Lonesome Day

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"Lonesome Day"
Brendan O'Brien
Bruce Springsteen singles chronology
"The Rising"
(2002) 		"Lonesome Day"
(2002) 		"Waitin' on a Sunny Day"
(2003)

"Lonesome Day" is a song written by

Billboard Adult Top 40 chart,[2] #39 in the UK,[3] and #47 in Sweden.[4] It fared much better on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, reaching #3.[5]

Content

"Lonesome Day" sets the tone for The Rising album as one of several songs on the album with lyrics that appear to be inspired by the

September 11, 2001 attacks.[6][7] However, like other songs on the album, the lyrics work well as a reflection of the general human condition as well as the specific incident that occurred on September 11.[7] The narrator of the song is attempting to deal with the loneliness due to the loss of his (or her) beloved.[6][8][9] The narrator sings that "It's going to be okay/If I can just get through this lonesome day."[6] But although the narrator now grieves the loss, he realizes that he did not really know his beloved that well[7] and he acknowledges that he had been less than perfect in his relationship with the now absent beloved:[8]

Better ask questions before you shoot
Deceit and betrayal's bitter fruit
It's hard to swallow come time to pay
That taste on your tongue don't easily slip away
Let kingdom come
I'm going to find my way
Through this lonesome day.

The lyrics in the 2nd verse allude to the possibility of revenge: "A little revenge and this too shall pass."[6][10] This is representative of one side of the conflicted feelings reflected in the album about the possible response to the September 11 attacks, where some songs like this one and "Empty Sky" allude to revenge and others, such as "Paradise" and "Worlds Apart" hope for mutual understanding.[6] Springsteen biographer Dave Marsh interprets the lines in the 3rd verse that you "better ask questions before you shoot" as recognition that revenge will not work.[11]

"Lonesome Day" also sets the tone for the album musically. It is a midtempo rock song that also has

Brendan O'Brien himself plays a hurdy-gurdy, which musically hints that the narrator is remembering an innocent past that never was.[8]

Music video

The music video of the song was shot in Asbury Park, New Jersey and directed by Mark Pellington.[12] Unlike most music videos, Springsteen recorded the song live in each take during shooting of the video, over a 16-hour period.[12]

Release

Since its initial appearance on The Rising, "Lonesome Day" has appeared on several subsequent Bruce Springsteen releases. A live performance from

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Greatest Hits.[15]

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Lonesome Day"
Chart (2002) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[16] 18
Germany (Official German Charts)[17] 92
Italy (FIMI)[18] 13
Netherlands (Dutch Tipparade 40)[19] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 51
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[21] 6
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 47
UK Singles (OCC)[23]
 39
US
Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[24]
 3
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[25] 36

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United Kingdom December 2, 2002
  • CD 1
  • CD 2
 Columbia [26]
Belgium December 4, 2002
  • CD
  • maxi CD
 [27]

References

  1. ^ "The Rising - Bruce Springsteen | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. allmusic
    . Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  3. ^ "Chart Log UK". Archived from the original on 2015-03-22. Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  4. ^ "Swedishcharts". Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  5. ^ "Bruce Springsteen & the e Street Band". Billboard.
  6. ^
    ISBN 978-0-275-98938-5
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-0-664-23169-9
    .
  8. ^
    allmusic
    . Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  9. ^
    ISBN 1-903047-97-8
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2
    .
  11. ISBN 978-0-415-96928-4
    .
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-0-8065-2553-2
    .
  13. allmusic
    . Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  14. allmusic
    . Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  15. allmusic
    . Retrieved 2010-08-04.
  16. Ultratip
    .
  17. ^ "Bruce Springsteen – Lonesome Day" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  18. ^ "Bruce Springsteen – Lonesome Day". Top Digital Download.
  19. ^ "Bruce Springsteen - Lonesome Day". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Bruce Springsteen – Lonesome Day" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  21. Canciones Top 50
    .
  22. ^ "Bruce Springsteen – Lonesome Day". Singles Top 100.
  23. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  24. ^ "Bruce Springsteen the e street band Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "Bruce Springsteen the e street band Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 2 December 2002: Singles". Music Week. November 30, 2002. p. 23.
  27. ^ "New Releases Singles Week 49, 04 December 2002". Ultratop. Archived from the original on February 5, 2003.

External links


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