Darkness on the Edge of Town: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

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Springsteen was inspired by several sources when writing the album's songs, including [[John Steinbeck]] novels, [[John Ford]] films, [[punk rock]], and [[country music]]. Musically, ''Darkness'' strips the [[Wall of Sound|wall of sound]] production of its predecessor, ''[[Born to Run]]'', for a rawer [[hard rock]] sound emphasizing the band as a whole. The lyrics on ''Darkness'' focus on ill-fortuned characters who fight back against overwhelming odds. Compared to Springsteen's previous records, the characters are older and the songs are less tied to the [[Jersey Shore]] area. Commentators recognize [[Frank Stefanko]]'s cover photograph of Springsteen as representing a physical manifestation of the album's songs.

Released three years after ''Born to Run'', ''Darkness'' did not sell as well thanas its predecessor but reached number five in the US, while its [[Single (music)|singles]]—"[[Prove It All Night]]", "[[Badlands (song)|Badlands]]", and "[[The Promised Land (Bruce Springsteen song)|The Promised Land]]"—performed modestly. Springsteen promoted it on the [[Darkness Tour]], his largest tour up to that point. ''Darkness'' was initially received favorably; critics praised the music and performances but were divided on the lyrical content. In later decades, the album has attracted acclaim as one of Springsteen's best works and one that anticipated many of his later records. It has appeared on lists of the greatest albums of all time and was reissued in 2010, accompanied by a documentary detailing the album's making.

==Background==