Thunder Road

"Thunder Road" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, and the opening track on his 1975 breakthrough album Born to Run. It is ranked as one of Springsteen's greatest songs, and often appears on lists of the top rock songs of all time. The lyrics to "Thunder Road" describe a young woman named Mary, her boyfriend, their hopeless lives and their "one last chance to make it real." Thematically, it reads as a nostalgic companion piece to "Born to Run". Musically, the song opens with a quiet piano and harmonica introduction, meant, as Springsteen said years later in the Wings For Wheels documentary, as a welcoming to both the track and the album, a signifier that something was about to happen. Eschewing a traditional verse-and-chorus structure, the song's arrangement gradually ramps up in instrumentation, tempo and intensity. The title phrase is not used until the middle section of the song, and then is not used again. Finally, after the closing line there is a saxophone-and-piano duet in the instrumental coda. In this song, Springsteen mentions Roy Orbison "singing for the lonely" on the radio. Orbison, one of whose best-known songs is "Only the Lonely," was a huge influence on Springsteen. The song's title comes from the Robert Mitchum film Thunder Road. Springsteen declared that he was somehow inspired from the movie even if, as he says, "I never saw the movie, I only saw the poster in the lobby of the theater." "Thunder Road" is a classic rock staple, and has been covered by artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Cowboy Junkies, Badly Drawn Boy, brazilian singer Renato Russo, Mary Lou Lord[7], Bonnie 'Prince' Billy with Tortoise[8] and Frank Turner. Adam Duritz of Counting Crows often sings large portions of the lyrics to "Thunder Road" in the middle of their song "Rain King." Badly Drawn Boy also ends his album Born in the UK with the line "if we still don't have a plan, we'll listen to 'Thunder Road'". In the movie Explorers starring River Phoenix and Ethan Hawke, the name of the space vessel they create out of a Tilt-A-Whirl is "Thunder Road". In an episode of King of Queens, Doug is seen playing a harmonica and then asking Spence if it "sounded anything like Thunder Road". In the video game Rock Band 2, a clothing item from the Rock Shop that you can purchase is called Thunder Road. In reference to the song's lyrics, the item description reads, "You got a guitar. You learned to make it talk. Slip on this jacket if you're ready for the long walk." In the novel High Fidelity by Nick Hornby, the protagonist Rob Fleming ranks "Thunder Road" as one of his five best side one tracks.

[Verse 1] The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays Roy Orbison singing for the lonely Hey, that's me, and I want you only Don't turn me home again I just can't face myself alone again [Verse 2] Don't run back inside Darling, you know just what I'm here for So you're scared, and you're thinking That maybe we ain't that young anymore Show a little faith, there's magic in the night You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're alright Oh, and that's alright with me [Verse 3] You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain Waste your summer praying in vain For a saviour to rise from these streets Well now, I'm no hero, that's understood All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood With a chance to make it good somehow Hey what else can we do now? [Verse 4] Except roll down the window And let the wind blow back your hair Well the night's busting open These two lanes will take us anywhere We got one last chance to make it real To trade in these wings on some wheels Climb in back, heaven's waiting down on the tracks [Bridge] Oh-oh come take my hand We're riding out tonight to case the promised land Oh-oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road oh Thunder Road Lying out there like a killer in the sun Hey, I know it's late, we can make it if we run Oh, Thunder Road, sit tight, take hold Thunder Road [Verse 5] Well I got this guitar, and I learned how to make it talk And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk From your front porch to my front seat The door's open but the ride it ain't free And I know you're lonely for words that I ain't spoken But tonight we'll be free, all the promises'll be broken [Verse 6] There were ghosts in the eyes of all the boys you sent away They haunt this dusty beach road In the skeleton frames of burned out Chevrolets They scream your name at night in the street Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet And in the lonely cool before dawn You hear their engines roaring on But when you get to the porch they're gone on the wind So Mary, climb in It's a town full of losers and I'm pulling out of here to win