"No Surrender" is a song from Bruce Springsteen's album '' Born in the U.S.A.''. It was only included on the album at the insistence of

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandoli ...

, but has since become a concert staple for Springsteen. Though it was not one of the seven top ten hits of the album, "No Surrender" nevertheless charted on the Mainstream Rock chart, peaking at No. 29. It returned to prominence during the 2004 United States presidential election when

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party, he ...

, the Democratic candidate and a fan of Springsteen, used the song as the main theme song for his campaign.

Live performances

During the

Born in the U.S.A. Tour The Born in the U.S.A. Tour was the supporting concert tour of Bruce Springsteen's '' Born in the U.S.A.'' album. It was his longest and most successful tour to date. It featured a physically transformed Springsteen; after two years of bodybuil ...

, Springsteen played a slower version of the song on acoustic guitar and harmonica. An August 6, 1984 recording at the

Meadowlands Arena Meadowlands Arena (formerly Brendan Byrne Arena, Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center) is a closed indoor arena facility located in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. The arena is located on ...

is included on the box set ''

Live 1975–85 ''Live/1975–85'' is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, consisting of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985, and released as a box set by Columbia Records on November 10, 1986. It broke the record for ad ...

''. The song was played occasionally in the Reunion Tour, The Rising Tour and later tours, including the Magic Tour and the River Tour. The song has been performed about 230 times through 2008. On Springsteen's '' London Calling: Live in Hyde Park'' DVD, the song is performed with Brian Fallon of fellow New Jersey band

The Gaslight Anthem The Gaslight Anthem is an American rock band from New Brunswick, New Jersey, formed in 2006. The band consists of Brian Fallon (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Alex Rosamilia (lead guitar, backing vocals), Alex Levine (bass guitar, backing vocals), ...

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: * Bruce Springsteen – vocals, guitars *

Roy Bittan Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthe ...

– piano *

Danny Federici Daniel Paul Federici (January 23, 1950 – April 17, 2008) was an American musician, best known as the organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player and a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. In 2014, Federici was posthumously induct ...

– organ *

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being bass player and founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band si ...

– bass * Max Weinberg – drums *

Richie Rosenberg Richie "LaBamba" Rosenberg is an American trombonist originating from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a former member of the house band on Conan O'Brien's late-night talk shows. Early life Rosenberg became a trombonist when his junior high in ...

– backing vocals, vocal harmonies

Cover versions

In 2008,

Hot Water Music Hot Water Music is an American punk rock band formed in October 1994 and based in Gainesville, Florida. Since their formation, the group has consisted of Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard on shared lead vocals and guitars, bass guitarist Jason Bl ...

recorded the song on their B-sides and rarities album '' Til The Wheels Fall Off''. In 2009,

Jill Johnson Jill Anna Maria Johnson (born 24 May 1973) is a Swedish country and pop singer, songwriter and TV-host. She performed in the Melodifestivalen 1998 contest, winning with the song " Kärleken är" ("Love Is"), and represented Sweden at the Euro ...

from Sweden recorded the song on the cover album '' Music Row II''. In 2009,

Two Cow Garage Two Cow Garage is an American band from Columbus, Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seven ...

recorded the song for the A side of Vol. 9 of Suburban Home Records' "Under the Influence" 7" covers series. Side B of the 7" features Jr. Juggernaut covering " Trouble" by Cat Stevens. In 2010, Maeve O'Boyle recorded the song for her album ''Intermission'' which was released in 2011. In 2013,

Mark Salling Mark Wayne Salling (; August 17, 1982 – January 30, 2018) was an American actor and musician known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the television series '' Glee''. Salling studied at the Los Angeles College of Music before wor ...

recorded a cover of the song for the TV show '' Glee'' as a tribute to cast member

Cory Monteith Cory Allan Michael Monteith (; May 11, 1982 July 13, 2013) was a Canadian actor and musician who played Finn Hudson on the Fox television series '' Glee''. As an actor based in British Columbia, Monteith had minor roles on television series bef ...

who died suddenly earlier in the year. His version of the song was featured in the season 5 episode "The Quarterback", a tribute to Monteith, and his character

Finn Hudson Finn Christopher Hudson is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series '' Glee''. The character was portrayed by Cory Monteith and first appeared on television when ''Glee'' premiered its pilot episode on Fox on May 19, 2009 ...

, who had recently died. In 2017, Australian country music singer James Blundell recorded the song as a duet with Paul Costa on his ''

Campfire A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking. It can also serve as a beacon, and an insect and predator deterrent. Established campgrounds often provide a stone or steel fire ring for safety. Campfires ...

'' album In 2017, at the No Surrender Festival in Vilanova de Bellpuig, Catalonia, 1004 musicians and singers recorded a live version of the song.Evan Bleier
''Bruce Springsteen Declines Invitation to Tiny Spanish Village. Again.''
Inside Hook, 2019-07-02 Hawthorne Heights recorded a cover of the song on their 2019 album 'Lost Frequencies'

References

External links

{{authority control Bruce Springsteen songs 1984 songs Songs written by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Jon Landau Song recordings produced by Bruce Springsteen Song recordings produced by Steven Van Zandt Song recordings produced by Chuck Plotkin