As a kind of companion piece to “Does This Bus Stop at 82nd St?”, the mood shifts dramatically here, trading all of that romantic positivity for stark reality … or at least a reality whose dark side is winning out.
The first verse, accompanied by piano, sounds like it could be the story of a soldier returning from war to a country that’s coming apart at the seams. A Viet Nam vet? Perhaps, but then the focus pulls back and we see that everything is screwed up, or maybe not what it should be. The imagery in “Lost In The Flood” lays out a harsh landscape, part film noir, part modern-day dystopia. The amazing thing to me is that the song manages to come off as uplifting despite the violence and choking inevitability of it all.
This live version is from Buffalo, 2009. Just like the album, the song takes on a full band arrangement when Jimmy the Saint shows up. Unlike Greetings, Bruce blows the roof off with an inspired guitar solo.
Next up: The Angel.
[amazon_enhanced asin=”B00137QSUK” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B00138KN3C” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /] [amazon_enhanced asin=”B0000024ZT” container=”” container_class=”” price=”All” background_color=”FFFFFF” link_color=”000000″ text_color=”0000FF” /]
- How Eric Clapton’s ‘Me and Mr. Johnson’ Made the Case for British Blues - March 20, 2024
- Why Todd Rundgren’s ‘Back to the Bars’ Remains So Powerful - December 13, 2023
- Reevaluating Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle’ - September 11, 2023
