Turing the focus away from touring for a moment, I just wanted mention one of the most most hauntingly beautiful pieces of music I've ever listened to: Paradise.

This is a song that passed me by for such a long time. The Rising is my favourite Bruce Springsteen album but this track was always the one forgettable song from the album, along with The Fuse, truth be told. But not too long ago I was listening to the album in my car and this track came on and as I was not paying attention I failed to skip past it and I usually would. Half way through the song I found myself enjoying it. Now it's a serious contender for my favourite Bruce Springsteen song.

The subject matter is breathtaking. Starting out following a suicide bomber and his/her attempt to reach paradise, then proceeding to the life of a loved one who was left alone due to the bombers action; the emptiness and worthlessness of life without that other person in his/her life that leads him/her to contemplate suicide before realising the value of life and that the only paradise to be found is in this life. It's absolutely phenomenal, and a song that only Bruce Springsteen could make work. The music is somehow both desolate and chilling yet at the same time soulful, rich and hopeful. It captures the essence of the lyrics and the mood of the song perfectly.

I never see this song being discussed as being amongst Bruce's greatest works. Anybody else feel the love for this song as much as I do?