‘The Rising’ – Bruce Springsteen
In the wake of the September 11th attacks, Bruce Springsteen penned a song in which he depicts a fireman attempting to enter one of the Twin Towers (“Can’t see nothing in front of me…”) before exploding into the gospel-tinged chorus. He released this song as the opening track from an album that was meant to alleviate the suffering of his fans. As he said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2002, “the most common thing I get from fans is “Man, you got me through — whatever it is.”
The Rising
‘Running On Empty’ – Jackson Browne
Browne’s major composition and live performance project, Running on Empty, was his most ambitious project to date. During his daily commute between the studio and their home to work on the film, singer/songwriter Shawn Browne came up with the theme song for the film The Pretender, which he sang while driving between the two locations. In the past, I used to drive my vehicle every day and fill up the tank with gasoline on a regular basis. “I didn’t bother filling up the tank since it was just a five-minute drive to the gas station. “It’s just a short walk over there.”
Running On Empty
