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The Rising is the 12th studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released in 2002 on Columbia Records. In addition to being Springsteen's first studio album in seven years, it was also his first with the E Street Band in 18 years. It is centered around Springsteen's reflections on the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Upon its release, The Rising was a critical and commercial success, and hailed as the triumphant return for Springsteen. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of over 520,000 copies. With this, Springsteen became the oldest person to achieve a first-week sales of over a half of a million copies in the United States. The album also garnered a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2003; although nominated for the Album of the Year award as well, it was beaten by Norah Jones' debut album Come Away with Me. The title song "The Rising" was also a Grammy recipient.
For the year 2002, The Rising was one of only two albums to receive Rolling Stone's highest rating – five stars – the other being Beck's Sea Change. The magazine also ranked the album #15 on its list of 100 Best Albums of the Decade. In 2012, it was rated #424 on the 500 Greatest Albums.
History
While most of the songs were written after September 11, 2001, a few of them pre-date the attacks. It's been rumored that Springsteen got the inspiration for the album a few days after the 9/11 attacks, when a stranger in a car stopped next to him, rolled down his window and said: "We need you now." Springsteen also told this story to journalist Mark Binelli in the August 22, 2002 issue of Rolling Stone. "My City of Ruins" was originally performed in, and written about, Asbury Park, New Jersey. After its performance by Springsteen on the post-September 11 America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon, however, the song took on an expanded meaning. "Further On (Up the Road)" was performed live in Madison Square Garden during the summer of 2000 at the end of the Springsteen-E Street Reunion Tour, and was professionally recorded, although it was not included in the HBO, DVD, or CD versions of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live in New York City. "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" was originally written in the early- or mid-1990s and played in at least one soundcheck during the Reunion Tour. Springsteen has commented that "Nothing Man" was originally completed in 1994 but re-recorded for this album. "Worlds Apart" is the most experimental song on the album, featuring a heavy Middle Eastern along with Qawwali singers in the introduction. "The Fuse," another experimental track features a subtle Hip-Hop beat and vocal looping. A re-recorded version of the song, with an orchestral backing features in the Spike Lee-directed film 25th Hour.
"Mary's Place" is directly inspired by Sam Cooke's "Meet Me at Mary's Place"; "Let's Be Friends" takes musical form from John Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb" and Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover"; and the gospel-like "My City of Ruins" is organized around the melody line of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".
Track Listing
All songs written and composed by Bruce Springsteen.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lonesome Day" | 4:08 | |
| 2. | "Into the Fire" | 5:04 | |
| 3. | "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" | 4:18 | |
| 4. | "Nothing Man" | 4:23 | |
| 5. | "Countin' on a Miracle" | 4:44 | |
| 6. | "Empty Sky" | 3:34 | |
| 7. | "Worlds Apart" | 6:07 | |
| 8. | "Let's Be Friends (Skin to Skin)" | 4:21 | |
| 9. | "Further On (Up the Road)" | 3:52 | |
| 10. | "The Fuse" | 5:37 | |
| 11. | "Mary's Place" | 6:03 | |
| 12. | "You're Missing" | 5:10 | |
| 13. | "The Rising" | 4:50 | |
| 14. | "Paradise" | 5:39 | |
| 15. | "My City of Ruins" | 5:00 |
Tour Edition Bonus DVD
- "The Rising" (live, 2002 MTV Video Music Awards performance)
- "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" (live, The Rising Tour, Barcelona, Spain, 2002)
- "Lonesome Day" (music video)
- "Mary's Place" (The Rising Tour, Barcelona, Spain, 2002)
- "Dancing In The Dark" (The Rising Tour, Barcelona, Spain, 2002)
Personnel
- Bruce Springsteen – lead guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar, harmonica
- Roy Bittan – keyboards, piano, mellotron, Kurzweil, pump organ, Korg M1, crumar
- Clarence Clemons – saxophone, background vocals
- Danny Federici – Hammond B3, Vox Continental, Farfisa
- Nils Lofgren – electric guitar, Dobro, slide guitar, banjo, background vocals
- Patti Scialfa – vocals
- Garry Tallent – bass guitar
- Steven Van Zandt – electric guitar, background vocals, mandolin
- Max Weinberg – drums
- Soozie Tyrell – violin, background vocals
- Brendan O'Brien – hurdy-gurdy, glockenspiel, orchestra bells
- Larry Lemaster – cello
- Jere Flint – cello
- Jane Scarpantoni – cello
- Nashville String Machine
- Asif Ali Khan and group
- Alliance Singers
- The Miami Horns
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