| "The Wrestler" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBruce Springsteen | ||||
| from the albumWorking on a Dream andThe Wrestler | ||||
| Released | December 16, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:51 | |||
| Label | Columbia Records | |||
| Songwriter | Bruce Springsteen | |||
| Producer | Bruce Springsteen | |||
| Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "The Wrestler" onYouTube | ||||
"The Wrestler" is the title song from the 2008 filmThe Wrestler. The track was written and performed byBruce Springsteen.
The origins of the song are based in a lost and resumed friendship between Springsteen andWrestler lead actorMickey Rourke; Rourke told Springsteen about his upcoming film and asked if Springsteen could write a song for it.[1] Springsteen subsequently did, played it for Rourke and directorDarren Aronofsky before a concert. When they liked it, Springsteen gave them the song for no fee.[1]
It first appeared in August 2008 at the65th Venice International Film Festival debut of the filmThe Wrestler. In December 2008 it received a nomination for theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song and won the award during the66th Golden Globe Awards on January 11, 2009.[1] It also won the 2008Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song and was nominated for, but did not win, the 2008Satellite Award for Best Original Song. The song was widely expected to receive a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song at the81st Academy Awards, where Springsteen would perform it on the awards show,[2] but in whatRolling Stone termed "shocking news", it was denied a nomination on January 22, 2009, when the Academy nominated only three songs in the category rather than the usual five.[3] The song was nominated for anMTV Movie Award and aGrammy Award, but lost toMiley Cyrus' "The Climb" andA. R. Rahman's "Jai Ho" respectively.
The song was used in the credits ofESPN's 2015E:60 documentary "WWE: Behind the Curtain."
The recorded version, sans end-credits string introduction, became available oniTunes on December 16, in advance of the film's U.S. major cities openings in the subsequent days. Springsteen recorded it at his Thrill Hill Recording studio in New Jersey, played all the instruments, and produced it himself.[4]
It was then included as a bonus track on Springsteen's late-January 2009 album release,Working on a Dream, although "The Wrestler" was a stark departure from the romantic pop themes and elaborate production of the rest of the album.
Amusic video for the song was filmed in late January 2009 in aNew Brunswick, New Jersey boxing gym, and was released on Springsteen's social networking websites. It shows Springsteen with his hair combed back, in a ring and weightlifting, interspersed with scenes from the film. An extended version of the video was made available on iTunes, and it showed only Springsteen. Finally, a making-of-the-video video was made and released as part of the iTunes package; it contained voiceovers of Springsteen giving his interpretation of the film's main character, how that fit into his normal model of human nature, and how he tried to write the song to reflect this.
The video was included as a bonus feature on the April 2009 DVD release of the film.
While Springsteen was not able to perform the song at the Academy Awards ceremony, he gave it a fairly regular slot during the first leg of the 2009Working on a Dream Tour. Played late in the main set, it was given a long synthesizer-style introduction, a quiet arrangement, and subdued stage lighting. During subsequent legs of the tour the song was rarely played.
| Chart (2008/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[5] | 158 |
| Canadian Hot 100 (Billboard)[6] | 63 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 40 |
| Netherlands (MegaCharts)[8] | 56 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[9] | 14 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 19 |
| UK Singles Chart[11] | 93 |
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[12] | 20 |
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadcast Film Critics Association[13][14] | Best Song | Bruce Springsteen | Won |
| Golden Globes[15] | Best Original Song - Motion Picture | Bruce Springsteen | Won |
| Grammy Awards[16] | Best Song Written for a Motion Picture | Bruce Springsteen | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards[17] | Best Song from a Movie | Bruce Springsteen | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards[18] | Best Original Song | Bruce Springsteen | Nominated |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
