Watch: Jesse Malin Shares New Video, Bruce Springsteen’s Version of “She Don’t Love Me Now”

Photo: Olivia Jaffe

Jesse Malin has shared a new video for his original, “She Don’t Love Me Now,” which was initially featured on the Big Apple stalwart’s Sept. 20 release of Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin. The latest rendition finds Bruce Springsteen taking the lyrical lead, adding a soulful coating that accentuates the native version. The video also finds Malin’s band and saxophonist Jake Clemons joining The Boss.

The music video, directed by Harry Greenberger, a filmmaker and close friend of the artist, follows Sheer Terror vocalist Paul Bearer. Malin said, “Harry and I go back a long way. When I met him nearly 25 years ago, he was a young aspiring filmmaker who loved rock and roll. His loyalty and love have always been tremendous. He went on to make two great movies. Staring at the Sun and Here After, in addition to a few music videos for my tracks ‘In The Modern World’ (2007) and ‘Disco Ghetto’ (2010).”

Speaking to the combined force of the director and song’s musical aid, Malin continued, “Bruce captured the soulful spirit of the song perfectly, and Harry took it to a new level with this video. It means the world to me to not only have Bruce sing one of my songs but also to have so many friends come together for this effort.”

In the video, a suit-clad Bearer roams the streets of New York, arriving at a bar, ordering a drink, and staring into it. That is, till the music hits. The subject’s finger taps, avoiding side glances and eye contact with the assumed love interest seated at the bar. Overhead, the music amplifies, and Bearer grooves, moved by Springsteen’s rendition of Malin’s original, emulating the emotional tug of Malin’s heartbreaking lyrics. 

Malin makes an appearance, offering a nod at the dancing protagonist, who makes his way to the center of the dance floor, raising his arms to the heavens. Eventually, the video flashes back to Bearer, staring back into his drink, and the viewer computes it was all a dream. The video ends with a message to the songwriter: “To Jesse, and the day he will dance again,” a reference to Malin’s ongoing recovery after a rare spinal stroke in May 2023. 

“I’ve known Jesse for nearly 25 years, and he’s one of my closest and best friends in the world,” says Greenberger. “When this devastating injury happened to him, it was unfathomable to all who know him, the healthiest, strongest, most active guy in any room he walks into. This is one of my favorite Jesse songs, a classic heartbreak soul song, that makes you want to immediately dance. During the first days of his spinal stroke, Jesse had said he was determined to not just walk again, but to one day dance again. Anybody who knows his determination and PMA knows no one should ever bet against him doing whatever he puts his mind to.”

Scroll down to watch the official music video for “She Don’t Love Me Know.”