7] "There Goes My Miracle" was released as the album's second single on May 17.[8][9] The album's third single, "Tucson Train", was released on May 30, along with a music video directed by Thom Zimny.[10] A music video for the album's fourth single, "Western Stars", also directed by Zimny, was released on June 14. A limited edition 7" vinyl double A-side single, featuring "Western Stars" and "The Wayfarer", was released on Black Friday Record Store Day on November 29, 2019.[11]

Western Stars was released by Columbia on June 14, 2019.[12] The following week, it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 66,000 album-equivalent units sold, of which 62,000 were pure album sales. It is Springsteen's 20th US top 10 album.[13]

A documentary film, which marked Springsteen's directorial debut and features a full performance of the album, premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019, with a wide theatrical release in October 2019 along with an accompanying soundtrack for the film.[14] Springsteen did not tour for the album and announced that he would shift focus towards recording a new studio album with the E Street Band in the fall of 2019.[15][16]

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[17]
Metacritic84/100[18]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [19]
The A.V. ClubB−[20]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[21]
The Guardian     [22]
The Independent     [23]
The Irish Times     [24]
NME     [25]
Pitchfork7.8/10[26]
Q     [27]
Rolling Stone     [28]

Western Stars was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from selected mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 84, based on 31 reviews.[29]

Reviewing for Rolling Stone in May 2019, Will Hermes said that, while several songs "straddle the classic and the cliché", the album's music "evokes country-tinged California pop from the Sixties and Seventies, sounding like nothing [Springsteen]'s done before".[28] In Entertainment Weekly, Maura Johnston applauded Springsteen for "transforming the enormous into the intimate" on the album,[21] while The Independent's Mark Beaumont said the "sumptuous, cinematic album is nothing short of a late-period masterpiece" for the musician.[23] Writing for NME, Thomas Smith regarded Western Stars as "majestic in its scale, but traditional in its subject matter and narratives … a wonderful thing."[25] Pat Carty in Hot Press described the album as a "heartbreaking yet life-affirmingly beautiful record - both elegiac and warm, a trick few others, if any, could pull off."[30] Sam Sodomsky from Pitchfork said, "Springsteen returns with elegiac and wise songwriting conjuring the golden expanse of the American West; it’s his best studio album in years."[26] In the opinion of AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, "This isn't a piece of nostalgia on Springsteen's part, though. These references deepen a collection of songs that are sweet, sad, and searching, songs that feel finely etched on their own terms but gather a deep, lasting resonance when collected on this enchanting album."[19] The songs were also regarded by Alexis Petridis as "strong enough to withstand the treatment" and rarely reducing themselves to pastiches of "the grownup American pop of Glen Campbell's collaborations with Jimmy Webb or Harry Nilsson's [recordings] of 'Everybody's Talkin'' and 'I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City'." Writing in The Guardian, Petridis hoped Springsteen will "take more stylistic detours in the future", as "it adds up to an album that manages to be both unexpected and of a piece with its author’s back catalogue."[22]

Some reviewers had reservations about the album. In his "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau deemed it a worthy effort and cited its highlights as "Tucson Train" and "Moonlight Motel". However, he believed Springsteen was trying to put across the message that "America used to be better", which the critic said brings to question in what manner will fans receive the musician's nostalgia for America's past: "How many of his faithful will blame it on the rich and how many on the young?"[31] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney issued different complaints in his review for the Financial Times, being especially critical of the record's roots rock and orchestral pop setting. "The combination of twanging western rock and orchestra has a confected, forced feel", he said, adding that "the effect is intended to dignify the lives of the hard-bitten individuals in his lyrics, but instead it sounds like they are being smothered by overbearing string and horn arrangements."[4]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Bruce Springsteen

Western Stars track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Hitch Hikin'"3:37
2."The Wayfarer"4:18
3."Tucson Train"3:31
4."Western Stars"4:41
5."Sleepy Joe's Café"3:14
6."Drive Fast (The Stuntman)"4:16
7."Chasin' Wild Horses"5:03
8."Sundown"3:17
9."Somewhere North of Nashville"1:52
10."Stones"4:44
11."There Goes My Miracle"4:05
12."Hello Sunshine"3:56
13."Moonlight Motel"4:16
Total length:51:00

The film version has the same track list, with the addition of the cover song "Rhinestone Cowboy".

