#475 - Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love

So, it’s been said in numerous sources (including Springsteen’s book Songs) that Bruce could never begin to top the success of Born in the U.S.A., so that he was not going to attempt it. Instead, he decided to strip the music down and compose a more personal, heartfelt album. The crazy thing about this idea is that this is an incredibly difficult feat in itself. Mostly due to the fact that most people would want to push further into that which made them successful, but also, on the flip side to that argument, many bands have been chastised for leaving that which makes them great. There are two outcomes when choosing this path: it could destroy your career or it can add to your greatness (given that the new thing attempted is heralded by fans and critics alike). Admittedly, most fans were probably expecting another Born in the U.S.A., but thankfully The Boss decided to create Tunnel of Love.

An album of deeply constructed songs about relationships, but more importantly the tolls these relationships take on a person. The expectations that come along with relationships and the vulnerability they require. Although Springsteen denies the autobiographical nature of many of the songs included on the album, it is difficult not to diagnose the lyrics contained within this album as descriptions of his marriage with actress Julianne Phillips. The difficulty of maintaining a relationship can be seen throughout songs such as “Brilliant Disguise,” “Cautious Man,” and “Tunnel of Love.” Of course, there are the stock and standard Springsteen characters all over the album, as well, in songs such as “Spare Parts.”

The album begins with my least favorite song, “Ain’t Got You.” We’ve all heard this one before. Money doesn’t buy happiness…yadda yadda yadda. The song is stomachable and even a bit catchy, but it does nothing for me. The next song, though, kicks off what becomes a major theme within the album. “Tougher Than the Rest” tells the story of a man who will never be a “handsome Dan” or “sweet-talkin’ Romeo” and his affection towards a girl who may have been around the block a few times. The main character in the song doesn’t mind this fact appealing that he is tougher than all those other guys who may not accept the girl for who she may have been in the past. This is partly due to the fact that he may have been around, as well, but more so the man’s tough skin. “All that Heaven Will Allow” focuses on the courting of a girl and the excitement that follows. I’m fairly certain that Springsteen was also singing about getting into a girl’s pants, again. “Spare Parts” starts off with one of the weirdest first lines I’ve heard in a song; “Bobby said he’d pull out, Bobby stayed in, Janey had a baby, it wasn’t any sin.” And so begins a song about the hardships of reality and growing up. Bobby leaves Janey with a baby and life changes for the young girl. Eventually, she pulls herself back together and by the end of the song show a certain amount of promise. “Cautious Man” provides the listener with Bill Horton; a man with the words “love” and “fear” tattooed on his hands. This imagery as well as the title of the song tells the listener everything he/she needs to know about this song. It is deeply rooted in the fear that comes with loving another human being and the vulnerability this ultimately requires. It is a theme that continues with “Walk Like a Man” and “Tunnel of Love.” I personally love the picture that the title track paints for the listener while comparing the rollercoaster of a relationship to an amusement park ride. I love to sing along to this song, especially the first few lines describing the fat man accepting tickets to the ride whose eyes “take a walk” all over the narrator’s girl. “Two Faces” and “Brilliant Disguise” pull together the remnants of the album’s themes. “Brilliant Disguise” while being an extremely popular song does more to explain the hesitancies and inconsistencies of a relationship than most things I’ve heard or read in my life. It’s a hauntingly beautiful song. “When You’re Alone” follows up with a tale of two people going their separate ways and the alienation that such a parting provides. The album ends with “Valentine’s Day,” providing a fitting close to an album chockfull of heartbreak, fear, and uncertainty.

The Boss does everything right on this album. I listen to this album over and over and with each listen I believe it gets better. Even the video for “Brilliant Disguise” is thoroughly admirable in its’ simplicity; something Springsteen has mastered far better than most of his contemporaries.

-d.

I hate Bruce Springsteen. I know, I know. But I have to come clean. I find him stiff and derivative, a man clinging to his influences. Granted, he does a good job of imitating the better qualities of his heroes. Nonetheless, I get tired if listening to impressions, and this album is full of them. Elvis, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger…. they’re all here. Not hidden in the least, each song could be a cover, such is the extent of the infringement. I respect the deep emotion and intensely personal lyrics and can’t fault the man for the content in that respect. It’s just too bad these beautiful and heartbreaking stories couldn’t have been told with some musical originality.

With all that out of the way…. This is the second most depressing album yet. Only Richard Thompson tops Tunnel Of Love for sheer morbidity and torment. As an emotional masochist I have to admit that earns Bruce some points in my book. At the same time, the trappings of 80’s pop music take some of the edge away. It’s hard to really feel the despondency of a slow country blues about the end of a relationship when in the midst of a finger picking guitar refrain you get blindsided by a huge blast of Korg synthesizer. I love the big Phil Collins drum echo, but it really has no place in a Guthrie-esque folk turn. And why….why the random overdriven guitar solo in the middle of "Two Faces?" If you’re going to harmonize fuzz guitar like that, just get Brian May and do it right.

There are some really nice moments here. "Valentine’s Day" is hazy reflection of Gordon Lightfoot. The quiet mandolin underplays the keys, and the simple breezy bassline plays off the root just enough to keep the listener tuned in. My favorite song here by a mile. The first half of the album is all solid, but also sees Bruce aping at his worst. Still, I prefer these songs ("Tougher Than the Rest" and "Spare Parts") over the latter half’s typical 80’s Springsteen pop. So often the last 5 songs or so (leaving out "Valentine’s") run together in an imperceptible mess of Xerox copy singer-songwriter junk. Like so many similar artist from the time, he may be an expert with words, but he shoves them all into the same basic mold. Over time, it just wears more and more on me until I give up and put on an artist with some energy. It’s amazing how often Springsteen leads me to the Dead Kennedy’s.

While we’re on an artist that let his emulation of his heroes become an obsessive quest to be them, here’s the female equivalent; Patti Smith, with her brilliant version of Bruce’s unreleased "Because The Night."

-tfm