Bruce Springsteen has released a new track called “Lonely Night in the Park.” This song was kept hidden since the sessions for his iconic album, Born to Run, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Springsteen announced on Instagram, “To commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of ‘Born to Run,’ a rare 1975 outtake from the album’s legendary sessions is now available in full studio quality as it has never been heard before.”
The release of this track wasn’t without drama. Producer Jon Landau wanted to replace it with “Meeting Across the River,” but Mike Appel, another producer, fought to keep it. Appel said, “I won my way on things. When [Landau] and Bruce would say ‘Here’s Lonely Night in the Park and Linda Let Me be the One,’ they thought that was going to be a commercial song. And I won my way.”
In this new track, Springsteen is joined by his E Street Band members: Roy Bittan on piano, Garry Tallent on bass, Steven Van Zandt on guitar, and Max Weinberg on drums. Ron Aniello added some fresh guitar work to enhance the mix.
Born to Run was a major turning point for Springsteen, launching him into stardom. The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts, and the title track peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100. It has sold over seven million copies.
Recently, Springsteen also released Tracks II: The Lost Albums, featuring 83 songs from seven unheard albums. Fans can look forward to Tracks III, which will include five more secret albums from his five decades of music-making.
