Bruce Springsteen has quickly written, recorded and released a new song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” in response to the shooting deaths of two civilians, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, who were protesting the actions of ICE agents during immigration raids in the state. The track appears to be available only on YouTube and Instagram at the moment; stream it below.
“I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis,” Springsteen says. “It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free, Bruce Springsteen.”
In his most full-throated rebuke yet of the Donald Trump administration, Springsteen blasts the “federal thugs” who killed Pretti and Good and vows, “we’ll remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.” “Citizens stood for justice / Their voices ringing through the night,” he sings. “And there were bloody footprints / Where mercy should have stood / And two dead left to die on snow-filled streets / Alex Pretti and Renee Good.”
“Streets of Minneapolis” was produced by Springsteen with longtime collaborator Ron Aniello, with additional production by his wife and E Street bandmate, Patti Scialfa. Springsteen plays guitar, harmonica and tambourine, while Aniello handles drums, bass, piano and organ. E Street Band Choir singers Ada Dyer, Curtis King, Lisa Lowell and Michelle Moore round out the ensemble.
Springsteen is no stranger to writing songs inspired by real-time events, including 2001’s “(American Skin) 41 Shots,” which decried the killing of Guinean immigrant Amadou Diallo by New York police. Last May, he collected pre-song speeches bashing Trump at the E Street Band’s European tour opener for a digital EP, Land of Hope & Dreams.
