Song of the Day 9/22: Bruce Springsteen, “If I Was the Priest”

I mentioned the other day that Bruce Springsteen’s upcoming album will feature new recordings of three songs from his earliest back catalog that have never seen official release. This is, to a large extent, a case of scraping the barrel bottom.

“If I Was the Priest,” “Song for Orphans” and “Janey Needs a Shooter” all date to the time of his 1972 audition tape for John Hammond and were considered for his first album, “Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.,” the one that played up his “new Dylan” bona fides but ignored his raucous concert energy. All have been available on bootlegs for decades, and none was included on “Tracks,” Springsteen’s 66-song collection of demos, outtakes and B-sides.

“If I Was the Priest” wears its Dylan influences stapled to its chest, but in Springsteen’s case the vaguely allegorical poetry has a decidedly Catholic bent. This is the Hammond tape version, and I’d argue “Greetings” would have been a better album if this song had replaced “Mary Queen of Arkansas.”

Allan Clarke, lead singer for the Hollies, heard the demo and recorded the song for his 1974 self-titled solo album.

It should be interesting to hear the new version when “Letter to You” is released next month. The only remaining member of the early E Street Band is bassist Garry Tallent.