Since forming in 1972, the band's members have changed; however, core members include saxophonist Clarence Clemons, organist Danny Federici, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, pianist Roy Bittan and, of course, guitarist/singer/songwriter Bruce Springsteen. Guitarist Steven Van Zandt joined the band while recording Born to Run and made this record at least possible. He became one of the most honored and most influential members.
Other musicians important to the band include guitarist Nils Lofgren (who stepped in after Van Zandt quit); guitarist/singer Patti Scialfa (who is also Springsten's wife); and pianist David Sancious and drummers "Mad Dog" Vini Lopez and Ernest "Boom" Carter, who all had left the band prior to Born to Run. Also, The Rising tour saw the official addition of violinist Soozie Tyrell.
In 1989 the band split up, after the massive success of the Born in the USA tour and the quieter Tunnel of Love tour. However, in 1999, the band reunited and embarked on a rather successful 18-month reunion tour - the "E-United Tour" - and now were powered by three guitars (Springsteen, Van Zandt and Lofgren, with Scialfa usually playing a fourth, acoustic guitar).
Following the events of September 11, 2001, Springsteen and the Band embarked on their first studio recordings (excepting a short recording session for Springsteen's 1995 Greatest Hits album) since 1984's Born in the U.S.A. The band recorded The Rising in 2002, and then hit the road for another marathon, two-year tour.
After The Rising, Springsteen recorded two more albums without the E Streeters followed by "Magic", released in October 2007 and featuring the hit single "Radio Nowhere". Magic was followed up by a traditionally strong tour throughout 2008, during which original band-member and friend Danny Federici passed away. Federici had already been temporarily replaced by Charlie Giordano, with whom Springsteen played the year before during the Seeger Sessions. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band rounded the 100-show tour at Harley-Davidson's 105th anniversary celebration.
On January 27, 2009 Springsteen's twenty-fourth album "Working on a Dream" will be released. According to the official press release, Working on a Dream was recorded with the E Street Band and features twelve new Springsteen compositions plus two bonus tracks. It is the fourth collaboration between Springsteen and Brendan O'Brien, who produced and mixed the album. A new tour for 2009 is expected to be announced soon. Springsteen and the E Street Band will play The Super Bowl halftime show on February 1, 2009.
Saturday 27th July 2009 saw Bruce and the E-Streeters played The Glastonbury Festival, England. This was the band's first-ever UK festival performance, a total of 135,000 people watched an epic, two-and-a-half hour headlining set.
Current members
* Bruce Springsteen - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
* Garry Tallent - bass guitar, tuba
* Max Weinberg - drums, percussion (joined September 1974)
* Roy Bittan - piano, synthesizer (joined September 1974)
* Steven Van Zandt - lead guitar, mandolin, backing vocals (officially joined July 1975 after playing in previous bands; left in 1984 to go solo; rejoined in early 1995) Steven Van Zandt
* Nils Lofgren - guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals (replaced Steven Van Zandt in June 1984; remained in group after Van Zandt returned)
* Patti Scialfa - backing and duet vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion (joined June 1984; became Springsteen's wife in 1991; they have a daughter and two sons)
* Soozie Tyrell - violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals (joined 2002, occasional appearances before that)
Former members
* Vinnie 'Mad Dog' Lopez - drums (inception through February 1974, when asked to resign)
* David Sancious - keyboards (June 1973 to August 1974)
* Ernest 'Boom' Carter - drums (February to August 1974)
* Suki Lahav - violin, backing vocals (September 1974 to March 1975)
* Danny Federici - organ, electronic glockenspiel, accordion, other keyboards (on medical leave of absence from late November 2007, temporarily replaced by Charles Giordano) (Danny passed away on April 17, 2008 after a battle with cancer.)
