Bruce Springsteen has released “Adelita,” a previously unreleased track that will appear on his upcoming compilation Tracks II: The Lost Albums (pre-order here). The mariachi inspired song comes from Inyo, a lost album from the ’90s.
Per a press release, Inyo was written in 1990s California when Springsteen became interested in corridos and Mexican history due to ongoing border reporting. “It was a big part of your life,” he explained, calling Inyo one of his favorite albums. “Inyo was a record I wrote in California during long drives along the California aqueduct, up through Inyo County on my way to Yosemite or Death Valley I was enjoying that kind of writing so much.”
“[On ‘The Ghost Of Tom Joad Tour’] I would go home to the hotel room at night and continue to write in that style because I thought I was going to follow up The Ghost of Tom Joad with a similar record, but I didn’t. That’s where Inyo came from. It’s one of my favorites.”
“Adelita” is a salute to soldaderas, or women who acted as military members during the Mexican Revolution. On “Adelita” and throughout Inyo, Springsteen collaborated with mariachi artists, crediting Luis Villalobos, Alberto Villalobos, Angel Ramos, Humberto Manuel Flores Gutierrez, David Glukh, Jorge Espinosa, and Miguel Ponce.
Tracks II: The Lost Albums is set for release on June 27th via Columbia. It will feature seven previously unreleased albums by the Boss, with 82 songs in total recorded from 1983 and 2018. Previous offerings have included the hip-hop inspired “Blind Spot” from the Streets of Philadelphia Sessions, the Western-inspired song “Faithless,” and the honky tonk-inspired gem “Repo Man.”
Of course, the release of Tracks II has been somewhat overshadowed by Springsteen’s ongoing “Land of Hope and Dreams Tour” and the reaction it sparked from Donald Trump. After using the tour to rail against his administration, Trump subsequently threatened to bar the Boss’ return to the US and launch an investigation into him and other musicians who supported Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Since then, several artists have come out in support of Springsteen, including Eddie Vedder, Tom Morello, and Bono. Despite everything, the Boss seemingly remains unbothered, most recently dropping an anti-Trump EP featuring live recordings of his songs and speeches from the ongoing tour.
