I just finally heard The Hold Steady’s version of Bruce Springsteen’s “Atlantic City.” It came out on the War Child Heroes charity compilation this year, featuring artists covering other major artists’ work. As you might expect, not every track is a masterpiece.
If you’re not familiar, “Atlantic City” is about a down on his luck New Jerseyan who’s pushed to make the proverbial deal with the devil. After failing to make ends meet and pay down his debts working an honest job, he meets a guy who offers him easy money. So he spends his last dollars on two bus tickets to Atlantic City (one for his “baby”) so he can do a “favor.”
We never learn what that favor is or just how lucrative it might be, but the narrator freely admits in the chorus that it involves some kind of death. Be it literal, in the sense of murder, or more figurative, such as the narrator’s morality, one can only guess. Still, he maintains hope that death is only temporary and holds out that rebirth and perhaps salvation might be possible. Or perhaps, the narrator’s death may have been when he hit rock bottom, forcing him to turn to the mob. Now, in this city of luck, he hopes to find his second act.
I explain this song because it is important to understand it’s weight before judging a rendition. Certainly Bruce’s solo acoustic version laid out the raw emotion of the track. Perhaps it was even improved upon when the Band covered it, pairing the plaintive vocals with heft of a full band. Springsteen might even agree with that, as he adapted the Band’s arrangement for his E Street Band performances.
Now comes The Hold Steady. Their arrangement is very similar to Bruce’s live arrangement for the beginning of the song. Trading the guitar for piano, it still comes in softly with Craig Finn singing over just a bassy piano line for the first verse and chorus. Then, suddenly, the full band comes in with heavy guitars playing a slightly sped up melody. This is my first complaint with this version. While I think the heavier sounding guitars work nicely with the song, speeding it up detracts from it’s natural weight.
Still, the band sounds great on this song, despite the tempo. However, I don’t love Craig Finn’s delivery. Now, typically, I like him a lot. Boys and Girls in America is one of my favorite albums of the past few years. I say that because his unique deliver can be polarizing. Count me on the side that enjoys it.
The problem is, everyone knows that Craig Finn loves Bruce Springsteen. I don’t blame him for that love. Still, he had the choice of making “Atlantic City” a Hold Steady song or a Craig Finn karaoke version of the Bruce song. The thing with choices, of course, is that you have to choose. In fact, when you try to avoid make choices, things often come out worse. Such is the case here. In his singing, Finn seems to alternate between that unique Craig Finn sing-speak delivery and a more traditional melodic delivery that’s truer to the song. By splitting the difference, he sounds confused and noncommittal, almost as if he’s still trying to convince himself that he is worthy of walking in his idol’s footsteps.
Finally, credit to Finn, the reference material runs out and he’s left to his own devices. I don’t love his ending to the song, but I respect it as an original thought. He at least commits to a personal vision for the track.
All told, if this song was the reason why you were going to buy this album, find a new reason. If one disappointing track stops you from making a donation to help children living in the world’s most dangerous war zones, you have no heart.
Have a heart. Buy War Child: Heroes, despite this song. For what it’s worth, Beck’s version of Bob Dylan’s “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat” is very good.
