Tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET, HBO will air a new documentary about the making of Bruce Springsteen's latest album High Hopes, which came out in January. The half-hour film features scenes from the album's studio sessions and rehearsals, as well as tour footage of the E Street Band and interviews with Springsteen and his collaborator Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave).
Filmmaker Thom Zimmy, who previously helmed the 2010 HBO Springsteen documentary The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town, lead this project. He also directed two other Boss documentaries in 2005 and 2011.
Morello, who is a prominent voice in the documentary, joined Springsteen and the E Street Band on tour in Australia in 2013, after which he began collaborating with Springsteen on ideas that would eventually become High Hopes. Morello appears on several tracks on the album, including "The Ghost of Tom Joad," where he shares lead vocals with Springsteen.
Although it is not the most in-depth Springsteen documentary out there, it does a good job of explaining the thought process and decision making behind High Hopes. Springsteen talks about his lyrics as if they were his children and describes the challenges of performing songs live (he says remembering the right notes is the hardest part). He also talks about why he continues to do this after he's already gained all the fame he could need.
The most engaging discussions are about fleshing out metaphors and turning them into songs. The story behind "Hunter of Invisible Game," Morello's favorite track on the effort, was particularly interesting.
All in all, it's worth your 30-minutes if you have HBO. Springsteen fans will enjoy hearing the stories behind their favorite new tracks, which Springsteen tells passionately, and newcomers might just find something that catches their ear.
After the premiere, HBO will air the documentary again on April 8 at 1 a.m., April 9 at 9 a.m., April 10 at 11:30 a.m., April 11 at 4 p.m., April 12 at 3:30 p.m., April 15 at 10:15 a.m. and April 18 at 2:30 a.m. ET
HBO2 will also have four showings of the film: April 7 at 7:30 p.m., April 10 at 3:35 p.m., April 13 at 12:30 a.m. and April 16 at 9:15 p.m.
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