Listen to Nation of Language cover Bruce Springsteen’s Tougher Than The Rest
Last month, Brooklyn’s Nation of Language slipped out a cover of a lesser known Bruce Springsteen tune. Turning to The Boss’ much misunderstood 1987 release, Tunnel of Love, the trio have released a striking version of Tougher Than The Rest. Having made their debut on the label last year with Dance Called Memory, Ian Richard Devaney (vocals, guitar, synth), Aidan Noell (synth, backing vocals), and Alex MacKay (bass) have made the single available in a limited run of 1000 copies via Sub Pop. Recorded using a Yamaha CS-80 — the same synth used on Springsteen’s original Tunnel of Love sessions in 1987, singer Ian Richard Devaney had this to say:
Like any good New Jersey resident I grew up listening to Springsteen, but this song somehow slipped by me during that formative era. I was really only exposed to it within the last few years, and it’s followed me around since then. I can remember finishing a particularly emotional show somewhere deep in last year’s tour, and our sound engineer Skinny started playing it as our exit music. It caught me so hard that I stayed there, just offstage, and listened to the rest of the song blasting, mixed with the sounds of all of the people milling about the venue.
Ian Richard Devaney (Nation of Language)
Ian Richard Devaney
The release is available via subpop.com
Listen to Nation of Language’s version of Tougher Than The Rest on the player below.
- Nation of Language play Primavera Sound Porto 11th June 2026.
For more on Nation of Language visit nationoflanguage.com
The Original
Listen to Bruce Springsteen perform Tougher Than the Rest below.
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