BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S “IN THE MIDDLE” JEEP AD PREMIERES DURING THE SUPER BOWL
Bruce Springsteen used his first TV commercial in hopes of unifying America. Premiering during the Super Bowl was the two-minute “In The Middle” ad for Jeep vehicles. During the ad, which was written and voiced by Springsteen, he discusses and is filmed in the U.S. Center Chapel in Lebanon, Kansas, which sits directly in the middle of the Unites States.
Springsteen addressed the divide in America these days, stating, “It’s no secret. . .The middle has been a hard place to get to lately. Between red and blue. Between servant and citizen. Between our freedom and our fear. Now, fear has never been the best of who we are. And as for freedom, it’s not the property of just the fortunate few; it belongs to us all.”
He went on to say, “We can make it to the mountaintop, through the desert, and we will cross this divide. Our light has always found its way through the darkness and there’s hope on the road up ahead.”
The ad closes with a map of the United States with the words: “To the ReUnited States of America.”
The commercial was a collaboration between Springsteen, his longtime director Thom Zimny, and Fiat Chrysler CMO Olivier Francois. Springsteen co-wrote the commercial's score with his producer, Ron Aniello.
CNBC reported Springsteen's manager Jon Landau said in a statement: “Olivier Francois and I have been discussing ideas for the last 10 years and when he showed us the outline for 'The Middle,' our immediate reaction was, ‘Let’s do it.' Our goal was to do something surprising, relevant, immediate and artful. I believe that’s just what Bruce has done with 'The Middle.'”
Bruce Springsteen told us that he believes his role as an American songwriter extends far beyond the entertainment community in which he works: “You're supposed to remain interested in the world. Y'know, my job was always to put you in somebody else's shoes and, and have you walk a while in those shoes, I've said a lot in the past. You're out there, and you feel what's in the air out there, and you feel what's on people's minds. People are looking for ways to have a dialogue about these ideas, about these issues. They're looking for ways to try to get a handle and, and make sense of, of what's happening, y'know? And I think that music and film and, and art has a service to perform in, in that fashion.”
SPRINGSTEEN RELEASES 'NICE, FRANCE – MAY 18, 1997'
Bruce Springsteen has just issued Nice, France – May 18, 1997, the latest official bootleg of his ongoing monthly archive series. The show was culled from his 1995/1997 solo acoustic tour behind his 1995 Grammy Award-winning album, The Ghost Of Tom Joad. The set marks “The Boss'” fourth dip into the soundboards from the historic tour, which has also seen the release of Freehold, NJ 1996 – St. Rose Of Lima School Gym; King's Hall: Belfast, UK – March 19th, 1996; and Paramount Theatre, Asbury Park, NJ – November 24, 1996.
At the time of the Tom Joad tour, Bruce Springsteen explained how and why he downshifted into being a one-man-band solo acoustic troubadour: “I did Nebraska, a record called Nebraska, in 1982 and that was acoustic. And so, when I did the Tom Joad record, I said, 'Well, this is the time now, where I'm gonna. . . Plus I was feelin' closer to my folk voice, I felt like I had something I knew I wanted to say in that voice, rather than sort of the rock n' roll stuff at the moment. Y'know, it just felt like, y'know, where I'd be most valuable and useful to my fans at the moment, y'know? So, that's how I ended out up here by myself. It's a little, little tricky, though (laughs).”
The tracklisting to Bruce Springsteen's Nice, France – May 18th, 1997 is: “The Ghost Of Tom Joad,” “Atlantic City,” “Straight Time,” “Highway 29,” “Darkness On The Edge Of Town,” “Murder Incorporated,” “Highway Patrolman,” “It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City,” “It's The Little Things That Count,” “Red Headed Woman,” “Two Hearts,” “Brothers Under The Bridge,” “Born In The U.S.A.,” “Dry Lightning,” “Long Time Comin',” “Sinaloa Cowboys,” “The Line,” “Balboa Park,” “Across The Border,” “You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch),” “Working On The Highway,” “This Hard Land,” “Growin' Up,” “Galveston Bay,” and “The Promised Land.”
