Bruce Springsteen has marked the release of his 19th studio album ‘Western Stars’ by sharing the Thom Zimny-directed video for the title track. Following his record-breaking stint on Broadway where The Boss admitted the persona of ‘Bruce Springsteen’ is as much of a facade as ‘Ziggy Stardust’ or ‘Lorraine Kelly’ and that he’s never actually done a ‘proper’ day’s work, the record finds him drawing inspiration from his favorite Southern California pop records of the late ’60s and early ’70s.
The title track is a reflective piece with Bruce singing about the desert not giving up the fight against the inevitable sunset and Oklahoma whisky bars where someone remembers the figure he’s talking about from ‘that commercial for a credit card’. As Bruce pours his heart out, the stirring strings come in with a punch just before mentions of John Wayne, cowboys and how ‘the Western stars are shining bright again’. He finishes by saying: ‘I woke up this morning, just glad my boots were on.’