Personnel edit

Musicians edit

  • Bruce Springsteen – vocals, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, synth strings, banjo, percussion, electric guitar, B3, piano, orchestral samples, celeste, organ solo, 12-string guitar, Mellotron
  • Patti Scialfa – vocals (tracks 2, 8, 9, 11), vocal arrangement (tracks 2, 8, 9, 11)
  • Ron Anielloupright bass, piano, electric guitar, percussion, vibraphone, bass guitar, synth strings, orchestral samples, acoustic guitar, drums, B3, celeste, loops, synth, background vocal
  • Charlie Giordano – accordion (track 5), piano (track 9)
  • David Sancious – piano (track 2), B3 (track 6)
  • Matt Rollings – piano (tracks 3, 4, 8, 13)
  • Jon Brion – drums (track 13), timpani (tracks 10, 11), electric guitar (track 4), Moog (track 4, 5, 11), Farfisa (track 5), celeste (track 13)
  • Gunnar Olsen – drums (tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11)
  • Matt Chamberlain – drums (track 2, 4, 12)
  • Marc Muller – lap steel (track 4), pedal steel (tracks 6, 7, 12)
  • Rob Lebret – electric guitar (track 4), baritone guitar (track 4)
  • Marty Rifkin – pedal steel (track 9)
  • Greg Leisz – pedal steel (track 13)
  • Lenny Castro – conga (tracks 4, 5), tambourine (tracks 4, 11), shaker (tracks 5, 11)
  • Toby Scott – loop (track 3), programming (track 3)
  • Soozie Tyrell – background vocal (tracks 2, 8, 9), violin (track 9)
  • Michelle Moore – background vocal (tracks 4, 11)
  • Curtis King – background vocal (track 4)
  • Cindy Mizelle – background vocals (track 4)
  • Matthew Koma – background vocal (track 11)
  • Curt Ramm – trumpet (tracks 2–5, 8, 11), flugelhorn (track 2)
  • Barry Danielian – trumpet (tracks 3–5, 7, 8, 11)
  • Clark Gayton – trombone (tracks 5, 8, 11)
  • Dan Levine – trombone (tracks 3, 4)
  • Ed Manion – saxophone (track 5)
  • Rachel Drehmann – French horn (tracks 2–4, 7, 10)
  • Leelanee Sterrett – French horn (tracks 2–4, 7, 10)
  • Alden Banta – bassoon (tracks 3, 4)
  • Andrew Sterman – alto flute (tracks 3, 4)
  • Charles Pillow – oboe (tracks 3, 4)
  • Luis Villalobos – violin (track 6, 10)
  • Avatar Strings (tracks 1, 7, 8, 10, 12):
    • Rob Mathes – conductor, arranger
    • Sandy Park – contractor
    • Lisa Kim (concertmaster), Hyunju Lee, Joanna Maurer, Sharon Yamada, Annaliesa Place, Suzanne Ornstein, Liz Lim, Jung Sun Yoo, Emily Popham – violins
    • Robert Rinehart, Vivek Kamath, Desiree Elsevier – violas
    • Alan Stepansky, Nathan Vickery – cellos
  • Stone Hill Strings (tracks 2–4, 6, 11):
    • Scott Tibbs – conductor
    • Sandy Park – contractor
    • Lisa Kim (concertmaster), Hyunju Lee, Joanna Maurer – violins
    • Shmuel Katz, Rebecca Young – violas
    • Alan Stepansky – cello

