...line by line...nothing left but time - "Lonely Night in the Park" isn't tough enough for BTR@50
- Shawn Poole
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
August 23, 2025
Yesterday, Bruce Springsteen/Sony Music digitally released "Lonely Night in the Park," an outtake from the Born to Run sessions, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Born to Run (which officially will hit the big 5-0 on Monday, August 25, having been released on that date back in 1975.) You can hear/download "Lonely Night in the Park" via your preferred online music service by clicking here, or just click the embedded YouTube link below:
As released-to-date Born to Run outtakes go... Well, at least this one isn't quite as bad as "Linda Let Me Be The One" from Tracks. Unfortunately, it's also nowhere near as good as "So Young And In Love" from Tracks. My pal (and Letters To You contributing writer) Lisa Iannucci astutely and hilariously described "Lonely Night in the Park" to me as sounding far too much like John "Johnny Cougar" Mellencamp's "I Need a Lover" for comfort. And while it clearly has been beefed up and cleaned up with modern-day contributions from Ron Aniello, Bob Clearmountain, Rob Lebret, Stevie Van Zandt, and Springsteen himself, it's still essentially the same track that's been available in bootleg form widely for decades, played frequently on E Street Radio over the years, etc. Finally, despite the beautiful Eric Meola image accompanying the release of "Lonely Night in the Park," there are absolutely no Clarence Clemons saxophone contributions to be found on this track.
All in all, releasing this rather unimpressive outtake, which greatly pales in comparison to every single track that actually made the cut for Born to Run, comes across as a very weak way to celebrate such a major anniversary for such an important album in Bruce Springsteen's oeuvre. How 'bout a long-awaited official release of, say, the best-possible audio available/obtainable from that legendary August '75 Bottom Line stand instead, hmm? Just sayin'.
Of course, your mileage may vary on this formerly officially-closed alternate route to Thunder Road, Duke Street, Highway 9, Flamingo Lane, and the Turnpike. To each...
