Bruce Springsteen doesn’t turn 70 until September 23rd, but Lucy Dacus is celebrating early with a surging cover of “Dancing in the Dark.” The track is the latest installment in Dacus’ holiday (and Springsteen birthday)-themed series the singer has shared throughout the year.
Dacus first covered “Dancing in the Dark” during a set at New York’s Bowery Ballroom in 2016, but the recorded version offers a more polished, sprightly take on the 1984 classic, replacing the signature synthesizers with searing riffs. “I’m just tired and bored with myself,” she sings, sounding almost defeated. “Hey there baby, I could use just a little help.”
Dacus also released the cover in honor of her father’s birthday, the biggest Springsteen fan she knows. “Bruce’s birthday should be a national holiday,” she told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “It definitely is in the Dacus household. I hated him in middle school because my dad loved him so much, but then if you listen, it’s undeniable that he is a poet and a keen observer of the world… and the songs are bops.”
“Dancing in the Dark” is the fourth song from Dacus’ holiday song series. She previously released a cover of Edith Piaf’s “La Vie En Rose” in honor of Valentine’s Day, “My Mother & I” for Mother’s Day and “Forever Half Mast” for Fourth of July.
Dacus opened for Mitski at the singer’s farewell shows in Central Park last week. She’s currently on tour throughout the rest of the year, making stops at Los Angeles’ Teragram Ballroom on October 26th and New York’s Webster Hall on December 5th. The trek will conclude at 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on December 7th.