The Promise (Bruce Springsteen album)

The Promise
Compilation album by Bruce Springsteen
Released	November 16, 2010
Recorded	1977–1978, 2010
Genre	Rock, heartland rock
Length	88:05
Label	Columbia
Producer	Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau
Bruce Springsteen chronology
Working on a Dream (2009) The Promise (2010) Wrecking Ball (2012)

The Promise is a compilation album by the American rock singer Bruce Springsteen, released November 16, 2010 on Columbia Records.^[1] It is both a triple vinyl^[2] and a double CD compilation of previously unreleased songs drawing from the Darkness on the Edge of Town sessions. The album is also available as part of the box set The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story.^[3][4] The two-CD version of the release entered the UK Albums Chart at number 7.^[5] It had been in production for many years and was originally scheduled to be released for the 30th anniversary in 2008. The Promise debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200, while the box set, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, debuted at #27.^[6] Upon its release, The Promise received acclaim from most music critics. "Ain't Good Enough for You", a track from the album, was added to BBC Radio 2 and 96.2 The Revolution's playlists at the end of 2010.

The album features one of the last appearances of Clarence Clemons before his death in June 2011. Clemons is featured on the song "Save My Love", which was the only song on the album completely re-recorded by Springsteen and the E Street Band for the project.

Promotion

On 16 November 2010, Springsteen performed "Because the Night" and "Save My Love" with Steven Van Zandt, Roy Bittan & The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (along with a cover of Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair" with Fallon posing as Neil Young).^[7] Songs from the album have since started to appear on Springsteen's Wrecking Ball Tour.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	94/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
BBC Music	(favorable)[10]
Classic Rock	[11]
The Guardian	[12]
Los Angeles Times	(favorable)[13]
Mojo	[14]
Q	[15]
Paste	(favorable)[16]
Pitchfork Media	(9.5/10)[17]
PopMatters	[18]
Uncut	[19]

Upon its release, The Promise received acclaim from most music critics.^[8] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 94, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[8]

Allmusic gave it four and a half stars; they stated that, "The Promise stands on its own as a great Bruce Springsteen record; it feels finished, focused, and, above all, offers more proof that Springsteen is one of the greatest rock and pop songwriters" although stating that "The Promise" was the only track that might have added something to the original Darkness on the Edge of Town album.^[9] BBC Music had a favorable review and stated "The Promise is as compelling an advert for the Boss’s beautiful, blue-collar soul as you’re likely to find outside of the hits; an indispensable portrait of an artist at the top of his game."^[10]

Commercial performance

The Promise debuted at #16 on the Billboard 200.^[6] While not selling as well as his previous studio albums on the American charts, the set did well on the European charts (with first week worldwide sales of over 187,000 units), opening at No. 1 in Germany, Spain, and Norway. It also charted at No. 4 in The Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland, No. 5 in Austria, No. 7 in the United Kingdom and No. 9 in Switzerland.^[20]

Track listing

All songs written by Bruce Springsteen, except where noted.

Disc 1

1. "Racing in the Street ('78)" – 6:49
2. "Gotta Get That Feeling" – 3:17
3. "Outside Looking In" – 2:16
4. "Someday (We'll Be Together)" – 5:35
5. "One Way Street" – 4:19
6. "Because the Night" (Springsteen, Patti Smith) – 3:25
7. "Wrong Side of the Street" – 3:34
8. "The Brokenhearted" – 5:19
9. "Rendezvous" (Springsteen, Doug Cameron) – 2:37
10. "Candy's Boy" – 4:38

Disc 2

1. "Save My Love" – 2:36
2. "Ain't Good Enough for You" – 4:01
3. "Fire" – 4:08
4. "Spanish Eyes" – 3:50
5. "It's a Shame" – 3:14
6. "Come On (Let's Go Tonight)" – 2:18
7. "Talk to Me" – 4:20
8. "The Little Things (My Baby Does)" – 3:17
9. "Breakaway" – 5:30
10. "The Promise" – 5:52
11. "City of Night" – 2:58
12. "The Way" (hidden track) – 3:42

