5 Covers Of Bruce Springsteen Songs That Perfectly Capture The Angst Of The Originals

Bruce Springsteen is one of the greatest songwriters of his or any generation, and as such, his songbook has spread and found a life of its own in covers by the bands he inspired. The Boss' body of work has masterfully crossed many genres for decades and counting, so it's no surprise that entire generations of musicians have grown up idolizing him and learning music by imitating him. It's only natural that when many of them found success as musicians themselves, their love of Jersey's preeminent bard found its way into their concerts and onto their albums.

Countless artists from the world of folk, country, rock, and even hip-hop have put their own spin on Springsteen classics, and finding the outright best among such a wealth of options is tricky. What we're honing in on instead is the covers that capture the spirit of the originals: The raw, desperate angst that Springsteen quickly became known for. Between their voice, energy, and arrangement, these five covers recapture Springsteen's famous zeal and are sure to take any fan back to the first time they heard the Boss' gritty, passionate originals.

Bruce Springsteen and Boston's favorite sons Dropkick Murphys actually have a long relationship — they've performed together, recorded together, and the band has covered a few different Springsteen songs. The Dropkicks sound, a type of folk punk injected with their characteristic endless energy, might best align with Springsteen's songwriting on one cover in particular: The similarly folksy-yet-lightning-charged "Badlands."

The band performed the classic track "Born to Run" live a handful of times, even with the Boss himself, on at least one occasion. They also recorded one such performance for "Respect Your Roots Worldwide," a compilation of modern punk (and punk-ish) bands covering the artists that inspired them. Dropkick Murphys' choice was natural, as Springsteen is a clear influence on their sound and songwriting — not to mention their personal relationship.

The screaming energy of the live crowd lends a lot to the cover's potency, but it's the band themselves that drive it home. Singer Al Barr's voice is grittier than Springsteen's in a way that just seems like a natural evolution in line with the band's sharper edge. It fits, and Barr is sure to sing it straight down the line, just as Springsteen had. That, combined with the instrumentation and arrangement being almost identical to the original, make it clear that the Dropkick Murphys were out to honor the song and its anthemic grit faithfully.

Some songs seem born to be covered by certain artists, and once you hear Alabama Shakes' cover of Springsteen's "Adam Raised a Cain," you'll know it was written in the stars. The band achieved pretty meteoric success in the 2010s, largely as a result of singer Brittany Howard's exceptional singing. They've always been deeply rooted in blues and soul music, but with their own added distortion and edge. The mixture fits the hard blues style of "Adam Raised a Cain" well, as does Howard's voice, which can crackle and boom even at a register as low as Springsteen's — an absolute necessity for a song with such vocal force.

Though the band has played the cover live multiple times, the performance at "A MusiCares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen," for which the Boss was in attendance, is the definitive version. The night featured many iconic performers, including Patti Smith, Elton John, Sting, Neil Young, and more, covering Springsteen's greatest songs as a tribute to his life and legacy. Even among such legends, the Shakes' take on Springsteen shines. The band is electric, especially the impressively authentic guitar, but per usual, Howard is the star. Her voice is so full of mud and blood and fire, it's not too crazy to wonder if she raises the song's vocals beyond Springsteen's own. Though the video of the performance isn't on YouTube as of this writing, it is available on Springsteen's fansites like E Street Shuffle, and it's worth seeing.

If you don't know Kurt Vile, then you've got about 20 years of catching up to do. He's one of the best all-around musicians of the modern era, one openly influenced by Springsteen and whose songwriting does an admirable job of carrying his torch. As part of his "So Outta Reach" EP, songs left off his 2011 breakthrough album "Smoke Ring for My Halo," Vile included a cover of Springsteen's "Downbound Train." As one of the few non-singles from the wildly successful "Born in the U.S.A.," it's the type of deep cut that only a fan would select, and Vile pays the song a fan's reverence.

Aside from some differences in vocal and guitar effects and an added guitar solo during the coda, Vile covers "Downbound Train" almost entirely faithfully. Perhaps the biggest difference is his actual singing, which exhibits his trademark lackadaisical, almost apathetic, character. But Vile clearly cares about Springsteen's work plenty, and he knowingly offsets his casual tone with the same driving beat and melody as Springsteen's version, always tugging the listener forward and always seeking the resolution that will never come. Lines like "I work down at the car wash / Where all it ever does is rain / Don't you feel like you're a rider / On a downbound train?" fit Springsteen's sensitive fire, yet they arguably fit Vile's disaffected listlessness just as well, if not more.

One listen to the Hold Steady, and the influence Bruce Springsteen had on their sound and songwriting is clear. Try to listen around the Elvis Costello sneer in lead singer Craig Finn's voice — you'll hear Springsteen even clearer. Finn's lyrics are very much in the vein of Springsteen's, crafting folksy, character-driven parables about them as they struggle with universal problems like marriage and faith. Whether because of this connection or not, Springsteen is a noted fan. He was even fan enough to personally select them to cover "Atlantic City," one of the many highlights from "Nebraska," for the "War Child Presents Heroes" benefit album.

Springsteen's original "Atlantic City" is just the sort of tale you'd find on any given Hold Steady album. It's a tragic snapshot of urban decay and the crime and escapism it fosters, told from the perspective of a man thoroughly down on his luck and turning to mob work as an out. In his usual Springsteen way, the bleak story is contrasted by it being possibly the catchiest and singalong-inspiring song on the otherwise understated "Nebraska." That blend of sensitivity and pep is very Hold Steady, and naturally, the band nails the cover. They give a track a more dynamic punch than the original, starting with sparse piano and reaching all the way up to a triumphant dueling solo between the guitar and saxophone, along with a capella chant of the hook — all of which just works. It's the type of change you know Springsteen was excited to hear.

Rage Against the Machine's cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" is very likely the most famous cover in this bunch, as it was included on the final Rage Against the Machine album, 2000's "Renegades," a platinum record from a massive band. True to form for the group, the track is also the loudest, most inventive, and most in your face on the LP. And despite its almost complete musical reworking, it's possibly the cover that captures the angst of its original the best.

The original, released on Springsteen's 1995 album of the same name, is a deeply political song. It's decidedly anti-capitalist and touches on the plight of the poor and marginalized, best summed up by the lines "[W]herever there's a cop beating a guy / Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries / Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air / Look for me, mom, I'll be there." Those lyrics are so akin to Rage singer Zack de la Rocha's own that their cover doesn't even feel like a cover.

Springsteen's lyrics were biting, and de la Rocha's venomous delivery gives the bite a lasting sting. Coupled with one of Tom Morello's signature head-banging funk metal riffs, the song finally sounds as heavy as it always felt. Evidently, Springsteen approved of the evolution, as when he rerecorded "The Ghost of Tom Joad" for 2014's "High Hopes," he steeped it far deeper in guitar rock. He even recruited Morello as guest guitarist for the new version — a Boss seal of approval if ever there was one.