Maps of Music

High Hopes (2014)

Where the lyrics of High Hopes take you, and where it was really made.

Springsteen's No. 1 album is made almost entirely of old material: covers, outtakes and reimagined versions of songs from past albums and tours.

Key places

Recording during the Australian leg (2014)

Recording site Studios 301 — During the Australian leg of the tour the band recorded new music in its off time. The recording was a spontaneous decision made with engineer Nick DiDia. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlanta sessions (2014)

Recording site Southern Tracks Recording Studio — Atlanta is among the cities where additional recording took place across US studios for the album. The exact studio is not named in the source text. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

New Jersey home studio (2014)

Recording site Stone Hill (Springsteen's home recording studio) — Springsteen's personal home studio in New Jersey hosted some of the album's further recording. The exact building is not confirmed by the source text. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixing in Los Angeles (2014)

Recording site Los Angeles — In March 2013 Springsteen went to Los Angeles, where he and producer Ron Aniello did mixes. The same visit included album photo sessions. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• High Hopes: 18th studio album by Bruce Springsteen
• Released 14 January 2014 by Columbia Records
• Topped the charts in eleven countries
• Springsteen's eleventh US No. 1 album, behind only the Beatles and Jay-Z among acts with the most No. 1s
• Tenth UK No. 1, on par with the Rolling Stones and U2
• Rolling Stone named it the second-best album of 2014
• A collection of cover songs, outtakes and re-imagined versions of tracks from past albums, EPs and tours
• The E Street Band performs with guitarist Tom Morello
• Deceased members Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici also appear

Background

• Work started 9 December 2012, when Springsteen called producer Ron Aniello about unfinished demos of older songs
• Aniello began production in Los Angeles while the band continued the Wrecking Ball Tour
• Springsteen described the new music as some of the band's best unreleased material from the past decade
• In March 2013, Springsteen went to Los Angeles for mixes and album photos, the day before he flew to Australia to resume touring
• In Australia, Tom Morello replaced Steven Van Zandt, who was off filming Lilyhammer
• Aniello said Springsteen was gone most of the time, so the team could not sit in a room to sort it all out

Recording

• During the Australian leg the band spent its off time recording new music with no specific album plans
• Aniello called the Australian recording a spontaneous decision, possible because engineer Nick DiDia was there
• More recording took place at studios across the US, including Springsteen's home studio in New Jersey, Atlanta, New York City and Nashville
• Aniello said the first version was much longer and Springsteen re-sequenced it for months
• Around 20 recorded songs did not make the final cut

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey; grew up in Freehold, New Jersey.
• Inspired by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, began playing with local bands in the 1960s, including the Castiles, Steel Mill and the Bruce Springsteen Band.
• Formed the band that became the E Street Band in October 1972; the name came into use in September 1974.
• Signed to Columbia Records in 1972 by John Hammond; debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. released January 1973.

Members

• Performs solo and with the E Street Band, his backing band since 1972.
• Long-time members include Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan, Max Weinberg and Patti Scialfa.
• Clemons died June 18, 2011; Federici died in 2008.

Career

• Born to Run (1975) brought worldwide fame; Born in the U.S.A. (1984) became one of the best-selling albums of all time.
• Won an Academy Award in 1994 for "Streets of Philadelphia"; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
• Has sold more than 140 million records worldwide; holds 20 Grammy Awards and a Special Tony Award.
• The 2023–2025 tour with the E Street Band was among the highest-grossing tours in history.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic gave the album 67/100 based on 37 reviews, a "generally favorable" response, which the source calls a mixed reception
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that it is rather thrilling to hear Springsteen revel in a mess of contradictions
• Erlewine noted the songs do not cohere into a mood or narrative, a contrast to Springsteen's two decades of deliberate, purposeful albums
• Rolling Stone's David Fricke found the cumulative effect of the old, borrowed material is retrospect with a cutting edge
• Entertainment Weekly's Kyle Anderson said it crackles with immediacy despite the cobbled-together nature of the material
• The Independent's Andy Gill noted the lack of thematic unity but praised how Tom Morello re-invigorated old material
• NME's rave review proclaimed "Still The Boss"
• Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot praised "Just Like Fire Would", "Hunter of Invisible Game" and "The Wall" but called the rest ho-hum
• Spin's Jessica Hopper said the uneven album doesn't play like a Springsteen album
• Pitchfork's Stephen M. Deusner noted the thick arrangements distract from the good songwriting
• PopMatters found the problem was an unusual surfeit of so-so songs that lacks a sense of scope and unity

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone named High Hopes the second-best album of 2014 in December 2014, behind only U2's Songs of Innocence
• USA Today's Edna Gundersen ran a review headlined around the grab-bag material that could hurt the album

Records

• Debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its first week, Springsteen's eleventh No. 1
• Sold around 99,000 copies in the US in its first week
• Had sold 213,000 copies in the US as of October 2015
• Debuted at No. 1 in the UK, his tenth time topping that chart

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Amazon briefly offered the album as individual MP3 files on 28 December 2013; it removed them quickly, but the album had already leaked by mid-day.
• On 12 January 2014, the television series The Good Wife used snippets of three songs as part of a deal between the label and CBS to reach fans in an unconventional way.
• On 14 January 2014, the whole Late Night with Jimmy Fallon episode was dedicated to Springsteen, with a parody song titled "Gov. Christie Traffic Jam".
• Springsteen's "Hunter of Invisible Game" short film, released 9 July 2014, marked his directorial debut.
• The album's "American Skin (41 Shots)" and "The Ghost of Tom Joad" were earlier songs from past albums and tours that were re-recorded or reworked for this project.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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