Personnel

• Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, lead guitar, harmonica
• Roy Bittan – piano, vocals
• Clarence Clemons – saxophone, vocals
• Danny Federici – organ, glockenspiel
• Patti Scialfa – backing vocals on "Someday (We'll Be Together)" and "Breakaway"
• Garry Tallent – bass guitar
• Steve Van Zandt – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Max Weinberg – drums
• Tiffany Andrews – backing vocals on "Someday (We'll Be Together)" and "Breakaway"
• Corinda Crawford – backing vocals on "Someday (We'll Be Together)" and "Breakaway"
• Barry Danielian - trumpet on "The Brokenhearted", "It's A Shame" and "Breakaway"
• Rick Gazda - trumpet on "Talk To Me"
• Stan Harrison - tenor saxophone on "The Brokenhearted", "It's A Shame", "Talk To Me" and "Breakaway"
• Dan Levine - trombone on "The Brokenhearted", "It's A Shame" and "Breakaway"
• David Lindley - fiddle on "Racing in the Street" ('78)
• Ed Manion - baritone saxophone on "The Brokenhearted", "It's A Shame", "Talk To Me" and "Breakaway"
• Michelle Moore – backing vocals on "Someday (We'll Be Together)" and "Breakaway"
• Bob Muckin - trumpet on "Talk To Me"
• Curt Ramm - trumpet on "The Brokenhearted", "It's A Shame" and "Breakaway"
• Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg - trombone on "Talk To Me"
• Antionette Savage – backing vocals on "Someday (We'll Be Together)" and "Breakaway"
• Soozie Tyrell – backing vocals on "Someday (We'll Be Together)" and "Breakaway"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2010) Peak position Australian Albums Chart[21] 22 Austrian Albums Chart[21] 5 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[21] 19 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[21] 32 Dutch Albums Chart[21] 4 European Albums Chart[22] 2 Finnish Albums Chart[21] 9 French Albums Chart[21] 14 German Albums Chart[23] 1 German Downloads Chart[24] 4 Italian Albums Chart[21] 4 New Zealand Albums Chart[21] 30 Spanish Albums Chart[25] 1 Swedish Albums Chart[21] 1 Swiss Albums Chart[21] 9 UK Albums Chart[26] 7 US Billboard 200[6] 16

Year-end charts Chart (2010) Rank German Albums Chart[27] 46 Spanish Albums Charts[28] 39 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/Sales Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[29] Gold 10,000^^ Ireland (IRMA)[30] Platinum 15,000^^ Italy (FIMI)[31] Platinum 60,000^* Spain (PROMUSICAE)[32] Gold 30,000^^ Sweden (GLF)[33] Platinum 40,000^^ United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Gold 100,000^^ United States (RIAA)[35] Gold 250,000^^ ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "The Promise [Doppel-CD]" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
2. https://www.discogs.com/Bruce-Springsteen-The-Promise/release/2570761
3. "Columbia Records to release Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story' Nov. 16". www.brucespringsteen.net. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
4. "Springsteen Announces Massive 'Darkness' Set". Rolling Stone. 2010-08-26. Retrieved 2010-09-07.
5. "Official UK Albums Top 100". Official Charts Company. 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2010-11-21.
6. "'The Promise: The Darkness On The Edge Of Town Story' Is Fastest Selling Box Set Of 2010".
7. "Bruce Springsteen Rocks 'Fallon' with 'Promise' Tracks, 'Whip My Hair'".
8. "The Promise Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-12-03
9. Jurek, Thom. "Bruce Springsteen The Promise review". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
10. Denney, Alex (2010). "Bruce Springsteen The Promise review". Music. BBC. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
11. Dalton, Stephen (January 2011). "Bruce Springsteen The Promise: The Darknes on the Edge of Town Story / The Collection 1973-84". Classic Rock. 153. London, UK: Future plc. p. 114.
12. Williams, Richard (11 November 2010). "The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story - review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
13. Powers, Ann (15 November 2010). "Review: Bruce Springsteen's 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story'". Pop & Hiss. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
14. "Bruce Springsteen - The Promise". Mojo (205): 112. December 2010.
15. "Bruce Springsteen - The Promise". Q: 119. December 2010.
16. Grimm, Beca (17 November 2010). "Bruce Springsteen: The Promise". Paste. Archived from the original on 19 November 2010. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
17. Richardson, Mark (17 November 2010). "Bruce Springsteen - The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
18. Fiander, Matthew (16 November 2010). "Bruce Springsteen: The Promise". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-10-09.
19. Scoppa, Bud (December 2010). "Bruce Springsteen 'The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story'". Uncut. p. 82.
20. "Rihanna Scores Euro Albums, Singles Chart Double". Billboard.com. 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
21. "Swiss Chart - Bruce Springsteen - The Promise (album)" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
22. Archived November 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
23. "Album - The Promise, Bruce Springsteen" (in German). Charts.de. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
24. "Rihanna siegt "Loud" in den Download-Charts - media control". Media-control.de. 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
25. "Spanish Charts: Albums - 11/2010" (PDF). Spanish Charts. PROMUSICAE. 2010-11-21. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
26. The Promise Chart Stats
27. "VIVA Album Top 50 - Alle Musikvideos - Chart". VIVA.tv. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
28. "Top 50 Albumes 2010" (PDF). Promusicae.es. Retrieved 2013-07-07-. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
29. "ifpi.dk | Musikselskaber 2015 - tal og perspektiver". IFPI.dk. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
30. "Irish album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Promise". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
31. "Italian album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Promise" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 10, 2016. Select Album e Compilation in the field Sezione. Enter Bruce Springsteen in the field Filtra. Select 2016 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
32. "Spanish album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Promise" (PDF) (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Select the "Chart", enter ' in the field "Year". Select ' in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
33. "Veckolista Album - Vecka 21, 27 maj 2011" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
34. "British album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Promise". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 14, 2013. Enter The Promise in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
35. "American album certifications – Bruce Springsteen – The Promise". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 10, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH