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A14 PEOPLE/ARTS
Wednesday 26 July 2023
The Gaslight Anthem were labeled ‘Bruce Springsteen copycats.’

Now the Boss is on their new single

By MARIA SHERMAN Springsteen texted, “Hey,
AP Music Writer why don’t you write us a
LOS ANGELES (AP) — For duet? I’ll come sing with
years, a common critique you.’”
of the beloved New Jer- “I never would’ve had the
sey rock band The Gaslight guts to ask him that,” Fallon
Anthem was to label them says, comparing their rela-
“Bruce Springsteen” copy- tionship to “being friends
cats. Now they’ve released with Batman.”
a song with the Boss. Fallon wrote the song by
“History Books,” the title himself; Springsteen didn’t
track from the band’s provide notes. He was on
first album in nine years, tour at the time, so he re-
is big-hearted freeway corded the song in Dublin,
rock, made ascendent by Ireland over a few days
frontman Brian Fallon and off. Fallon speaks about
Springsteen’s tremulous the collaboration in disbe-
harmonies. lief. “It’s really cool to have
“There’s a definitely a little one of my top three heroes
wink in there,” Fallon tells singing on a song I wrote at
The Associated Press about my desk in my house. It’s in-
the song and his band’s sane,” he laughs.
long-held comparisons to He describes the song as
the Boss, which once esca- “unusual” for The Gaslight
lated to the point where he This combination of photos shows Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem performing at the Shaky Anthem, because it is “not
wrote to his fans, “My name Knees Music Festival in Atlanta on May 6, 2023, left, and Bruce Springsteen performing with the E a friendly song,” inspired
isn’t Bruce.” Street Band in New York on April 1, 2023. by a lesson he learned in
“Some people kind of wrote Associated Press therapy: “The only people
us off. It’s like ‘Now write this their beginnings in 2006 up “We didn’t want to make a hiatus. “The E Street Band who have a problem with
off,’” he says. “We’ve got until 2015, when the band record that felt sub-heart,” took a big break, too,” Fal- boundary setting is the
the approval of the guy! embarked on a seven- Fallon explains in his own lon says, so he went to the people who are breaking
What are you going to say? year hiatus. It was briefly vernacular. Taking time Boss last year with a request them.”
You can’t say anything!” interrupted in 2018, when apart allowed them to for guidance. “I imagine that’s something
If there is an intersection The Gaslight Anthem got work through concerns of “It was going to seek the (Springsteen) can relate to,
where Green Day, Social back together to play a being “the old guys playing guy on the hill for wisdom, with his level of fame,” he
Distortion, and the Re- few shows celebrating the the circuit” and become but really, it was Federici’s explains.
placements’ various styles 10-year anniversary of their better musicians in the pro- Pizza in Freehold (New Jer- The Gaslight Anthem’s sixth
of melodic punk meets retro rock album, “The ‘59 cess. sey). But some mythical full-length album, “History
Springsteen, it is found Sound,” a fan favorite. Fallon, who has established work was done at that ta- Books,” will be released
in The Gaslight Anthem. But the break resumed un- a friendship with his idol ble. We brought the band October 27 on Rich Ma-
The sound landed them a til 2022, when the band felt over the years, connected back together.” hogany Recordings via Thir-
fiercely loyal fanbase from they had something to say. with Springsteen during the When they headed home, ty Tigers.q

Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ rockets to No. 2 on charts

"Try That in a Small Town," tively. Columbia race riot and the
which was released in May, The music video for the 1927 mob lynching of an
debuted at No. 2 on the song lasted just one week- 18-year-old Black teenager
Billboard Hot 100 this week end on Country Music Tele- named Henry Choate.
just behind BTS's Jung Kook vision before the network Aldean's video received
solo single "Seven," featur- pulled it in response to an fervent criticism online, with
ing Latto. The track expe- outcry over its setting and some claiming the visual is
rienced the biggest sales lyrics. When the network a "dog whistle" and others
week for a country song in removed the video from labeling it "pro-lynching."
over 10 years. its rotation, it had 350,000 "Cuss out a cop, spit in his
According to Luminate, views on YouTube. Now face / Stomp on the flag
the song hit 11.7 million on- that number is now over and light it up / Yeah, ya
demand audio and video 16 million, and it is the No. think you're tough," Aldean
streams between July 14 1 trending video under the sings on the track, written
and 20, marking a 1,000% "music" category. by Neil Thrasher, Kurt Allison,
Jason Aldean performs during CMA Fest 2022 in Nashville, Tenn., increase from the previous In the visual, Aldean — who Tully Kennedy, and Kelley
on June 9, 2022. Aldean released the single "Try That in a Small week. Prior to the music has been awarded country Lovelace. "Got a gun that
Town" this month. video release on July 14, music artist of the decade my granddad gave me /
Associated Press the track accounted for by the Academy of Coun- They say one day they're
By MARIA SHERMAN Town" is experiencing ex- 987,000 streams in the U.S. try Music — performs in front gonna round up / Well, that
AP Music Writer ponential growth following Digital song sales increased of the Maury County Court- (expletive) might fly in the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jason controversy over its music from 1,000 to 228,000, in house in Columbia, Tennes- city, good luck / Try that in
Aldean 's "Try That in a Small video. those same weeks, respec- see. It is the site of the 1946 a small town."q