Photo: Neal Preston
Earlier this month, Bruce Springsteen announced he would be unearthing seven previously unreleased albums in a box set titled Tracks II: The Lost Albums. On Thursday (April 17), he unveiled a previously unheard song called "Blind Spot" off his lost hip-hop-inspired album Streets of Philadelphia Sessions. These songs were recorded alongside his Academy Award-winning track "Streets of Philadelphia," which was written for the 1993 film Philadelphia.
As a press release explains, this was supposed to be The Boss' "loops record." At the time, he was fascinated with '90s contemporary music, namely West Coast hip-hop. It was supposed to come out in the spring of 1995 but Springsteen decided to change directions and reunite with the E Street Band instead.
The song is not a happy one, exploring how people in relationships betray each other. "That was just the theme that I locked in on at that moment. I don’t really know why," Springsteen admitted in a statement. "Patti [Scialfa] and I, we were having a great time in California. But sometimes if you lock into one song you like, then you follow that thread. I had 'Blind Spot,' and I followed that thread through the rest of the record…"
"I said, 'Well, maybe it’s time to just do something with the band, or remind the fans of the band or that part of my work life,'" he added. "So that’s where we went. But I always really liked Streets of Philadelphia Sessions… During the Broadway show, I thought of putting it out [as a standalone release]. I always put them away, but I don’t throw them away."
"Blind Spot" will be featured on Tracks II, which is slated for a June 27th release. Listen to the unearthed song below.