A handful of Bruce Springsteen rarities, including the unreleased studio rendition of “I’ll Stand By You,” highlight the soundtrack for the upcoming film Blinded By the Light.
Springsteen initially penned “I’ll Stand By You” – previously known as “I’ll Stand By You Always” – for inclusion in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but producers opted not to include the contemporary ballad and the song remained unreleased.
“It was something that I thought would have fit lovely [in the movies],” Springsteen said of the track, which leaked in 2017. “At some point I’d like to get [‘I’ll Stand By You Always’] into a children’s movie of some sort. It was a pretty lovely song.”
The song has finally found a home – and its first official release – on the soundtrack for Blinded By the Light, a coming-of-age, based-on-a-true-story film about a British teen of Pakistani descent in 1987 London whose life is transformed by Springsteen’s music.
In addition to “I’ll Stand By You” and Springsteen classics like “Badlands,” “Hungry Heart” and “Thunder Road,” the soundtrack boasts two more live rarities: The first ever performance of “The River,” from the No Nukes ’79 concert at Madison Square Garden, and an acoustic rendition of ” The Promised Land” that Springsteen performed in 2014 at Washington, D.C.’s National Mall. Both live songs were previously unavailable on any album.
Filling out the soundtrack are of-the-era singles by a-ha and Pet Shop Boys and music from Blinded By the Light‘s composer A.R. Rahman. The Blinded By the Light soundtrack – available to preorder now – is due out August 9th, with the film to follow on August 14th.
Blinded By the Light Soundtrack Track List
Ode To Javed/Javed’s Poem – A.R. Rahman
It’s a Sin – Pet Shop Boys
The Sun Always Shines On T.V. – a-ha
“The Boss Of Us All” (dialogue)
Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen
“You Should Be Listening To Our Music” (dialogue)
“I Never Knew Music Could Be Like This” (dialogue)
*The River – Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Live at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY – September 21, 1979) (previously unavailable on an album)
“Number One Paki Film” (dialogue)
Badlands – Bruce Springsteen
Cover Me – Bruce Springsteen
Thunder Road– Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (Live at The Roxy Theater, West Hollywood, CA – October 18, 1975)
Get Outta My Way Fascist Pigs – Amer Chadha-Patel
“Do It For Me” (dialogue)
Prove It All Night – Bruce Springsteen
Hungry Heart – Bruce Springsteen
“You, Me…and Bruce” (dialogue)
Because The Night – Bruce Springsteen
Maar Chadapa – Heera
*The Promised Land – Bruce Springsteen (Live on The National Mall, Washington, D.C. – November 11, 2014)
Blinded By The Light – Bruce Springsteen
Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen
*I’ll Stand By You – Bruce Springsteen (previously unreleased studio recording)
*For You My Love – A.R. Rahman (new original song for film)
* previously unavailable on an album