In this tutorial, I show you how to play Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen on piano. This is such a beautiful song that one of my private students requested and I made up a very simple but lovely arrangement of it that I wanted to share with you.
History of Hungry Heart
Hungry Heart is one of a million amazing, heart wrenching songs by The Boss, Bruce Springsteen. It was the lead single from his on his fifth album, 1980s The River. Fun fact: Bruce initially wrote this song on request of Joey Ramone, who wanted a Springsteen hit for his punk band The Ramones. Springsteen’s manager told him he needed to keep this song for himself instead of giving it awayas he did with Blinded by the Light and Because the Night.
The title is drawn from a line in Tennyson’s poem Ulysses that reads “For always roaming with a hungry heart.” SOOOO good!
Pop Piano Protocol
In this tutorial, I am going to take you through a simple, four step step pop piano arrangement protocol.
Step #1 is to learn the chords, so you can sing and simply play the chords.
Step #2 is to sort out the accompaniment strategy.
Step #3 is to learn the hook of the song, in this case the haunting piano pattern.
Step #4 is to put it all together into an arrangement.
Ready? Let’s go!
Step #1 Learn the chords to Hungry Heart by Bruce Springsteen
Hook
Db Bb-7 Eb-7 Ab7sus
Verse #1
Db Bb-7
Got a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack
Eb-7 Ab7sus
I went out for a ride and I never went back
Db Bb-7
Like a river that don’t know where it’s flowing
Eb-7 Ab7sus
I took a wrong turn and I just kept going
Chorus
Db Bb-7
Everybody’s got a hungry heart
Eb-7 Ab7sus
Everybody’s got a hungry heart
Db Bb-7
Lay down your money and you play your part
Eb-7 Ab7sus
Everybody’s got a h-h-hungry heart
Hook
Db Bb-7 Eb-7 Ab7sus
Oh
Verse #2
Db Bb-7
I met her in a Kingstown bar
Eb-7 Ab7sus
We fell in love, I knew it had to end
Db Bb-7
We took what we had and we ripped it apart
Eb-7 Ab7sus
Now here I am down in Kingstown again
Chorus
E C#-7 F#-7 B7sus
E C#-7 F#-7 A7sus
Verse #3
Db Bb-7
Everybody needs a place to rest
Eb-7 Ab7sus
Everybody wants to have a home
Db Bb-7
Don’t make no difference what nobody says
Eb-7 Ab7sus
Ain’t nobody like to be alone
Chorus
Chorus
Step #2: Figure out your accompaniment strategy
Remember when we are playing piano accompaniments we are trying to replicate the sound of the whole band, not just the piano part. My standard practice for this is for the right hand to play chords and the left hand to play the “bass line” by playing the roots of the chords or a bass line.
For this song, this is the rhythmic pattern that I chose for this song. It sounds pretty close to what the E Street Band is playing, but it’s easy enough that you could realistically sing and play this at the same time.
Step #3: Figure out the hook
The defining feature of Hungry Heart is that heartwrenching piano part, which you HAVE to learn.
It comes back again in the interlude after the second chorus in the key of E
Step #4: Put it all together
Take your time and make sure that you are keeping solid time. Use the metronome or a drum machine app like the iReal Pro or Drum Genius. When you are ready, turn on the original recording and sing and play along. Pure bliss!
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