Technical edit

  • Ron Aniello, Bruce Springsteen – production
  • Rob Lebret, Ross Petersen, Toby Scott, Ron Aniello – engineering
  • Brett Rouche, Greg Koller, Alec Dixon, Rob Lebret, Ross Petersen, Chris Steffen – additional engineering
  • James Brown – additional engineering (track 9)
  • Tom Elmhirstmixing
  • Bob Ludwigmastering
  • Toby Scott – production coordinator
  • Shari Sutcliffe – musician contractor
  • Kevin Buell – guitars and technical services
  • Michelle Holme – art and design
  • Kalle Gustafsson (Trunk Archive) – cover photography
  • Danny Clinch – additional photography

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for Western Stars
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[71] Gold 50,000
Germany (BVMI)[72] Gold 100,000
Italy (FIMI)[73] Platinum 50,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[74] Gold 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[75] Gold 100,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Film edit

It was announced on July 23, 2019, that Springsteen would world premiere his co-directed film, Western Stars, at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film marks the first directing credit for Springsteen and was co-directed by his longtime collaborator Thom Zimny. The film features Springsteen and his backing band and orchestra performing the music from the album to a live audience. The live performances were filmed during two nights in April 2019 in a historic barn on the artist's property, the outdoor sequences were filmed at Joshua Tree National Park.[76]

Cameron Bailey, artistic director of the festival, said of the film, "We have Bruce Springsteen's directorial debut at the festival, I think he's got a big future ahead of him. It's largely performance, but there is a framing to it. It's very filmic, which is what attracted me. The album and the film are both about this fading Western movie B-level star who's looking back on his life and the decisions he's made. That narrative and that character shape all the songs. In between the songs, you've got Bruce really talking about this character he invented, the story he wrote for the character, and how it reflects back on his own life as he ages and other kind of narratives he's had in his previous albums."[77]

Warner Bros. Pictures released the film on October 25, 2019. The companion soundtrack for the movie, titled Western Stars – Songs from the Film, was released on the same day by Columbia Records.[78]

Western Stars – Songs from the Film
 
Soundtrack album by
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
RecordedApril 2019
StudioStone Hill Farm, Colts Neck, New Jersey
Length57:04
LabelColumbia
ProducerRon Aniello, Bruce Springsteen
Singles from Western Stars – Songs from the Film
  1. "Sundown"
    Released: October 4, 2019
Western Stars – Songs from the Film track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Hitch Hikin'" 3:43
2."The Wayfarer" 4:45
3."Tucson Train" 3:21
4."Western Stars" 4:39
5."Sleepy Joe's Café" 3:41
6."Drive Fast (The Stuntman)" 4:42
7."Chasin' Wild Horses" 5:46
8."Sundown" 3:12
9."Somewhere North of Nashville" 1:59
10."Stones" 5:35
11."There Goes My Miracle" 4:00
12."Hello Sunshine" 4:22
13."Moonlight Motel" 4:01
14."Rhinestone Cowboy"Larry Weiss3:18
Total length:57:04

Charts edit

Chart performance for Western Stars – Songs from the Film
Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[79] 141

References edit

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External links edit

  • Western Stars at Discogs (list of releases)

