American Beauty (EP)

American Beauty is a four song EP by Bruce Springsteen that was released on limited edition (7,500 copies) 12-inch vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day on April 19, 2014. A digital download version was also released on April 22, 2014. The four songs that appeared on the EP are outtakes from Springsteen's 2014 album High Hopes.^[1] Springsteen said of the four songs, "they're just good music that didn't get onto this record, and was sitting there. I thought it's a nice time to support the record stores, which are dwindling and get some new music out at the same time."^[2]

On April 22, 2014, Springsteen released a music video for the song "American Beauty" which was shot prior to his show on April 19, 2014 in Charlotte, NC.^[3]

Background

Springsteen had around 20 songs recorded during the High Hopes sessions that failed to make the final cut. Springsteen decided to go back with producer Ron Aniello and work on the music so they could give it a proper release. The EP's title track, "American Beauty", is a song leftover from the demo tracks Springsteen didn't end up recording with producer Brendan O'Brien. Springsteen describes the song "Exile meets E Street" and a song where he sings in a range he often doesn't visit. "Hurry Up Sundown", "a fun piece of modern power pop" according to Springsteen, was another demo track originally recorded with O'Brien. It was the closest of the four songs to making the High Hopes album. "Mary Mary" and "Hey Blue Eyes" were recorded during the Magic and Working on a Dream sessions, respectively. Springsteen said of "Mary Mary" that the song is "a lovely mystery, a small piece of heartbreak poetry that sneaks up on you with its slippery grove, punctuated string section and spectral lyrics". "Hey Blue Eyes" is one of Springsteen's darkest political songs. "Written during the Bush years, it’s a metaphor for the house of horrors our government’s actions created in the years following the invasion of Iraq. At its center is the repressed sexuality and abuse of power that characterized Abu Ghraib prison. I feel this is a shadow we as a country have yet to emerge from." Springsteen said.^[4] Tom Morello, who is featured prominently on High Hopes and its supporting tour with Springsteen, plans on covering "Hey Blue Eyes" for an upcoming project.^[5]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Bruce Springsteen.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"American Beauty"	4:06
2.	"Mary Mary"	2:48
3.	"Hurry Up Sundown"	3:17
4.	"Hey Blue Eyes"	4:33

Chart performance

Chart (2014)	Peak position
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[6]	28

Personnel

The E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, background vocals (tracks 1, 3), electric guitar (track 1-4), acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 3), slide guitar (track 1), keyboards (tracks 1, 3), tambourine (track 1), synth (track 2), bass guitar (tracks 2, 3), percussion (tracks 2, 3, 4), pump organ (track 2), glockenspiel (track 3), organ (track 3), percussion (tracks 2, 3, 4), piano (track 4)
Roy Bittan – piano (track 4)
Nils Lofgren – guitars, pedal steel guitar (track 4)
Patti Scialfa – background vocals (tracks 2, 4)
Garry Tallent – bass (track 4)
Max Weinberg – drums (track 4)

Additional musicians

Charles Giordano – organ (track 1), farfisa organ (track 2)
Soozie Tyrell – fiddle (track 4)
Ron Aniello – bass (track 1), additional piano (track 1), synth (track 2),
Josh Freese – drums (tracks 1, 3), timpani (track 1)
Songa Lee – violin (track 2)
Steve Richards – cello (track 2)
Toby Scott – drum programming (track 2)
Scott Tibbs – string arrangement and conductor (track 2)
Patrick Warren – keyboards (track 4)

References

↑ The Official Bruce Springsteen Website (2012-03-02). "Bruce Springsteen’s MusiCares Tribute Video Out March 25th; new EP Coming April 19th - The Official Bruce Springsteen Website". Brucespringsteen.net. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
↑ Sean Sennett. "Bruce Springsteen Talks About His Latest Tour and Record Store Day EP | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
↑ "Bruce Springsteen -"American Beauty" (Charlotte 04/19/14)". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
↑ Andy Greene (2014-02-24). "Bruce Springsteen Releasing 4 New Songs On Record Store Day EP". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
↑ Bruce Springsteen (2014-04-19). "American Beauty celebrates Record Store Day". Brucespringsteen.net. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
↑ "Spanishcharts.com – {{{artist}}} – {{{song}}}" Canciones Top 50.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Bruce Springsteen Garry Tallent Roy Bittan Max Weinberg Steven Van Zandt Nils Lofgren Patti Scialfa Jake Clemons Charles Giordano Soozie Tyrell Former members Ernest Carter Clarence Clemons Danny Federici Suki Lahav Vini Lopez David Sancious Former touring musicians Everett Bradley Barry Danielian Clark Gayton Curtis King Ed Manion The Miami Horns Cindy Mizelle Michelle Moore Tom Morello Curt Ramm Jay Weinberg

Studio albums	Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973) The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973) Born to Run (1975) Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) The River (1980) Nebraska (1982) Born in the U.S.A. (1984) Tunnel of Love (1987) Human Touch (1992) Lucky Town (1992) The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995) The Rising (2002) Devils & Dust (2005) We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006) Magic (2007) Working on a Dream (2009) Wrecking Ball (2012) High Hopes (2014)

