Released thirty years ago on December 29th, 1995, Dead Man Walking was a critical and commercial success, earning multiple award nominations, including for Bruce Springsteen’s title song. Directed by Tim Robbins, the movie is based on the non-fiction book by Sister Helen Prejean, who worked as a spiritual advisor for convicted murderers on death row in Louisiana. Sean Penn plays an amalgamation of the two murderers with whom Sister Helen worked. Robbins and his brother David, who composed the movie’s score, gathered some of their personal favorite artists for the soundtrack, which, along with Springsteen, included Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Suzanne Vega, Lyle Lovett, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and Patti Smith. For “Dead Man Walkin”, Springsteen sang from the perspective of Sean Penn’s killer, who has accepted his fate and is waiting to die. The song was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song but lost to “Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas. You can check out the music video for the song below.
