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February 18, 2009

New Bruce Springsteen Video - "The Wrestler"

thumbnail icon: New Bruce Springsteen Video - "The Wrestler"

You can argue the ins and outs of Best Song Oscar eligibility until you're Mickey Rourke's reconstructed sadness mug in the face, it doesn't change the fact that there is only one song that should win that award and it is this song. Mickey and Bruce's sort of adorable (and now highly publicized) friendship factors in, because Springsteen penned this one by deeply understanding and inhabiting the film's tragic hero, and nobody needs to hear more about the similarities between Rourke and Randy The Ram. But while we're there: Rourke should win Best Actor, too. Fivethirtyeight.com dude is with me. Oh so this is the official video for "The Wrestler," and it's got Bruce singing in the ring intercut with Rourke and Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood believing in each other, letting each other down, and battling their base instincts to love and trust again because THIS IS LIFE and we can't do it alone and damn that was a great movie. Plus good on Todd Barry for bringing some laughs to Aronofsky.

Oscars are on Sunday, you should come to the liveblog at Videogum. Working On A Dream is out, The Wrestler remains awesome.

Posted at 2:59 PM by amrit in
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25 Comments

"Springsteen penned this one by deeply understanding and inhabiting the film's tragic hero..." Didn't he also pen "Secret Garden" by deeply understanding and inhabiting Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character)?

Posted by: Ron Jenkins profile link at 02/18/09 3:54 PM  | Reply
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you had me at hello.

Posted by: woozefa profile link  in reply to Ron Jenkins's comment at 02/18/09 4:07 PM  | Reply
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It's no 'Jizz In My Pants'

Posted by: theniall profile link at 02/18/09 4:18 PM  | Reply
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I like this song, but shouldn't it be a "three-legged dog"? There's no way a dog could walk down the street with only one leg.

Posted by: Alex Hudson at 02/18/09 4:43 PM  | Reply
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Well, we've never seen a one legged dog walk, so we've never seen Bruce. I think he's just saying he has a really hard time walking, ya know?

Posted by: LILTRUCKER  in reply to Alex Hudson's comment at 02/25/09 6:34 PM  | Reply
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Not to downplay Bruce here, but looking forward to hearing what the gum has to say about U2's new album, which I'm not afraid to admit sounds reallllly good on first listen - the title track that opens the thing should have been the first single.

Posted by: Hit the Switch profile link at 02/18/09 4:44 PM  | Reply
Score = -10 Vote up Vote down

there are 87 open U2 threads elsewhere on this website...couldn't you post this comment in one of those?

Posted by: zap  in reply to Hit the Switch's comment at 02/18/09 5:01 PM  | Reply
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Yes, it should be three-legged dog. The one-armed man swinging at the breeze is just as ridiculous. He came so close to writing an awesome song.

Posted by: Captain Obvious at 02/18/09 5:29 PM  | Reply
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I really wanted to see the Wrestler, but now I REALLY want to see it. It looks really good, and God, Bruce Springsteen has a REALLY good voice.

Posted by: Ian France at 02/18/09 5:59 PM  | Reply
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excellent song and my favorite movie of '08.

the boss is still..the boss.

Posted by: alfred profile link at 02/18/09 7:34 PM  | Reply
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I liked this song until I heard the lyric "have you ever seen a one legged dog making its way down the street". No I haven't stupid one legged dogs cant walk you munch.

Posted by: Me at 02/18/09 9:07 PM  | Reply
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Perhaps that means you haven't "seen him".

Posted by: Snitchen Randy  in reply to Me's comment at 02/19/09 9:00 AM  | Reply
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personally i think aronofsky should have stuck with clint mansell for the music.

Posted by: wes mcconnell profile link at 02/19/09 12:32 AM  | Reply
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i'd never heard this song before i saw the movie, and even though the movie was really great i think the most emotional part was when this song came on. it without a doubt should be nominated/win the oscar

Posted by: matt at 02/19/09 12:53 AM  | Reply
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That last shot had me crying like a baby. I haven't cried in a movie since I was a kid.

Posted by: Stephen B profile link  in reply to matt's comment at 02/19/09 8:43 PM  | Reply
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It's an amputee bonanza up in here.

Posted by: Brad at 02/19/09 10:10 AM  | Reply
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Actually there is such a thing a a one legged dog. Sometimes when dogs are disabled in that manner, they are fitted with a "walker-like" device that subtitutes for their hind legs...it usually has wheels so they can hobble along on one leg while the wheels in the back take care of stablilty. It's a pretty sad sight actually.

I hope that you can now look at Bruce Springteen's song a little differently.

Posted by: Burg at 02/19/09 10:10 AM  | Reply
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Thank you Patti--I mean, Burg.

Posted by: Stephen B profile link  in reply to Burg 's comment at 02/19/09 8:41 PM  | Reply
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you people just don't get it. a one legged dog has a much harder time getting down the street than a 3 legged dog. you wouldn't feel nearly as bad for a 3 legged dog. bruce is trying to show just how badly off this guy is. the imagery is perfect for the song.

Posted by: mutt at 02/19/09 10:18 AM  | Reply
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Thank you! It is ridiculous, sure, a one legged dog walking, but its lyricism and it's to make a point.

Posted by: b1aderunner  in reply to mutt's comment at 02/19/09 12:09 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

wes, clint mansell did do the score for the wrestler. he's done all four aronofsky films.

Posted by: claw00 profile link at 02/19/09 11:51 AM  | Reply
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I guess we shouldn’t be surprised when the Academy renders strange judgements, but I just don’t understand how such a great song, and one that works so well in its role in the film, doesn’t even get an Oscar nomination. The fact that it won the Golden Globe shouldn’t matter to the Academy and I think they might have completed the nomination process before the Golden Globes were announced. Still, the fact that ‘The Wrestler’ didn’t even get the best song (whatever it’s called) nomination tells you that those voting for the Golden Globes have a very different perspective from the Academy. I happen to think the Academy got it wrong, but that’s just my opinion.

Posted by: fridaybrucefix at 02/20/09 8:18 AM  | Reply
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Great tune, AMPAS doesn't know shit.

Posted by: Rick K at 02/22/09 8:37 AM  | Reply
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Have you ever seen a one-legged dog
riding a tricycle and smoking a pipe
taking one beer down passing it around
putting its right leg in and shakin it all about
Dig you ever see a Lassie go this way go that
then you've seen me
and I was born in the yew-ehss-aye
bharnn in thuh ewe-ehsss-aye

c'mon clarence play that horn

toot toot
hobble hobble


Hahaha
This is shit!

Posted by: Books & Backpack at 02/22/09 9:28 PM  | Reply
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Bruce is a national hero, sorry let me correct that a international hero and a legend. He is at his peak as far as im concerned and I happen to be an extremely intelligent man

Posted by: Sleepy anderson at 03/31/09 1:33 PM  | Reply
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