“Night” by Bruce Springsteen

"Night" sits among the lesser-known cuts on Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen's 1975 album for Columbia, but it runs on the same fuel as the title track: a working stiff punches out after a full day and tears off into the dark to drag race and chase a woman's love, free only when he's on the highway. The story comes in flashback, and the desperation under the thrill sets it apart from the album's more starry-eyed nights.

Springsteen went after Phil Spector's Wall of Sound here, letting the instruments bleed into one another's microphones until it all becomes one dense wash, with Garry Tallent's bass driving it, Max Weinberg on drums, Clarence Clemons on sax and Roy Bittan on piano, glockenspiel and harpsichord. It later became a regular show-opener for the E Street Band, especially in 1976 and 1977.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.