The Long Whistle: A Journey Through the Bruce Springsteen Discography- Vol. 3
Feet first into the wasteland
No One By That Name Lives Here Anymore: Nebraska (1982)
Produced by Bruce Springsteen
Standout Track: ‘Atlantic City’
Springsteen’s albums following Born to Run form something of a downward spiral: the characters become increasingly rougher, the themes increasingly bleak, and the question becomes, if you continue down this train of thought, where is it that you end up? The answer is Nebraska, a desolate wasteland populated by spree killers, reluctant mobsters, and the types of folks so downtrodden and beaten down by the nature of the western world that there is nowhere left for them to run but headfirst into the dark. Nebraska has a reputation for being ‘not your grandpa’s Bruce Springsteen album,’ and for good reason: this is an echoey sonic landscape filled only by reverberating acoustic guitar and the distant, piercing swell of a harmonica. The title track is one hell of an opening, recounting the heinous crimes of Charlie Starkweather who shot and killed ten people and was thereafter sent to the electric chair. The only thing Bruce’s Starkweather has to say for himself is, ‘Sir, I guess there’s just a meanness in this world…’ Although most of these songs contain highly detailed narratives, Nebraska is also intensely personal, as all good stories should be. Bruce revisits his childhood, touching on his troubled relationship with his father (‘My Father’s House’) and the nature of his lower-class upbringing (‘Used Cars’). Nebraska is undoubtedly a masterpiece and stands alongside Bob Dylan’s early work as the premier template for what a solo-acoustic album should strive to be.
Tracklist:
1. Nebraska *
2. Atlantic City *
3. Mansion on the Hill
4. Johnny 99
5. Highway Patrolman
6. State Trooper *
7. Used Cars
8. Open All Night
9. My Father’s House
10. Reason to Believe
First Kick I Took Was When I Hit the Ground: Born in the U.S.A (1984)
Produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt
Standout Track: ‘Born in the U.S.A’
It’s striking how many similarities Springsteen’s most accessible and widely known album has with his cult classic. Many of these songs are just as narratively oriented and downtrodden, such as the iconic title track, which describes the plight of a Vietnam vet returning home, and ‘Working on the Highway,’ which is about the happiest sounding song about being sentenced to work on a chain gang ever put to tape. Born in the U.S.A also, like it’s predecessor, contains several tracks that recount youth and adolescence (‘My Hometown,’ ‘I’m on Fire’). This is the album people think of when the phrase ‘heartland rock’ comes up: stories of working-class struggle and smart lyrics thrown over raw, massive mid-80s production. Controversy around the misunderstood title track aside, let’s talk about ‘Dancing in the Dark’ for a second. Am I the only who finds it amazing that Bruce managed to make a dance hall, rock and roll standard out of a song about the bleak sensation of impending doom that comes with loneliness? Like a lot of rock songs are about that I guess, but none quite put it like, ‘You sit around getting older/There’s a joke here somewhere, and it’s on me.’ Lyrics aside, this thing is a delight to listen to from start to finish: each song fits exactly where it’s supposed to and is tailor-made to draw in all your musical senses. This is Bruce’s most popular album by a mile, and for good reason: it’s the Jack of all trades Boss experience. While a lot of folks will get all they need out of the explosive drums and guitar riffs, a closer listen reveals a whole other experience to unravel underneath.
Tracklist:
1. Born in the U.S.A *
2. Cover Me
3. Darlington County
4. Working on the Highway *
5. Downbound Train
6. I’m on Fire
7. No Surrender
8. Bobby Jean
9. I’m Goin’ Down *
10. Glory Days
11. Dancing in the Dark *
12. My Hometown
If You Die in Your Dreams, You Die in Your Bed: Tunnel of Love (1987)
Produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin and Bruce Springsteen
Standout Track: ‘Valentine’s Day’
Born in the U.S.A shot Bruce Springsteen straight into the stratosphere. He became (whether he liked it or not) an unlikely hero to an unlikely audience, all in an era where rock and roll was becoming more and more commodified and formulaic. So, being the uncompromising artist that he is, Bruce followed his smash hit up with the curious Tunnel of Love, a concept album that tracks the arc of a relationship between a man and a woman, from the initial infatuation (‘Tougher Than the Rest’) to its tragic disillusionment (‘Brilliant Disguise’), and eventually concluding on a nightmarishly existential note where death, love and the meaning of life itself seem not so foreign to one another. Gone is the majestic power of the E-Street band; swapped in favor of clicky drum machines, ambient synthesizers, and even a few acoustic tracks that recall the desolation of Nebraska. But Tunnel of Love deals with a very different kind of desolation: where before he seemed obsessed with the wide world around, this album provides an unflinching and raw portrait of Springsteen’s own connection to the world, both as an aging rockstar and as a husband. Clearly influenced by his tumultuous marriage and eventual divorce from first of two wives, Julianne Phillips, Tunnel of Love stands to this day as Bruce’s most personal work, and for that reason, it’s an essential piece of the Springsteen puzzle.
Tracklist:
1. Ain’t Got You
2. Tougher Than the Rest *
3. All That Heaven Will Allow
4. Spare Parts
5. Cautious Man
6. Walk Like a Man *
7. Tunnel of Love
8. Two Faces
9. Brilliant Disguise *
10. One Step Up
11. When You’re Alone
12. Valentine’s Day *