How Bruce Springsteen Almost Contributed To The Harry Potter Movies

Be honest: when you think of folks who could have contributed to the Harry Potter franchise, Bruce Springsteen probably doesn't come to mind. There's no question that The Boss has written some of the best songs of the past four decades, but his style doesn't exactly mesh with the Wizarding World at first glance...or rather, listen. Well, as weird as it may sound, Springsteen did write a song for the franchise years ago, but sadly, it was never used.

During an interview with BBC Radio 2, Bruce Springsteen confirmed that he wrote a song for the Harry Potter movies called "I'll Stand By You Always," but the filmmakers, for whatever reason, decided not to include it in any of the features. He explained:

It was pretty good. It was a song that I wrote for my eldest son, it was a big ballad that was very uncharacteristic of something I'd sing myself. But it was something that I thought would have fit lovely; at some point I'd like to get it into a children's movie of some sort because it was a pretty lovely song.

Bruce Springsteen also admitted he was never told why the song wasn't used, so unless one of you out there has a Pensieve to use on one of the people involved with the decision, its exclusion will remain a mystery. Still, now there a few questions bouncing around in our brains. At what point in the Harry Potter series did Springsteen write "I'll Stand By You Always"? Was this song intended to play in one movie or several? Did the creative minds decide to cut the song because they found out Springsteen belonged to a different House? Will Warner Bros approach the rock and roll star to write a new song for the Fantastic Beasts films? Does Bruce Springsteen exist in the Wizarding World? If so, do the magic users share the same appreciation for him as Muggles do? Okay, I'm done now.

In all seriousness, scores aside, music never played a huge role in the Harry Potter movies, and it's possible that while the song sounded good (c'mon, it's Bruce Springsteen!), the powers-that-be simply felt it wasn't a good fit for the Boy Who Lived's adventures. At least Springsteen is holding out hope that "I'll Stand By You Always" can be used for another family movie. So if you're a filmmaker working on a tale for kids, and you'd like to include a never-before-heard song written by a music icon, hit Springsteen up!

Would you like to have heard Bruce Springsteen's song in one of the Harry Potter movies or was it a better move to keep The Boss separated from that universe filled with witches and wizards. Let us know in the comments below, and by all means, don't hesitate to pitch your ideas for for other magic-themed songs he could sing in this world.