western, stars, nineteenth, studio, album, american, singer, songwriter, bruce, springsteen, released, june, 2019, columbia, records, produced, aniello, worked, with, springsteen, previous, albums, wrecking, ball, 2012, high, hopes, 2014, studio, album, bruce,. Western Stars is the nineteenth studio album by the American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen released on June 14 2019 by Columbia Records It was produced by Ron Aniello who worked with Springsteen on his two previous albums Wrecking Ball 2012 and High Hopes 2014 Western StarsStudio album by Bruce SpringsteenReleasedJune 14 2019 2019 06 14 Recorded2010 2014 2018 2019 1 StudioStone Hill Colts Neck New Jersey Ocean Studios Burbank California Very Loud House Woodland Hills California Avatar New York City Sage and Sound Hollywood CaliforniaGenreRoots rock folk rock 2 country rock 3 orchestral pop 4 country pop 5 Length51 00LabelColumbiaProducerRon Aniello Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen chronologySpringsteen on Broadway 2018 Western Stars 2019 Letter to You 2020 Singles from Western Stars Hello Sunshine Released April 26 2019 There Goes My Miracle Released May 17 2019 Tucson Train Released May 30 2019 Western Stars Released June 14 2019 The album was a chart success in the United States where it became Springsteen s 20th top 10 album and abroad It was also met with widespread acclaim from critics who found the music elegiac and evocative of the American West A full performance of the album was filmed and released by Warner Bros Pictures The soundtrack of this movie Western Stars Songs from the Film has an almost identical track list and was released in September 2019 Contents 1 Background 2 Marketing 3 Critical reception 4 Track listing 5 Personnel 5 1 Musicians 5 2 Technical 6 Charts 6 1 Weekly charts 6 2 Year end charts 7 Certifications 8 Film 8 1 Charts 9 References 10 External linksBackground editSpringsteen stated in April 2019 that the album was influenced by Southern California pop music of the 1970s including artists such as Glen Campbell and Burt Bacharach Upon announcing the album in April 2019 he called it a return to my solo recordings featuring character driven songs and sweeping cinematic orchestral arrangements with a press release characterizing it as about a range of American themes of highways and desert spaces of isolation and community and the permanence of home and hope 6 Marketing edit Hello Sunshine was released on April 26 2019 as the album s lead single along with a music video 7 There Goes My Miracle was released as the album s second single on May 17 8 9 The album s third single Tucson Train was released on May 30 along with a music video directed by Thom Zimny 10 A music video for the album s fourth single Western Stars also directed by Zimny was released on June 14 A limited edition 7 vinyl double A side single featuring Western Stars and The Wayfarer was released on Black Friday Record Store Day on November 29 2019 11 Western Stars was released by Columbia on June 14 2019 12 The following week it debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 66 000 album equivalent units sold of which 62 000 were pure album sales It is Springsteen s 20th US top 10 album 13 A documentary film which marked Springsteen s directorial debut and features a full performance of the album premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019 with a wide theatrical release in October 2019 along with an accompanying soundtrack for the film 14 Springsteen did not tour for the album and announced that he would shift focus towards recording a new studio album with the E Street Band in the fall of 2019 15 16 Critical reception editProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingAnyDecentMusic 8 0 10 17 Metacritic84 100 18 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 19 The A V ClubB 20 Entertainment WeeklyA 21 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 22 The Independent nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 23 The Irish Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 24 NME nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 25 Pitchfork7 8 10 26 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 27 Rolling Stone nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 28 Western Stars was met with widespread critical acclaim At Metacritic which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from selected mainstream critics the album received an average score of 84 based on 31 reviews 29 Reviewing for Rolling Stone in May 2019 Will Hermes said that while