The Wrestler (song)
"The Wrestler" | ||||
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Single by Bruce Springsteen | ||||
from the album Working on a Dream and The Wrestler | ||||
Released | December 16, 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2008 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:51 | |||
Label | Columbia Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |||
Producer(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |||
Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Wrestler" on YouTube |
"The Wrestler" is the title song from the 2008 film The Wrestler. The track was written and performed by Bruce Springsteen.
The origins of the song are based in a lost and resumed friendship between Springsteen and Wrestler lead actor Mickey Rourke; Rourke told Springsteen about his upcoming film and asked if Springsteen could write a song for it.[1] Springsteen subsequently did, played it for Rourke and director Darren Aronofsky before a concert. When they liked it, Springsteen gave them the song for no fee.[1]
It first appeared in August 2008 at the
" respectively.The song was used in the credits of ESPN's 2015 E:60 documentary "WWE: Behind the Curtain."
Recording and video
The recorded version, sans end-credits string introduction, became available on iTunes on December 16, in advance of the film's U.S. major cities openings in the subsequent days. Springsteen recorded it at his Thrill Hill Recording studio in New Jersey, played all the instruments, and produced it himself.[4]
It was then included as a bonus track on Springsteen's late-January 2009 album release, Working on a Dream, although "The Wrestler" was a stark departure from the romantic pop themes and elaborate production of the rest of the album.
A music video for the song was filmed in late January 2009 in a New Brunswick, New Jersey boxing gym, and was released on Springsteen's social networking websites. It shows Springsteen with his hair combed back, in a ring and weightlifting, interspersed with scenes from the film. An extended version of the video was made available on iTunes, and it showed only Springsteen. Finally, a making-of-the-video video was made and released as part of the iTunes package; it contained voiceovers of Springsteen giving his interpretation of the film's main character, how that fit into his normal model of human nature, and how he tried to write the song to reflect this.
The video was included as a bonus feature on the April 2009 DVD release of the film.
Live performances
While Springsteen was not able to perform the song at the Academy Awards ceremony, he gave it a fairly regular slot during the first leg of the 2009 Working on a Dream Tour. Played late in the main set, it was given a long synthesizer-style introduction, a quiet arrangement, and subdued stage lighting. During subsequent legs of the tour the song was rarely played.
Charts
Chart (2008/2009) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Hot 100 (Billboard)[5] | 63 |
Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 40 |
Netherlands ( MegaCharts)[7]
|
56 |
Norway (VG-lista)[8] | 14 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 19 |
UK Singles Chart[10]
|
93 |
US | 20 |
References
- ^ a b c Bardsley, Garth (2009-01-12). "How Mickey Rourke Got Bruce Springsteen's 'Wrestler' Song – For Free". MTV News.
- ^ Smith, Ethan (2009-01-16). "Born to Run – and Promote". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (2009-01-22). "Oscars Snub Springsteen, Celebrate "Slumdog" As Nominations Are Announced". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-01-23.
- ^ Working on a Dream (CD innerfold pages). Bruce Springsteen. 2009.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Bruce Springsteen > Album & Song Chart History > Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 04, 2009". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler". dutchcharts.nl Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com - Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler". norwegiancharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler". swedishcharts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ "The Official Charts Company - Bruce Springsteen - The Wrestler". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
- ^ "Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles". Billboard. Archived from the original (requires registration) on 2012-07-24. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
External links
- "The Wrestler" - Lyrics on official Springsteen site
- "The Wrestler on Fretbase" - Chords, Tabs, Info & Downloads