I keep trying to tell people that Springsteen was inspired by New York synth duo Suicide. Thought it was high time to post some semblance of "proof"...
from VH1:
A relationship with Cars mastermind Ric Ocasek proved successful, bringing their music to a wider audience and developing unlikely fans (Bruce Springsteen went on record as loving Suicide's Vietnam-vet saga "Frankie Teardrop"), but after numerous breakups and reconciliations, Rev and Vega settled for being more influential than commercially successful.
from ink19:
Not all ears were deaf though, patrons like Bruce Springsteen, Ric Ocasek and Henry Rollins offered moral and financial support, while artful dodgers like Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, Marc Almond, Siouxsie Sioux, Andrew Eldritch, the Reid Brothers of the Jesus and Mary Chain, and even Depeche Mode's Martin Gore began paying homage to Suicide in both their music and interviews, turning on new generations of fans.
from Wikipedia:
Among others, The Sisters of Mercy, Henry Rollins, Joy Division, New Order, Soft Cell, The Fleshtones, Ric Ocasek of The Cars, and R.E.M. have listed Suicide as one of their influences. Bruce Springsteen is also a Suicide fan: he has performed their songs in concert, and Springsteen's "State Trooper" from his Nebraska album is clearly influenced by Suicide -- sounding almost like Suicide "unplugged".
from Bookrags:
Among others, Henry Rollins, Soft Cell, The Fleshtones, and R.E.M. have listed Suicide as one of their influences, and decades later Bruce Springsteen would unexpectedly cover them in concert (it has also been pointed out that Springsteen's "Mr State Trooper" from the "Nebraska" album is clearly influenced by Suicide).
from The Smile Shop:
An eleven minute pandering about the exploits of a Vietnam veteran driven to murder his family, it is one of the most extreme and harrowing songs ever recorded (and one that led Bruce Springsteen to declare his love for Suicide in an interview).
And, for me, some of the most compelling evidence:
Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" on YouTube (poor quality dub from late '70's edition of The Midnight Special)
Bruce Springsteen's cover of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" on YouTube (from an encore performance on the Devils & Dust tour)
I was delighted to find this cool video of Springsteen's cover...I knew he'd expressed admoration for Suicide in interviews, but I never knew he'd performed any of their material in concert. This was sweet, even though, as a long-time Suicide fan, I didn't think it quite lived up to the original. For one thing it's much too long. It's almost twice as long and soon becomes tedious, without all the melodramatic theatrics that Alan Vega used to pour into the song (which kinda resembled the bastard offspring of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison pumped up with Thorazine, riding on his last wave of manic energy).
I was struck by the similarity in the chord structure of "Dream Baby Dream" compared to the one used in Springsteen's best love ballad, "Drive All Night". I doubt there's much, if anything, to speculate about the coincidence (and coincidence it most likely is), but I felt obliged to point it out.
Bruce, apparently, was into that late 70's New York new wave/punk scene, moreso than many of his fans realize. But then again, who would have thouggt that the guy who sang "Glory Days" was the same one who did a spoken word bit in Lou Reed's Street Hassle?
As interesting as Springsteen's interpretation is, it is but an homage to Alan Vega & Martin Rev. It's not a "poor" one, as it is obviously sincere. But there's just no way that Bruce could ever conjure the twisted spirit of Suicide. He doesn't try, as he surely knows that to do so would make him look like a fool. The only reason Suicide didn't look like fools was because of their deranged intensity and rebellious attempts to challenge what was then the staid status quo of the music scene (a great deal of people DID think they looked like fools...the guys dodged many a thrown beer bottle and whiskey glass...they heard more than their fair share of "boos").
At any rate, this all just confirms something I thought I knew (from a Springsteen interview) but wasn't sure of as a result of age and approaching senility.
Check 'em out yerselves.
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