several songs straddle the classic and the cliche the album s music evokes country tinged California pop from the Sixties and Seventies sounding like nothing Springsteen s done before 28 In Entertainment Weekly Maura Johnston applauded Springsteen for transforming the enormous into the intimate on the album 21 while The Independent s Mark Beaumont said the sumptuous cinematic album is nothing short of a late period masterpiece for the musician 23 Writing for NME Thomas Smith regarded Western Stars as majestic in its scale but traditional in its subject matter and narratives a wonderful thing 25 Pat Carty in Hot Press described the album as a heartbreaking yet life affirmingly beautiful record both elegiac and warm a trick few others if any could pull off 30 Sam Sodomsky from Pitchfork said Springsteen returns with elegiac and wise songwriting conjuring the golden expanse of the American West it s his best studio album in years 26 In the opinion of AllMusic s Stephen Thomas Erlewine This isn t a piece of nostalgia on Springsteen s part though These references deepen a collection of songs that are sweet sad and searching songs that feel finely etched on their own terms but gather a deep lasting resonance when collected on this enchanting album 19 The songs were also regarded by Alexis Petridis as strong enough to withstand the treatment and rarely reducing themselves to pastiches of the grownup American pop of Glen Campbell s collaborations with Jimmy Webb or Harry Nilsson s recordings of Everybody s Talkin and I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City Writing in The Guardian Petridis hoped Springsteen will take more stylistic detours in the future as it adds up to an album that manages to be both unexpected and of a piece with its author s back catalogue 22 Some reviewers had reservations about the album In his Consumer Guide column Robert Christgau deemed it a worthy effort and cited its highlights as Tucson Train and Moonlight Motel However he believed Springsteen was trying to put across the message that America used to be better which the critic said brings to question in what manner will fans receive the musician s nostalgia for America s past How many of his faithful will blame it on the rich and how many on the young 31 Ludovic Hunter Tilney issued different complaints in his review for the Financial Times being especially critical of the record s roots rock and orchestral pop setting The combination of twanging western rock and orchestra has a confected forced feel he said adding that the effect is intended to dignify the lives of the hard bitten individuals in his lyrics but instead it sounds like they are being smothered by overbearing string and horn arrangements 4 Track listing editAll tracks are written by Bruce SpringsteenWestern Stars track listingNo TitleLength1 Hitch Hikin 3 372 The Wayfarer 4 183 Tucson Train 3 314 Western Stars 4 415 Sleepy Joe s Cafe 3 146 Drive Fast The Stuntman 4 167 Chasin Wild Horses 5 038 Sundown 3 179 Somewhere North of Nashville 1 5210 Stones 4 4411 There Goes My Miracle 4 0512 Hello Sunshine 3 5613 Moonlight Motel 4 16Total length 51 00 The film version has the same track list with the addition of the cover song Rhinestone Cowboy Personnel editMusicians edit Bruce Springsteen vocals acoustic guitar glockenspiel synth strings banjo percussion electric guitar B3 piano orchestral samples celeste organ solo 12 string guitar Mellotron Patti Scialfa vocals tracks 2 8 9 11 vocal arrangement tracks 2 8 9 11 Ron Aniello upright bass piano electric guitar percussion vibraphone bass guitar synth strings orchestral samples acoustic guitar drums B3 celeste loops synth background vocal Charlie Giordano accordion track 5 piano track 9 David Sancious piano track 2 B3 track 6 Matt Rollings piano tracks 3 4 8 13 Jon Brion drums track 13 timpani tracks 10 11 electric guitar track 4 Moog track 4 5 11 Farfisa track 5 celeste track 13 Gunnar Olsen drums tracks 3 5 6 8 10 11 Matt Chamberlain drums track 2 4 12 Marc Muller lap steel track 4 pedal steel tracks 6 7 12 Rob Lebret electric guitar track 4 baritone guitar track 4 Marty Rifkin pedal steel track 9 Greg Leisz pedal steel track 13 Lenny Castro conga tracks 4 5 tambourine tracks 4 11 shaker tracks 5 11 Toby Scott loop track 3 programming track 3 Soozie Tyrell background vocal tracks 2 8 9 violin track 9 Michelle Moore background vocal tracks 4 11 Curtis King background vocal track 4 Cindy Mizelle background vocals track 4 Matthew Koma background vocal track 11 Curt Ramm trumpet tracks 2 5 8 11 flugelhorn track 2 Barry Danielian trumpet tracks 3 