TS: "Hungry Heart" vs. "Uptown Girl"

I have nothing against "Uptown Girls", but "Hungry Heart" is obviously the winner here. Just the energy in Bruce's voice. One of his best ever songs.

one vote for Uptown Girl, for the very Hongroesque reason that I don't generally like songs that rely on the same chord progression throughout whereas Uptown Girl has some very nice harmonic movement.

Plus "Everybody's got a hungry heart" = trite phrase

Isn't "uptown girl, living in her uptown world" equally trite?

For years and years I thought "Hungry Heart" was a Billy Joel song!

Isn't "uptown girl, living in her uptown world" equally trite?

yeah, it just doesn't aspire to as much

big difference: joel is a pop singer who has occasionally tried to be a rocker (sometimes, as in this instance, with unintentionally hilarious results), whereas springsteen has always been a rocker. something like "hungry heart" is second nature to him, but "uptown girl" is an out-of-reach clumsy pastiche for joel.

Both pretty great, gimme "Hungry Heart" though.

Uptown Girl was okay at the time, but just sounds like stupid bubblegummy crap now, really does. Hungry Heart is far more tolerable. I wish this had been a poll.

" joel is a pop singer who has occasionally tried to be a rocker (sometimes, as in this instance, with unintentionally hilarious results), "

Now that's hardly fair! This is Joel trying the least he's ever been to be a rocker.

"Somebody's Baby" would have been a good choice for this thread too.

Hungry Heart is stupid bubblegummy crap. Four chords and a hallmark card.

isn't the story that springsteen wrote it for the ramones but dave marsh wouldn't let him give it away?

Yeah, "Somebody's Baby" would fit well here. I'd take it over the other two, with Bruce coming slightly ahead of BJ (heh) for 2nd. But they're all pretty great singles, esp. the backing vocals on "Uptown Girl" and the opening couplet of "Hungry Heart".

<i>isn't the story that springsteen wrote it for the ramones but dave marsh wouldn't let him give it away?

-- fritz, Monday, August 27, 2007 7:56 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Link</i>

i'd believe it...i mean around that time he wrote "because the night" for p. smith and also did an (awesome) guest on street hassle and also didn't he really dig on SUICIDE?

Can see what's likeable about Uptown Girl, but can't abide the lyrics. The "whitebread world" and "mi-i-ine" bits are especially irritating. I like a lot of Billy Joel songs, but not this.

So Hungry Heart wins by default. Far from my favorite Springsteen hit, but still pretty damn solid. And the lyrics don't seem at all "trite" to me. Simple, evocative - well suited to Springsteen's voice and concerns.

I listen to "Hungry Heart" compulsively. It's kind of a problem.

xpost

yeah, Springsteen loves Suicide. there's a cool youtube clip of him covering Dream Baby Dream solo on a little organ. I think he gave "Fire" to the Pointer Sisters and "Because..." to Patti Smith so Marsh was like enough already by the time he got to the Ramones. They probably would've done it well too though it's hard to imagine Joey singing, "I got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack". I mean the wife and kids part is enough of a stretch, but Baltimore (or anywhere beyond the Boroughs) might as well be Mars for a Ramone.

Now that's hardly fair! This is Joel trying the least he's ever been to be a rocker.

granted, on "uptown girl" he's not trying to be a rocker the way he was on "you may be right" or "a matter of trust" (NO idea why those were the first two that popped into my head...actually, "trust" sounds like him trying to come to grips with what springsteen wrought). but i would hardly say it's joel "trying least he's ever been to be a rocker", especially if you take into account "piano man," "just the way you are," "my life," "movin' out," etc. etc. i'm not a fan of his by any stretch, but when he moves outside of his strengths (pop songcraftery) he sounds lost, confused, and generally inept.

It's an homage to Frankie Valli. What's not pop about it?

um...because he sounds like someone doing a half-assed impression of frankie valli (who i always thought of, at least in his four seasons days, as far more "rock" than "pop" anyway) ?

Both horrible. Another vote for "Somebody's Baby."

I don't understand where you draw this rock/pop line.

Weird...I used to dislike "Somebody's Baby" as much as "Uptown Girl" and have also warmed to it.

i always like somebody's baby. who sings that? memorable in fast times.

who sings that?

srsly?

Jackson Browne

huh i never knew that! i don't know much abt. jackson browne actually. he wrote some early nico shit i like, he's always been a blind spot for me.

He found Darryl Hannah's blind spot too.

Everyone knows that CINDY is the best pop song Bruce wrote.

Should have been released...

Hungry Heart...Four chords and a hallmark card.

Hallmark has a "congrats for abandoning your wife and kids and hooking up with some floozy" card?

how would Marsh not have let him give it away? wouldn't that be Jon Landau's job, as his manager?

oh, and "Hungry Heart" for me plz thx

yeah, right, of course... I meant Landau

haha understandable mistake obv!