Greatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen album)
Encyclopedia
Greatest Hits is Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

's first compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...

, released February 27, 1995 on Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

. It is a collection of some of Springsteen's hit singles and popular album tracks through the years and four extra numbers at the end, mostly recorded with the E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...

 in 1995. The latter constituted Springsteen's first (albeit very partial) release with his backing band since the late 1980s. Some of the songs are shorter versions of the original album releases.

The incorporation of the "new" tracks was portrayed in the 1996 documentary Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers (documentary)
Blood Brothers is a 1996 documentary film made by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ernie Fritz, chronicling a brief reunion of Bruce Springsteen with The E Street Band in 1995...

. "Murder Incorporated" and "This Hard Land" were, in fact, unused 1982 songs from the Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...

sessions, with the latter being re-recorded here more than a decade later, and both subsequently became Springsteen concert staples. "Blood Brothers", on the other hand, was played only as the final closing song of both the 1999-2000 Reunion Tour
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour
The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour was a lengthy, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place over 1999 and 2000....

 and 2002-2003 Rising Tour
The Rising Tour
The Rising Tour was a lengthy, worldwide, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place in arenas and stadiums over 2002 and 2003...

, both times with an extra verse added. "Secret Garden
Secret Garden (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Secret Garden" is a 1995 single by Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released 27 February 1995 on his Greatest Hits album on Columbia Records. Upon its initial release it peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1997. It was then re-released on April 11 of that same year on Sony Records...

" achieved notoriety via the soundtrack of the 1996 film Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...

. Alternate versions of several of these new tracks were released on the 1996 Blood Brothers
Blood Brothers (EP)
Blood Brothers is the name of a 1996 EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was released together with the VHS packaging of the 1996 documentary Blood Brothers, which portrayed the 1995 temporary reuniting of Springsteen with the band to record extra tracks for his Greatest Hits release...

EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

.

The compilation was commercially successful, hitting the peaks of the U.S. album chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

 and UK Album Chart and selling more than four million copies in the U.S.

Critical reception

The reception by music critics of Greatest Hits were rather negative upon the album's release, as were more contemporary reviews. David Browne
David Browne
David Browne is an American journalist and author. He was the resident music critic at Entertainment Weekly between 1990 and 2006. He was an editor at Music & Sound Output magazine and a music critic at the New York Daily News before EW...

 of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

felt that the album was released when it was because the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...

s were coming up and "Streets of Philadelphia
Streets of Philadelphia
"Streets of Philadelphia" is an Oscar winning song, written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the first mainstream film on HIV/AIDS in the 1993 film, Philadelphia...

" was up for five awards and that the songs on the album were selected because of charting success which means that several important songs were overlooked. He also felt that "Murder Incorporated" was the only good new song on the album and that overall the album felt as if Bruce did not believe in himself any more. The Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

review of the album by Parke Puterbaugh was rather unfavorable, which is surprising as most of Springsteen's albums were praised by the magazine. Parke felt that the songs on the collection belonged on their original LP releases, that songs from before Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...

should have been included and that the new songs weren't that good. A more contemporary review by Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...

 was also unfavorable, saying that a lot of Bruce's hits and popular album tracks were missing, that "Murder Incorporated" was better than the other new songs, and that The Essential Bruce Springsteen
The Essential Bruce Springsteen
- Charts :- Certifications :- External links :* *...

was much better than Greatest Hits.

Track listing

  1. "Born to Run
    Born to Run (song)
    "Born to Run" is a song by American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and the title song of his album Born to Run.- Songwriting :Written at in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's last-ditch effort to make it big. The prior year, Springsteen had released two...

    " – 4:30
    • (Originally released on the album Born to Run
      Born to Run
      The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...

      in 1975.)
  2. "Thunder Road
    Thunder Road (song)
    "Thunder Road" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, and the opening track on his 1975 breakthrough album Born to Run. It is ranked as one of Springsteen's greatest songs, and often appears on lists of the top rock songs of all time.Rolling Stone magazine placed it as #86 on its...

    " – 4:48
    • (Originally released on the album Born to Run
      Born to Run
      The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...

      in 1975.)
  3. "Badlands
    Badlands (Bruce Springsteen song)
    "Badlands" was the leadoff track on Bruce Springsteen's fourth studio album Darkness on the Edge of Town, and its second single.- Themes :The song tells the story of a man down on his luck and angry at the world, who wants a better lot in life....