5 7 8 11 Clark Gayton trombone tracks 5 8 11 Dan Levine trombone tracks 3 4 Ed Manion saxophone track 5 Rachel Drehmann French horn tracks 2 4 7 10 Leelanee Sterrett French horn tracks 2 4 7 10 Alden Banta bassoon tracks 3 4 Andrew Sterman alto flute tracks 3 4 Charles Pillow oboe tracks 3 4 Luis Villalobos violin track 6 10 Avatar Strings tracks 1 7 8 10 12 Rob Mathes conductor arranger Sandy Park contractor Lisa Kim concertmaster Hyunju Lee Joanna Maurer Sharon Yamada Annaliesa Place Suzanne Ornstein Liz Lim Jung Sun Yoo Emily Popham violins Robert Rinehart Vivek Kamath Desiree Elsevier violas Alan Stepansky Nathan Vickery cellos Stone Hill Strings tracks 2 4 6 11 Scott Tibbs conductor Sandy Park contractor Lisa Kim concertmaster Hyunju Lee Joanna Maurer violins Shmuel Katz Rebecca Young violas Alan Stepansky cello Technical edit Ron Aniello Bruce Springsteen production Rob Lebret Ross Petersen Toby Scott Ron Aniello engineering Brett Rouche Greg Koller Alec Dixon Rob Lebret Ross Petersen Chris Steffen additional engineering James Brown additional engineering track 9 Tom Elmhirst mixing Joe Visciano assistant Bob Ludwig mastering Toby Scott production coordinator Shari Sutcliffe musician contractor Kevin Buell guitars and technical services Michelle Holme art and design Kalle Gustafsson Trunk Archive cover photography Danny Clinch additional photographyCharts editWeekly charts edit Weekly chart performance for Western Stars Chart 2019 Peakposition Australian Albums ARIA 32 1 Austrian Albums O3 Austria 33 1 Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 34 1 Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 35 3 Canadian Albums Billboard 36 4 Czech Albums CNS IFPI 37 9 Danish Albums Hitlisten 38 4 Dutch Albums Album Top 100 39 1 Finnish Albums Suomen virallinen lista 40 3 French Albums SNEP 41 3 German Albums Offizielle Top 100 42 1 Hungarian Albums MAHASZ 43 16 Irish Albums IRMA 44 1 Italian Albums FIMI 45 1 Japanese Albums Oricon 46 16 New Zealand Albums RMNZ 47 1 Norwegian Albums VG lista 48 1 Polish Albums ZPAV 49 12 Portuguese Albums AFP 50 1 Scottish Albums OCC 51 1 Spanish Albums PROMUSICAE 52 1 Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 53 3 Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 54 1 UK Albums OCC 55 1 US Billboard 200 56 2 US Top Rock Albums Billboard 57 1 Year end charts edit Year end chart performance for Western Stars Chart 2019 Position Australian Albums ARIA 58 59 Austrian Albums O3 Austria 59 25 Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 60 17 Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 61 62 Dutch Albums Album Top 100 62 46 French Albums SNEP 63 85 German Albums Offizielle Top 100 64 29 Irish Albums IRMA 65 15 Spanish Albums PROMUSICAE 66 19 Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 67 37 Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 68 18 UK Albums OCC 69 35 US Top Rock Albums Billboard 70 60Certifications editCertifications for Western Stars Region Certification Certified units sales France SNEP 71 Gold 50 000 Germany BVMI 72 Gold 100 000 Italy FIMI 73 Platinum 50 000 Spain PROMUSICAE 74 Gold 20 000 United Kingdom BPI 75 Gold 100 000 Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Film editIt was announced on July 23 2019 that Springsteen would world premiere his co directed film Western Stars at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival The film marks the first directing credit for Springsteen and was co directed by his longtime collaborator Thom Zimny The film features Springsteen and his backing band and orchestra performing the music from the album to a live audience The live performances were filmed during two nights in April 2019 in a historic barn on the artist s property the outdoor sequences were filmed at Joshua Tree National Park 76 Cameron Bailey artistic director of the festival said of the film We have Bruce Springsteen s directorial debut at the festival I think he s got a big future ahead of him It s largely performance but there is a framing to it It s very filmic which is what attracted me The album and the film are both about this fading Western movie B level star who s looking back on his life and the decisions he s made That narrative and that character shape all the songs In between the songs you ve got Bruce really talking about this character he invented the story he wrote for the character and how it reflects back on his own life as he ages and other kind of narratives he s had in his previous albums 77 Warner Bros Pictures released the film on October 25 2019 The companion soundtrack for the