Fans of the Boss appreciate not just his music, but getting inside his head for the thought processes behind the songs. And that’s exactly what they’ll get in a new documentary about his most recent release, “High Hopes,” airing April 4 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
“High Hopes” was Springsteen’s 18th studio album, released in January and debuting at number one, and recorded in the middle of a tour with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello filling in for E Street axman Steven Van Zandt.
Morello’s presence seems to invigorate Springsteen, and both are interviewed extensively in the new doc, directed by Thom Zimny, who previously helmed the 2010 HBO Springsteen documentary “The Promise: the Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town.” He also did ”Bruce Springsteen: A Conversation with His Fans” in 2011.
The half hour film, which seems to go by in a flash, also features scenes of studio sessions and rehearsals, and appears just a few days before the E Street Band receives a special award at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Brooklyn on April 10.
“High Hopes” includes new versions of “American Skin,” “The Ghost of Tom Joad” and “Dream Baby Dream,” Suicide’s classic postpunk lullaby. Another highlight is “The Wall,” a bittersweet tribute to two friends who never returned from Vietnam and features the lyric, “I read Robert McNamara says he’s sorry.”