    " – 4:03
    • (Originally released on the album Darkness on the Edge of Town
      Darkness on the Edge of Town
      Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel...

      in 1978.)
  4. "The River
    The River (Bruce Springsteen song)
    "The River" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band. It was the title track of his fifth album, The River, and was a hit single in parts of Europe. It reached #25 in the Netherlands, and reached the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway...

    " – 5:00
    • (Originally released on the album The River in 1980.)
  5. "Hungry Heart
    Hungry Heart
    "Hungry Heart" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen on his fifth album, The River. It was released as the album's first single in 1980 and became Springsteen's first big hit of his own on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.-History:...

    " – 3:20
    • (Originally released on the album The River in 1980.)
  6. "Atlantic City
    Atlantic City (song)
    "Atlantic City" is a song written and recorded by rock musician Bruce Springsteen, which first appeared on Springsteen's 1982 solo album Nebraska, considered to be one of Springsteen's most dour albums in tone...

    " – 3:56
    • (Originally released on the album Nebraska
      Nebraska (album)
      -Themes:The album begins with "Nebraska", a first-person narrative based on the true story of 19-year-old spree killer Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend, Caril Ann Fugate, and ends with "Reason to Believe", a complex narrative that renders its title phrase into contemptuous sarcasm...

      in 1982.)
  7. "Dancing in the Dark" – 4:03
    • (Originally released on the album Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...

      in 1984.)
  8. "Born in the U.S.A.
    Born in the U.S.A. (song)
    "Born in the U.S.A." is a 1984 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. Taken from the album of the same name, it is one of his best-known singles. Rolling Stone ranked the song 275th on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2001, the RIAA's Songs of the Century placed...

    " – 4:41
    • (Originally released on the album Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...

      in 1984.)
  9. "My Hometown
    My Hometown
    "My Hometown" is a single by Bruce Springsteen off his Born in the U.S.A. album, that was the record-tying seventh and last top 10 single to come from it, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It also topped the U.S. adult contemporary chart, making the song Springsteen's only #1...

    " (early fade edit) – 4:12
    • (Originally released on the album Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...

      in 1984.)
  10. "Glory Days" (early fade edit) – 3:49
    • (Originally released on the album Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A.
      Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...

      in 1984.)
  11. "Brilliant Disguise
    Brilliant Disguise
    "Brilliant Disguise" is a song by Bruce Springsteen from his 1987 album Tunnel of Love. It was released as the first single from the album, reaching the #5 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States...

    " – 4:15
    • (Originally released on the album Tunnel of Love
      Tunnel of Love (album)
      Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1987.In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Tunnel of Love the 91st greatest album of all time....

      in 1987.)
  12. "Human Touch
    Human Touch (Bruce Springsteen song)
    "Human Touch" is a 1992 song recorded by Bruce Springsteen. It was the first single from the album of the same name and was released in 1993. The song topped the chart in Norway and was also a top ten hit in many countries, including the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, and Switzerland...

    " (edit) – 5:10
    • (Originally released on the album Human Touch
      Human Touch
      Human Touch is the ninth studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1992 . This album was co-released on the same day as Lucky Town...

      in 1992.)
  13. "Better Days" – 3:44
    • (Originally released on the album Lucky Town
      Lucky Town
      Lucky Town is the tenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1992. This album was released on the same day as Human Touch. The title track was featured in the film Lucky You.-History:...

      in 1992.)
  14. "Streets of Philadelphia
    Streets of Philadelphia
    "Streets of Philadelphia" is an Oscar winning song, written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the first mainstream film on HIV/AIDS in the 1993 film, Philadelphia...

    " (single edit) – 3:16
    • (Originally released on the soundtrack to Philadelphia
      Philadelphia (film)
      Philadelphia is a 1993 American drama film that was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality and homophobia. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington...

      in 1994.)
  15. "Secret Garden
    Secret Garden (Bruce Springsteen song)
    "Secret Garden" is a 1995 single by Bruce Springsteen. It was originally released 27 February 1995 on his Greatest Hits album on Columbia Records. Upon its initial release it peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1997. It was then re-released on April 11 of that same year on Sony Records...

    " – 4:27
    • Recorded in January 1995 at The Hit Factory
      The Hit Factory
      The Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...

