Days before the 50th anniversary of the release of “Born to Run,” Bruce Springsteen blessed his fans by finally officially releasing a coveted outtake from the beloved album.
The Boss released “Lonely Night in the Park” on streaming services Friday, a song that nearly made the cut for the seminal 1975 album.
“To commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of ‘Born to Run,’ a rare 1975 outtake from the album’s legendary sessions is now available in full studio quality as it has never been heard before,” Springsteen posted on Instagram. “After five decades in the vault, “Lonely Night in the Park” has been digitally released for the first time ever today.”
It has been a big year for deep-cut releases from Springsteen. The Boss released “Tracks 2: The Lost Albums,” a massive box set comprising seven albums and 82 songs (74 of which had never been heard before) in June.
READ MORE: All 83 of Springsteen’s ‘Tracks II: The Lost Albums’ songs, ranked
But that set did not include “Lonely Night in the Park,” which made an appearance on Sirius XM’s E Street Radio in 2005 and has been a favorite of Springsteen diehards ever since. The song was recorded in May of 1975 at The Record Plant in New York. It was reportedly in the running to make the “Born To Run” album until Mike Appel fought for the inclusion of “Meeting Across The River” and got his way.
“Lonely Night in the Park” was ranked No. 1 on NJ.com’s list of best unreleased Springsteen songs. Now it’s off the list.
Listen to the song below.
The new releases come in commemoration of “Born to Run,” which will celebrate its 50th birthday on Monday.
RELATED COVERAGE:
• All 83 of Springsteen’s ‘Tracks II: The Lost Albums’ songs, ranked. The ultimate listening guide.
• Springsteen reveals yet another 5 albums are already finished. ‘Tracks 3′ is coming!
• Springsteen’s 15 best songs he’s STILL never released, ranked. Why are these stuck in the vault?
• Springsteen’s ‘Born to Run’: The making of the iconic album detailed in new book
Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.