* Clarence Clemons - saxophone, percussion, backing vocals, larger-than-life persona and Springsteen foil (died 2011)
Paradise by the "C"
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I take the schoolbooks from your pack
Plastics, wire and your kiss
The breath of eternity on your lips
In the crowded marketplace
I drift from face to face
I hold my breath and close my eyes
And I wait for paradise
And I wait for paradise
The Virginia hills have gone to brown
Another day another sun going down
I visit you in another dream
I visit you in another dream
I reach and feel your hair
Your small fingers in the air
I brush your cheek with my fingertips
I taste the void upon your lips
And I wait for paradise
And I wait for paradise
I search for you on the other side
Where the river runs clean and wide
Up to my heart the waters rise
Up to my heart the waters rise
I sink `neath the water cool and clear
Drifting down, I disappear
I see you on the other side
I search for the peace in your eyes
But they're as empty as paradise
They're as empty as paradise
I break above the waves
I feel the sun upon my face
The lyrics to Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's song Paradise By The "C" are poetic and contemplative, as the singer reflects on a lost love and searches for a sense of paradise in the world around him. The opening lines set a somber tone, as the singer reflects on the bleakness of urban life: "where the river runs black / I take the schoolbooks from your pack / plastics, wire and your kiss / the breath of eternity on your lips." These lines suggest a sense of pollution and decay, as well as a feeling of weighty responsibility represented by the "schoolbooks" and the "plastics, wire."
The singer then moves to a "crowded marketplace," drifting "from face to face" and searching for something more. He holds his breath, as if waiting for something to emerge from the chaotic crowd. This sense of searching and waiting recurs throughout the song, as the singer longs for a sense of paradise that always seems just out of reach. The Virginia hills, which have "gone to brown," provide little solace. The only escape seems to be in dreams, as the singer visits his lost love in another realm. Whether this is a literal dream or a metaphor for memories of the past is left unclear.
The singer reaches out to touch his lost love, feeling "your hair / your small fingers in the air." There's a sense of tenderness and sadness in these lines, as well as a feeling of transience and impermanence. In the end, the singer looks for paradise "on the other side," where "the river runs clean and wide." He sinks beneath the water, disappearing from the world, only to "break above the waves" again and feel "the sun upon [his] face." This final image suggests a sense of renewal and hope, even amid the darkness of the world around him.
Line by Line Meaning
Where the river runs black
In a place where everything is dark and unpleasant
I take the schoolbooks from your pack
I relieve you of your burdens and responsibilities
Plastics, wire and your kiss
The artificial and the genuine combined
The breath of eternity on your lips
A sense of forever in a moment with someone
In the crowded marketplace
Lost in the midst of many people
I drift from face to face
I wander aimlessly, lacking direction
I hold my breath and close my eyes
I try to escape reality
And I wait for paradise
I yearn for a better place, free from pain and hardship
The Virginia hills have gone to brown
The once beautiful landscape is now lifeless and barren
Another day another sun going down
Time continues to pass, with each day coming to an end
I visit you in another dream
I long to be reunited with someone, even if only in my imagination
I reach and feel your hair
I yearn for physical connection
Your small fingers in the air
The image of someone reaching out, hoping to be held
I brush your cheek with my fingertips
The sensation of being close to someone, even if only in a dream
I taste the void upon your lips
The feeling of emptiness when reality sets in
I search for you on the other side
I seek something beyond the current situation
Where the river runs clean and wide
In a place that is pristine and untainted
Up to my heart the waters rise
The feeling of being overwhelmed by emotions
I sink 'neath the water cool and clear
Succumbing to the weight of my burdens
Drifting down, I disappear
Losing myself to the difficulties of life
I see you on the other side
The hope of reuniting with someone lost
I search for the peace in your eyes
The desire to find happiness and contentment
But they're as empty as paradise
Even places assumed to be perfect have their own emptiness and problems
I break above the waves
Emerging from a difficult situation
I feel the sun upon my face
Being reinvigorated by hope and positivity
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Norris Nonkin
A thousand years from now, if beings still inhabit the earth and they want to know what rock n roll was, I would play them this clip. He IS the BOSS, now and forever! R.I.P. Danny, R.I.P. Clarence, you are missed!
glammer
Even the lo-fi quality of the video can't hide the sheer joy of it. And future generations won't believe they had to tune their guitars by ear.
yankeespy3
Who has more fun than Bruce playing rock and roll? And he's always true to his music and his audience. No wonder he and the band are considered the bestlive act of all time.
Ed Kaz
It doesn't get better than this.
Alan Tompas
Great performance. Lord how I miss this man.
Laurent Cayrol
I love this song so much, it makes me wanna jump, dance and shout !!!!!!!!!! E STREET BAAAAAANNNNNNDDD !!!!!!
I’m Chillin’
This is a true tribute to the Big Man... bringing the joy!
sskyyyeee
I remember when he used to sit down on the steps and just tell a story before his songs - still so great after all these years - goes on and on
EmeldasDad
Let's not forget Danny Federici. RIP Phantom and the Big Man.
Linda M. Cooper
What a Talent!! RIP, Clarence!!