      , New York City
      New York City
      New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

  16. "Murder Incorporated" – 3:57
    • Recorded at The Power Station in April/May 1982
  17. "Blood Brothers" – 4:34
    • Recorded in January 1995 at The Hit Factory, New York City
  18. "This Hard Land" – 4:50
    • Recorded in January 1995 at The Hit Factory, New York City

The E Street Band

  • Roy Bittan
    Roy Bittan
    Roy Bittan is an American keyboardist, best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, which he joined on August 23, 1974...

     – piano
    Piano
    The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

    , synthesizer
    Synthesizer
    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

  • Clarence Clemons
    Clarence Clemons
    Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...

     – saxophone
    Saxophone
    The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...

     (15-17), percussion
    Percussion instrument
    A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

  • Danny Federici
    Danny Federici
    Daniel Paul "Danny" Federici was an American musician, best known as the longtime organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.- Career :...

     – organ
    Organ (music)
    The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...

    , synthesizer
    Synthesizer
    A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...

    , accordion
    Accordion
    The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....

  • Bruce Springsteen
    Bruce Springsteen
    Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

     – guitar
    Guitar
    The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...

    , vocals
    Singing
    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...

     (harmonica
    Harmonica
    The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...

     on "This Hard Land" and "Blood Brothers")
  • Garry Tallent
    Garry Tallent
    Garry Wayne Tallent , sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the longtime bass player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band....

     – bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

  • Max Weinberg
    Max Weinberg
    Max Weinberg is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.Weinberg grew up in suburban New Jersey...

     – drums
    Drum kit
    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

  • Steven Van Zandt
    Steven Van Zandt
    Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...

     – guitar on "Murder Incorporated," mandolin
    Mandolin
    A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

     on "This Hard Land"
  • Nils Lofgren
    Nils Lofgren
    Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...

     - guitar (15, 17, 18)
  • Patti Scialfa
    Patti Scialfa
    Vivienne Patricia "Patti" Scialfa is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She is married to Bruce Springsteen and they have three children.- Early life :...

     - vocals on "Secret Garden"
  • backing vocals
    Backing vocalist
    A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

     ("Murder Incorporated") - all of the above except Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa

Additional musicians

  • Frank Pagano — percussion on "Blood Brothers" and "This Hard Land"

Production

  • Produced by: Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau
    Jon Landau
    Jon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....

     & Chuck Plotkin
    Chuck Plotkin
    Chuck Plotkin is a recording engineer and producer, best known for his work with Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan.-Recording engineer:Plotkin has recorded, engineered, mastered and produced albums by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and many other artists, starting with The Floating House Band in 1972...

     (and by Steven Van Zandt on "Murder Incorporated")
  • Recorded by: Toby Scott
  • Mixed by: Bob Clearmountain
    Bob Clearmountain
    Bob Clearmountain is an award-winning American music engineer, mixer and producer. He has worked with many prominent names in music including Bruce Springsteen , The Rolling Stones , Bryan Adams , Robbie Williams Bob Clearmountain is an award-winning American music engineer, mixer and producer. He...

  • Mastered by: Bob Ludwig
    Bob Ludwig
    Bob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....

  • Assistant Engineers: Carl Glanville, Pete Keppler, Ryan Freeland, Jay Militscher & Tony Duino-Black
  • Sequence Editing: Brian Lee
    Brian Lee
    Brian Lee Harris is a retired American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name "Prime Time" Brian Lee...

  • Recorded at The Hit Factory
    The Hit Factory
    The Hit Factory was a recording studio in New York City famous for its clientele. It was officially closed for business April 1, 2005 whereas other Hit Factory studio locations remained open, such as in Miami, Florida.-History:...


Chart positions

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Top 50 Albums 1
Austrian Top 75 Albums 1
Belgium (Flanders) 100 Albums 1
Belgium (Wallonia) 100 Albums 2
French Compilations 1
Canadian Top Albums 1
German Albums Chart 1
Hungarian Top 40 Albums 7
Netherlands Top 100 Albums 2
New Zealand Top 40 Albums 1
Norwegian Top 40 Albums 1
Swedish Top 60 Albums 1
Swiss Top 100 Albums 1
UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...

1
US Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

1
Chart (2007) Peak
position
Spanish Top 100 Albums 27
Chart (2011) Peak
position
Finnish Top 50 Albums 25

Certifications

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