Bruce Springsteen’s Faithless: A Folk Revival Gem Almost Lost to Time

Way back in 1998 Springsteen released a collection of “lost tracks” called simply Tracks. This mammoth 60 plus track 4 CD set contained unreleased tracks on records that Springsteen recorded, but never put out. Maybe they felt unfinished…or not fresh enough…or maybe too experimental for that point in his career. For whatever reason these tracks went unreleased until 1998. Springsteen disciples ravenously devoured these treasures and then things went silent. Until now. There is a Tracks II coming and the excitement is off the chart. I’m already thinking of a way I can justify playing $450 for the 7 vinyl set. Much like the previous project, these are unreleased tracks from albums Springsteen recorded, but never put out in the ether. You have some rock tracks, some folk stuff, some tracks that were meant to be with Streets of Philadelphia and tracks from a fabled synth record. However, unlike Tracks this project boasts of complete records. That’s right, this is not just a collection of tracks, but 7 individual records that Springsteen recorded, mixed, but never released. All of this is music to Springsteen fans’ ears, but why is this important for music fans in general? Let’s find out.

The track Faithless is the title track to an unreleased record in the early 2000s. On the face of it, I can see why Springsteen didn’t release it, but it is a masterpiece. First of all, it was meant to be a soundtrack for a movie that never released…and then it just went away. The 2000s was spent with Springsteen moving from his more country vibe to some classic American rock. He just recorded Devils and Dust and was putting together Magic. Now, Faithless is musically firmly within the Devils and Dust vibe with acoustic based bluesy traditional folk/country. This will be the sound that Springsteen will hone to perfection in the 2020s, but at this time he may have thought releasing Faithless was too much country. Having said that, the guitar on Faithless is deep and emotive, while also building to an epic crescendo in the song’s final act. As stripped back as Nebraska but not lo-fi enough…I mentioned Nebraska so I am legally bound to remind you that it is one of the best records ever made…now, let’s return to the review. Instead of Faithless seeing the light of day in 2005, Springsteen would swing back to rock with Radio Nowhere.

Lyrically, this is a song of found spirituality and redemption. The singer is a man who has lost his faith and is wandering without purpose, until he has found connection. He sings about the warm love and connection to a higher power, which inspires him to find purpose. Even though Springsteen specifically refers to a male being with flowing robe in the track’s bridge, I think you can read the hook as a love song. When Springsteen refers to “you” and how the love of that person gives him purpose and connection, I think you can see it as a love song with a woman and not be too far off. I think he leaves the chorus a bit ambiguous because his love songs are so personal that he wants to leave the door open a little. Springsteen’s deeply emotive vocal is underlined by a backing choir, which really gives the track depth. A folky country revival feel, which I love.

This is an incredible song that fits nicely with Springsteen’s current work, but didn’t quite fit in with his shift to rock in the 2000s. It’s interesting thinking about why a record or track is all ready to go, but isn’t released. In this case, it seems that Springsteen recorded this for a movie and when that fell through it didn’t fit his new direction as an artist. Thankfully, he has kept the Tracks project going, so we can experience these songs. He has hinted at a Tracks III, so we will continue to get these rare gems.

Listen to Faithless