With apologies
to Patti Smith’s great version of “Because The Night” (not exactly a cover,
since she co-wrote the song), this is one of my two favorite Springsteen covers
of all time. Springsteen’s version is the title track of his 1995 acoustic
studio CD, which went on to win a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. This
version by Rage Against The Machine is anything but acoustic, cranking the rage
(sorry) up to 11 or 12 on a ten-point scale. I first heard it on a 1999 benefit compilation CD.
Interestingly
enough, the song found its way back into the Boss’s setlists starting in 2008,
when Rage guitarist Tom Morello was part of his touring band, and he
re-recorded it with Morello for his 2014 High
Hopes collection. For me, however, the 1997 RATM version is still the best.
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