Song of the Day-None But The Brave

In 1983 Bruce Springsteen entered the recording studio with a singular purpose: to make a commercial album that would take his success to the next level while still retaining his integrity as a recording artist. Reasoning that great American artists like Hank Williams and Frank Sinatra were "popular" entertainers who remained true to their vision while having great success, Springsteen spent months honing the tunes that went into his greatest commercial triumph, Born In The U.S.A. In the process of recording, a lot of great tracks did not make the album. Some became popular B Sides like "Pink Cadillac" and "Put Out The Light." Some were unreleased and joined the growing ranks of legendary unreleased Springsteen tunes like "Trapped" and "(From Small Things) Big Things One Day Come."

One such track was "None But The Brave" which was recorded in June 1983 but remained unreleased until Disc 3 of the Essential Bruce Springsteen in 2003, a rarities disc appended to that years two disc best of/greatest hits set. "None But The Brave" is a worthy track, but didn't really break any new ground lyrically or sonically, which is probably why it stayed in the can. Springsteen's standards were unbelievably high, and one can easily see this as a career achievement in the hands of a lesser artist.

Born In The U.S.A. went on to top the charts in 1984 while being the best-selling album of the year and Springsteen's career.