August 14 sees the theatrical release of Blinded by the Light, a new coming-of-age film inspired by Sarfraz Manzoor's Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N' Roll. Both book and movie chronicle the story of a young man's life-changing experiences with the music of Bruce Springsteen, so it's only appropriate that a soundtrack filled with Boss tunes would be on the way. On August 9, Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will release Blinded by the Light: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in CD and digital configurations) as well as 2-LP 12" vinyl configurations including an exclusive orange vinyl edition at Barnes and Noble.
The soundtrack to the film from writer-producer-director Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) features 12 songs from the Springsteen catalogue, including classics ("Born To Run," "Dancing In The Dark," "Hungry Heart," "Because The Night") and previously unreleased tracks such as the long-sought-after studio recording of "I'll Stand By You," written in 2001 for Springsteen's oldest son and originally submitted for consideration for the big-screen adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Also, for the first time on a "proper" album, the soundtrack presents two live rarities: the debut live performance of "The River" (from No Nukes '79, Madison Square Garden, NYC, September 21, 1979) and a recent solo acoustic performance of "The Promised Land" (Concert for Valor, The National Mall, Washington DC, November 11, 2014).
Additionally, the soundtrack will include period tracks from Pet Shop Boys and a-ha, plus dialogue from the movie and "For You My Love," a new song written by Academy Award-winning composer A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) who also provides an instrumental score cue.
"As a lifelong Bruce fan, I am delighted how this soundtrack takes you through the experience of watching my movie with Springsteen music complemented by the other tracks, including very personal tracks--from my dad's favorite song to a British Bhangra anthem," notes writer-director-producer Chadha in the press release. "Growing up, Sarfraz and I could never have imagined a universe where all these songs would be on one soundtrack reflecting our lives."
Look for Blinded by the Light: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack in stores and online on August 9, and for the film described by Variety as "a delirious and romantic rock 'n' roll parable" in theatres on August 14. You'll find the track listing and pre-order links below!
Blinded by the Light: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Columbia/Legacy, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Barnes and Noble Exclusive Orange Vinyl)
- Ode To Javed/Javed's Poem - A.R. Rahman
- It's a Sin - Pet Shop Boys
- The Sun Always Shines On T.V. - a-ha
- "The Boss Of Us All" (dialogue)
- Dancing In The Dark - Bruce Springsteen
- "You Should Be Listening To Our Music" (dialogue)
- "I Never Knew Music Could Be Like This" (dialogue)
- The River- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - September 21, 1979) (*)
- "Number One Paki Film" (dialogue)
- Badlands - Bruce Springsteen
- Cover Me - Bruce Springsteen
- Thunder Road- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Live at The Roxy Theater, West Hollywood, CA - October 18, 1975)
- Get Outta My Way Fascist Pigs - Amer Chadha-Patel
- "Do It For Me" (dialogue)
- Prove It All Night - Bruce Springsteen
- Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
- "You, Me...and Bruce" (dialogue)
- Because The Night - Bruce Springsteen
- Maar Chadapa - Heera
- The Promised Land - Bruce Springsteen (Live on The National Mall, Washington, D.C. - November 11, 2014) (*)
- Blinded By The Light - Bruce Springsteen
- Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
- I'll Stand By You - Bruce Springsteen (previously unreleased studio recording) (*)
- For You My Love - A.R. Rahman (new original song for film) (*)
(*) previously unavailable on an album
RW Quinn says
Joe
Is The River a different version than released on the Archive No Nukes CDs last year?
Joe Marchese says
Hi RW, I believe it’s the same version, as the Archive release presented the full No Nukes set. While the press release indicates the track had never appeared on a [proper] album before, it does not label it as previously unreleased.
Mike says
This version of "The River" was also released -- in video form -- on the No Nukes VHS and Springsteen's Anthology VHS/DVD.