Springsteen takes on Wall Street in new album

Bruce Springsteen's new album, 'Wrecking Ball' is a scathing indictment of Wall Street greed and corruption.

From left, Rusty Anderson, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Paul McCartney, and Dave Grohl perform during the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Springsteen's new album attacks corruption in the financial industry.

Matt Sayles/AP

February 20, 2012

The Boss is back with a new album coming March 6th.  Bruce and the E Street Band absolutely killed at the Grammy Awards, it might have been the first time I'd seen them without the Big Man but they certainly didn't disappoint.

Here Bruce talks to Rolling Stone about his experimental new record:

Two years ago Bruce Springsteen told Rolling Stone that he had just written his first song about a "guy that wears a tie."  The songwriter had spent much of his career writing about characters struggling in tough economic times, but the financial crisis convinced him it was time to write about the people and forces that brought America to this ugly point.

The result was Wrecking Ball, a scathing indictment of Wall Street greed and corruption and a look into the devastation it has wrought. "This is as direct a record as I ever made," Springsteen tellsRolling Stone. "That's with the possible exception of Nebraska, which this record has a lot in common with."

The stark subject matter is paired with an experimental sonic palette that Springsteen created with producer Ron Aniello. "The record basically started out as folk music – just me and a guitar singing these songs," says Springsteen. "Then Ron brought a large library of sound that allowed me to explore – like  maybe a hip-hop drum loop or country-blues stomp loop. The actual drums came later. There was no preconceived set of instruments that needed to be used, I could go anywhere, do anything, use anything. It was very wide open."