Bruce Springsteen - "Tougher Than the Rest" Official video

The live version of "Tougher Than the Rest" from the official video for the song is so much better than the studio version on the record.
Is this live version available on any of his releases?

 

It's from a show at L.A. Sports Arena in 1988.

Its available on the "Chimes of Freedom" EP that was released in 1988 but has just been re-released on the "Album Collection - Volume 2" and iTunes.

 

Thanks Darren.

 

Love this video. The stately pace. That moment, 'all you gotta do is say yes' and Bruce's gesture. Gary's swooping bass note. The close-up of the tapping boot. I can even forgive Patti the 80s big hair. And with the intercut footage of the couples, there's so much love in the video. I watch it and wonder what has become of all these people 30 years on. The diversity message is also very cool. Maybe quite progressive for its time...?

 

I do this song a lot at open mics. A supreme example of Bruce's talent as a songwriter.

 

I was at this show. This was the opening song of the second set following a 25 minute intermission. Took a lot of guts to start the set with a slow number as opposed to a rocker, but the crowd was rapt. Still my favorite version.

 

Be aware that on some versions of the EP (the 3" single comes to mind), the song is edited by over a minute.

It's also on the Complete Video Anthology 2-DVD set (long overdue for an update).

 

Thanks for the memory, I had forgotten about that video. Of course, Springsteen was still married to Julianne Philips in '88, and it turned out the Tunnel of Love album was basically a reflection of Springsteen's second thoughts on the matter. Viewing that video once again, with the unmistakable shots of Patti Scialfa and Broooce, I recalled asking myself what Mrs. Springsteen (at the time) thought about that.

 

I don't know for sure but I am fairly convinced everyone knew it was all over by the time this video was circulating. Everyone meaning those directly involved. What the public knew (and frankly I don't think they were necessarily entitled to know anything) is another matter.

 

Yeah, the mutual attraction in that video was pretty obvious. Tunnel was basically Bruce saying, "this Hollywood marriage thing isn't exactly the happily ever after that I thought it would be." It would be months before the two of them closed the deal. During Bruce's RNRHOFF induction, he said, "how do I feel about the E Street Band? Hell, I *married* one of them!" And the live versions of pretty much any Bruce song beat the studio versions. Bruce is a live act, as is the E Street Band, he needs the energy of his audience to make the songs complete.

 

Tougher [as well as Chimes of Freedom] is complete on the Canadian "Chimes Of Freedom" EP CD. The UK "Spare Parts" CD contains the complete Chimes but does not include Tougher.

 

They're also complete on this

 

Indeed. The live cut off Chimes is definitive!

 

As the decades roll by, I get the feeling that this song will endure. The emotions expressed are complex but unlike in much of his other work, here they resonate easily across a broad audience. It's been covered (beautifully) by many artist, including female artists like Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin and young alternative artist Angel Olsen. It may end up being a "standard".

If you haven't seen it, the video of this performance from a couple of years ago is one of the best fan-shot videos I have ever seen. The original video is on Youtube, but someone else has edited it to add the live audio from the website, and made it black-and-white, which somehow makes it even more powerful. From 3:33 or so is amazing - you sense the intimacy, but it feels shared, so it's never uncomfortable. Just a great performance of a great song. Glad the guy filmed it.

 

I had a tape of the 1988 Argentina show back when I was in college but, lost it. I've been looking for this show online but, haven't had any luck.