Live albums	Live 1975–85 (1986) In Concert/MTV Plugged (1993) Live in New York City (2001) Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2006) Live in Dublin (2007) Live From the Carousel (2011) Apollo Theater 3/09/12 (2014) The Agora, Cleveland 1978 (2015) Tower Theater, Philadelphia 1975 (2015) Nassau Coliseum, New York 1980 (2015) Brendan Byrne Arena, New Jersey 1984 (2015) LA Sports Arena, California 1988 (2015) Schottenstein Center, Ohio 2005 (2015) Ippodromo delle Capannelle, Rome 2013 (2015) Arizona State University, Tempe 1980 (2015)

Compilation albums	Greatest Hits (1995) 18 Tracks (1999) The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003) Greatest Hits (2009) The Promise (2010) Collection: 1973–2012 (2013)

Box sets	The Born in the U.S.A. 12" Single Collection (1985) Tracks (1998) The Collection (2004) Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition (2005) The Collection 1973–1984 (2010) The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (2010) The Album Collection Vol. 1 1973–1984 (2014) The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (2015)

EPs	Live Collection (1987) Chimes of Freedom (1988) Blood Brothers (1996) PBS Exclusive (2007) Magic Tour Highlights (2008) American Beauty (2014)

Singles	"Blinded by the Light" (1973) "Spirit in the Night" (1973) "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" (1974) "Born to Run" (1975) "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" (1976) "Prove It All Night" (1978) "Badlands" (1978) "The Promised Land" (1978) "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" (1979) "Hungry Heart" (1980) "Fade Away" (1981) "Sherry Darling" (1981) "The River" (1981) "Cadillac Ranch" (1981) "Point Blank" (1981) "Atlantic City" (1982) "Open All Night" (1982) "Dancing in the Dark" (1984) "Cover Me" (1984) "Born in the U.S.A." (1984) "I'm on Fire" (1985) "Glory Days" (1985) "I'm Goin' Down" (1985) "My Hometown" (1985) "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" (1985) "War" (1986) "Fire" (1987) "Brilliant Disguise" (1987) "Tunnel of Love" (1987) "One Step Up" (1988) "Tougher Than the Rest" (1988) "Spare Parts" (1988) "Human Touch" (1992) "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" (1992) "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994) "Secret Garden" (1995) "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1996) "Sad Eyes" (1999) "The Rising" (2002) "Lonesome Day" (2002) "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" (2003) "Devils & Dust" (2005) "Radio Nowhere" (2007) "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" (2008) "Working on a Dream" (2008) "My Lucky Day" (2008) "The Wrestler" (2009) "We Take Care of Our Own" (2012) "Death to My Hometown" (2012) "High Hopes" (2013)

Promo singles/charted songs	"Be True" (1981) "Ramrod" (1981) "Johnny 99" (1982) "No Surrender" (1984) "Stand on It" (1985) "Because the Night" (live) (1986) "Chimes of Freedom" (live) (1988) "Youngstown" (1995) "American Skin (41 Shots)" (2001) "Pay Me My Money Down" (2006) "Long Walk Home" (2006) "My City of Ruins" (2011) "Rocky Ground" (2012)

Other notable songs	"Growin' Up" (1973) "For You" (1973) "Incident on 57th Street" (1973) "The Fever" (1973) "Thunder Road" (1975) "Night" (1975) "Backstreets" (1975) "She's the One" (1975) "Meeting Across the River" (1975) "Jungleland" (1975) "Adam Raised a Cain" (1978) "Racing in the Street" (1978) "The Ties That Bind" (1980) "Independence Day" (1980) "Out in the Street" (1980) "Stolen Car" (1980) "Wreck on the Highway" (1980) "Nebraska" (1982) "Highway Patrolman" (1982) "Darlington County" (1984) "Working on the Highway" (1984) "Downbound Train" (1984) "Bobby Jean" (1984) "Pink Cadillac" (1984) "Jersey Girl" (1986) "Light of Day" (1993) "Murder Incorporated" (1995) "Land of Hope and Dreams" (2012) "Just Like Fire Would" (2014)

Video releases	Video Anthology / 1978–88 (1989) In Concert/MTV Plugged (1992) Blood Brothers (1996) The Complete Video Anthology / 1978–2000 (2001) Live in New York City (2001) Live in Barcelona (2003) VH1 Storytellers (2005) Wings For Wheels (2005) Hammersmith Odeon London '75 (2005) Live in Dublin (2007) Magic Tour Highlights (2008) London Calling: Live in Hyde Park (2010) The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town (2010) Springsteen & I (2013) Born in the U.S.A. Live: London 2013 (2014) A MusiCares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (2014) Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes (2014) High Hopes in South Africa (2014) Hunter of Invisible Game (2014)

Tours	Born to Run tours (1974–77) Darkness Tour (1978) The River Tour (1980–81) Born in the U.S.A. Tour (1984–85) Tunnel of Love Express (1988) Human Rights Now! (1988) Bruce Springsteen 1992–1993 World Tour (1992–93) Ghost of Tom Joad Tour (1995–97) Reunion Tour (1999–2000) Rising Tour (2002–03) Vote for Change (2004) Devils & Dust Tour (2005) Seeger Sessions Band Tour (2006) Magic Tour (2007–08) Working on a Dream Tour (2009) Wrecking Ball Tour (2012-13) High Hopes Tour (2014) The River Tour 2016 (2016)

Related articles	Discography E Street Band Steel Mill The Sessions Band The Miami Horns E Street Radio Little Steven's Underground Garage Outlaw Pete Mike Appel Jon Landau Brendan O'Brien Bob Clearmountain The Max Weinberg 7 Southside Johnny Joe Grushecky Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska

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