movie titled Western Stars Songs from the Film was released on the same day by Columbia Records 78 Western Stars Songs from the Film nbsp Soundtrack album by Bruce SpringsteenReleasedOctober 25 2019 2019 10 25 RecordedApril 2019StudioStone Hill Farm Colts Neck New JerseyLength57 04LabelColumbiaProducerRon Aniello Bruce SpringsteenSingles from Western Stars Songs from the Film Sundown Released October 4 2019 Western Stars Songs from the Film track listingNo TitleWriter s Length1 Hitch Hikin 3 432 The Wayfarer 4 453 Tucson Train 3 214 Western Stars 4 395 Sleepy Joe s Cafe 3 416 Drive Fast The Stuntman 4 427 Chasin Wild Horses 5 468 Sundown 3 129 Somewhere North of Nashville 1 5910 Stones 5 3511 There Goes My Miracle 4 0012 Hello Sunshine 4 2213 Moonlight Motel 4 0114 Rhinestone Cowboy Larry Weiss3 18Total length 57 04 Charts edit Chart performance for Western Stars Songs from the Film Chart 2019 Peakposition US Billboard 200 79 141References edit Western Stars Studio Sessions Brucebase Wiki Retrieved December 29 2020 Bruce Springsteen Letter to You Album Review Cryptic Rock October 19 2020 Bruce Springsteen Confronts His Ghosts on the Rousing Letter to You Rolling Stone October 15 2020 a b Hunter Tilney Ludovic June 12 2019 Bruce Springsteen s Western Stars the American dream and hard bitten reality Financial Times Retrieved October 3 2019 Gleiberman Owen September 13 2019 Western Stars Review Variety Retrieved October 3 2019 Greene Andy April 25 2019 Bruce Springsteen Details New Solo Album Western Stars Rolling Stone Retrieved April 25 2019 Sodomsky Sam April 25 2019 Bruce Springsteen Announces New Album Western Stars Pitchfork Retrieved April 25 2019 Springsteen Bruce May 15 2019 There Goes My Miracle coming soon WesternStarspic twitter com WDgNRGqfq9 Retrieved May 17 2019 via Twitter Springsteen Bruce May 16 2019 Tomorrow WesternStarspic twitter com sFUuuXNcE1 Retrieved May 17 2019 via Twitter BruceSpringsteenVEVO May 30 2019 Bruce Springsteen Tucson Train Official Video via YouTube SpecialRelease RECORD STORE DAY October 8 2019 Retrieved October 9 2019 Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen Apple Music Retrieved April 25 2019 Caulfield Keith June 23 2019 Madonna Achieves Ninth No 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With Madame X Billboard Retrieved June 24 2019 Chris Willman Bruce Springsteen s Director Thom Zimny on the Move from Broadway to Western Stars Variety August 23 2019 s r l Rockol com Springsteen intervistato a Roma in studio con la E Street Band in autunno Rockol The Boss is coming Springsteen says he will tour with E Street Band in 2020 NJ com May 27 2019 Retrieved May 27 2019 Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen AnyDecentMusic Retrieved October 3 2019 Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen Reviews and Tracks Metacritic Retrieved June 13 2019 a b allmusic McLevy Alex June 12 2019 Bruce Springsteen tries to lose himself under the cinematic scope of Western Stars The A V Club Retrieved October 5 2019 a b Johnston Maura June 11 2019 Bruce Springsteen transforms the enormous into the intimate on Western Stars Entertainment Weekly Retrieved October 3 2019 a b Petridis Alexis June 6 2019 Bruce Springsteen Western Stars review the Boss takes the scenic route The Guardian Retrieved June 26 2019 a b Beaumont Mark June 12 2019 Bruce Springsteen review Western Stars Sumptuous cinematic album is nothing short of a late period masterpiece The Independent Retrieved October 3 2019 Breen Joe June 7 2019 Bruce Springsteen Western Stars review His most radical and best album in years The Irish Times Retrieved October 5 2019 a b Smith Thomas June 12 2019 Bruce Springsteen Western Stars review NME Retrieved June 26 2019 a b Sodomsky Sam June 14 2019 Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Pitchfork Retrieved June 26 2019 Review Q Summer 2019 p 106 a b Hermes Will May 30 2019 Bruce Springsteen Sets Out for Wide Open Territory on Western Stars Rolling Stone Retrieved June 26 2019 Western Stars by Bruce Springsteen Metacritic Carty Pat Album Review Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hotpress Christgau Robert September 18 2019 Consumer Guide September 2019 Substack Retrieved September 29 2019 Australiancharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 22 2019 Austriancharts at Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in German Hung Medien Retrieved June 27 2019 Ultratop be Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved June 21 2019 Ultratop be Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in French Hung Medien