Bruce Springsteen - The River

"The River" may be my all time favourite Bruce Springsteen song. The competition is of course fierce, but its parent album, 1980's The River, was my introduction to Springsteen and the title track was my favourite song on it. That pretty much nails it, even though "Thunder Road", "Highway Patrolman", "No Surrender" and others may be just as good. The narrator of "The River" sees his own dreams fade fast as he gets his girlfriend pregnant and settles in for adult life. He has to adjust quickly, but somehow the river as a symbol for a better future keeps his dreams alive. It's an absolutely wonderful coming of age story, a beautiful song, featuring one of the best harmonica solos in the history of popular music. I think even Bob Dylan can agree with me there.

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