Bruce Springsteen
Harmonica Solo on
Jackson Cage

About

Bruce Springsteen's harmonica solo on "Jackson Cage" is the only solo on this taut, driving rocker from The River. Playing at 135 BPM in A, the harmonica cuts through the guitar-driven arrangement with a raw, wailing quality that reinforces the song's themes of emotional and economic entrapment. The harmonica has always been one of Springsteen's most direct instruments of expression, and here it channels the frustration and claustrophobia described in the lyrics into a wordless outburst that breaks through the song's relentless, cage-like groove.

Bruce Springsteen was 29 to 30 years old at the time.