Retrieved June 21 2019 Bruce Springsteen the E Street Band Chart History Canadian Albums Billboard Retrieved December 8 2022 Czech Albums Top 100 CNS IFPI Note On the chart page select 25 Tyden 2019 on the field besides the words CZ ALBUMS TOP 100 to retrieve the correct chart Retrieved June 25 2019 Danishcharts dk Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 26 2019 Dutchcharts nl Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved June 21 2019 Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in Finnish Musiikkituottajat IFPI Finland Retrieved June 23 2019 Lescharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 25 2019 Offiziellecharts de Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved June 21 2019 Album Top 40 slagerlista 2019 25 het in Hungarian MAHASZ Retrieved June 28 2019 Irish charts com Discography Bruce Springsteen Hung Medien Retrieved June 22 2019 Italiancharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 22 2019 Oricon Top 50 Albums 2019 06 24 in Japanese Oricon Retrieved June 19 2019 Charts nz Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 21 2019 Norwegiancharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 22 2019 Oficjalna lista sprzedazy OLiS Official Retail Sales Chart OLiS Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry Retrieved July 4 2019 Portuguesecharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved July 11 2019 Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved June 22 2019 Spanishcharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 26 2019 Swedishcharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 21 2019 Swisscharts com Bruce Springsteen Western Stars Hung Medien Retrieved June 26 2019 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved July 11 2019 Bruce Springsteen the E Street Band Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved December 8 2022 Bruce Springsteen the E Street Band Chart History Top Rock Albums Billboard Retrieved December 8 2022 ARIA End of Year Albums Chart 2019 Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved January 10 2020 Jahreshitparade Alben 2019 austriancharts at Retrieved January 1 2020 Jaaroverzichten 2019 Ultratop Retrieved December 20 2019 Rapports Annuels 2019 Ultratop Retrieved December 20 2019 Jaaroverzichten Album 2019 dutchcharts nl Retrieved January 5 2020 Top de l annee Top Albums 2019 in French SNEP Retrieved January 8 2020 Top 100 Album Jahrescharts GfK Entertainment in German offiziellecharts de Retrieved October 1 2020 White Jack January 9 2020 Ireland s Official Top 50 biggest albums of 2019 Official Charts Company Retrieved January 11 2020 Top 100 Albums Annual 2019 El portal de Musica Retrieved January 21 2022 Arslista Album 2019 Sverigetopplistan Retrieved January 14 2020 Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2019 hitparade ch Retrieved December 31 2019 Copsey Rob January 1 2020 The Official Top 40 biggest albums of 2019 Official Charts Company Retrieved January 1 2020 Top Rock Albums Year End 2019 Billboard Retrieved August 5 2020 French album certifications Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in French Syndicat National de l Edition Phonographique Retrieved August 20 2023 Gold Platin Datenbank Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in German Bundesverband Musikindustrie Retrieved November 4 2021 Italian album certifications Bruce Springsteen Western Stars in Italian Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana Retrieved January 27 2020 Select 2020 in the Anno drop down menu Select Western Stars in the Filtra field Select Album e Compilation under Sezione Spanish album certifications Bruce Springsteen Western Stars El portal de Musica Productores de Musica de Espana Retrieved November 11 2021 British album certifications Bruce Springsteen Western Stars British Phonographic Industry Retrieved October 1 2019 Bruce Springsteen to Debut Western Stars Film at Toronto Film Festival Rolling Stone July 23 2019 Retrieved July 23 2019 Bruce Springsteen Turns Director for Inventive Concert Film Western Stars IndieWire July 23 2019 Retrieved July 23 2019 Minsker Evan September 26 2019 Bruce Springsteen Announces Western Stars Film Soundtrack Pitchfork Retrieved September 28 2019 Bruce Springsteen the E Street Band Chart History Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved March 1 2020 External links editWestern Stars at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Western Stars amp oldid 1222205599, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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