It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City Bruce Springsteen Acoustic Demo 1972

[@per-rogerschren3015]

Love everything about this! Especially his funky, clean acoustic guitar playing! Nobody talks about that. I think he is an excellent rhythm guitar player!

[@linnharamis1496]

One can see how Springsteen became a star from this demo recording. an awesome performance!🎤🎸

[@tsfurlan]

reading his autobiography led me here, this is the first song he played for a record honcho and he loved it.

[@madeleph]

me too! I'm listening on audiobook and i've just got to the bit where he played for John Hammond so had to find this!

[@chrisegg7936]

same thing brought me here! Glad there’s a recording of this.

[@AtomicTimes]

same thing today

[@josephrodriguez9895]

I miss that Bruce

[@dinkeedee]

Nice! - favourite Springsteen song.

[@BlueButterfly7777]

God I love this version!

[@richardbrucemusic]

They say the requirement for a good song is that it's "compelling" - well, there it is. Compelling in 3:16, an acoustic guitar, and the soon-to-be-Boss Bruce Springsteen! The imagery is so vivid. His autobiography is amazingly lyrical and a must-read.

[@sparkspark2314]

When I hear this, this is why I play music. This is what made me want to do it. What spoke to me. And his acoustic guitar playing here is FANTASTIC. I just heard a this era GROWIN UP and it too had great acoustic guitar playing to it. Really driving the song. Like he heard the whole arrangement and was doing everything he could to put that forth by just himself and the guitar. Fabulous stuff. Lucky to have it.

[@hereisjvm]

Bless you Bruce, You DID it! Your autobiography led me here, too; so awesome to be able to hear what you played for Mr. Hammond, a dozen or so years after he first auditioned and heard a similarly aged Bob Dylan!

[@stoneponyNJ]

such raw emotion... great version !

[@cienciasnaturalesjab]

Maravillosa canción...

[@1989kenzo]

Thanks Boss for your music!!!!!! The Boss=The Rock!

[@kelly6702]

this gives me chills

[@jshim100]

His guitar is first rate, but his voice so unique, his words so powerful, they overshadow the musician he is.

[@carbonharmonics]

Bruuuuuuccccceeeee!! Thankyou for your persistence, you are most certainly a truly inspiring individual, your autobiography led me here.

[@robertshonk518]

That photo at 1:00 - Is that him with Bob Dylan, Carly Simon, and John Prine? I wonder what the event was that had beard-era Bruce meeting stars of this caliber. Both Prine and Springsteen were promoted as a "new Dylan". Bob's saying "I'm still here!"

[@Frankiegoesto2025]

from the first album great song

[@lewisclacy2348]

awsume track fantastic demo

[@a2zme]

Probably the easiest decision John Hammond ever made .. imagine being a music producer & hearing this demo for the 1st time .. anyone can hear the genius in it .. Wow. #theBoss

[@kyokoushio]

Thank you for posting this ^^ I found this a while ago but lost the link and have been looking for it for a while now Such a lovely version :)

[@Jazguy74]

so much emotion in his voice so young.guess he had it right from the start

[@cherokee592]

The BEST version of this song I know!

[@echopathy]

'Demo' .. lol.. my god.. just crushed it ~~>

[@munsonHOF]

His early songs have a rap element to the lyrics.

[@hUGHJETS1]

THIS IS AWESOME!!!!

[@SuzzyStohelit]

Glad i found you, thanks...

[@shirleyjennings5787]

Awesome!

[@joseph4861]

He sounds so ethnically Italian American on these early recordings, its like watching an episode of the Sopranos.

[@peuimporte]

+joseph4861 New Jersey accent!

[@-Ricky_Spanish-]

I was introduced to early Springsteen through the film "Baby It's You" starring Vincent Spano and Rosanna Arquette. Never made the "Italian" connection, but there we are.

[@avalondreaming1433]

Well, he's also Irish and Dutch.

[@hulotte77]

wow!!!!!!!

[@ericnancewoehler3888]

Thanks for posting this, which is fantastic. Is that Carly Simon with Springsteen, John Prine and Bob Dylan in the picture at 1:09?

[@lpgft]

Do you remember the guy who said Springsteen would never make it....neither do I

[@Bluestravelerallfory]

Amazing! Thanks a lot man.

[@redstar7292]

This is just perfect (sorry can't see what's wrong with the melody!?) no wonder he got signed. He had this real talent for making ordinary almost down trodden people and their lives, mythical and heroic. Also he didn't compromise or go for being a solo artist and drop his band, which he might have been pressured to do. Clarence, Steve Van Zant and others also became as famous as him.

[@jessicastewart7015]

Yes. Too bad he went woke.

[@lucainvernizzi848]

He dropped Steve.

[@sparkspark2314]

Awesome…clever strumming too…nice augmented chords also. He’s so much better here then ANYTHING after 1976.

[@tonescape1]

@sparkspark2314 : This song is filled with suspended chords, not augmented chords.

[@kathleenomeara9704]

I think he was influenced by Dylan at the time '72. I love the pictures!

[@krisscanlon4051]

I think he through Pinball Wizard in there ! Awesome 👌

[@meesalikeu]

love this demo but there is an album outtake with a bit of the street rap at the end that is full tilt hipster bruce.

[@lucainvernizzi848]

Where you have got these photos? Are you a Diane Lozito's friend? 😊

[@cciemail]

david bowie did a version of this song for the homosexual/lesbian/transgenedered community. not many people know that.

[@brainscott8198]

If Bob Dylan had a younger brother....

[@avalondreaming1433]

I know this is a weird question, but does anyone think Bruce is bipolar? Just these rapid fire, super smart lyrics seem so manic. Not that it's a bad thing. Kind of amazing how fast his mind can process.

[@lucainvernizzi848]

Yes. He talked about his desease in some concert and interview

[@tomkat69pc]

this sounds way cleaner - lacks the 70's feeling ..

[@JoeyBlue01]

He should grow the stache and beard back. it is so earthy like his voice! I bet it's white these days.

[@LennonDylanBruce]

1:47: Dave Grohl?

[@GiuseppeGrasso89]

i got a version on my page, check it out !!

[@cienciasnaturalesjab]

18

[@chrisegg7936]

shit, i have a lot of work to do

[@UptempoMusicLessons]

Great lyrics, dull melody though. He learned to write melodies just as good as his lyrics eventually, thank god.

[@richardbrucemusic]

Interesting comment. I'm kinda stuck in the same place. Maybe studying Bruce's work will help me break out too!

[@richardbrucemusic]

One note: Born in the USA isn't a particularly complex or harmonic melody. Nevertheless, a memorable and very singable one.

[@guyjerry]

Love the melody, it fits the vibe of the songs absolutely perfectly

[@UptempoMusicLessons]

@@guyjerry It's very monochromatic. More like spoken word. The lyrics are what get this across.

[@munsonHOF]

It’s rappish - 30 years ahead of his time.