We go down to the river, and into the river we dive…
-Bruce Springsteen, 1980.
And what a river it is. A deep river with water flowing with so many songs, so many stories.
I will be the first to say that in about 2011, I was what you could call a “Greatest Hits” guy when it came to Bruce Springsteen, and I suppose, to a degree, I still am. There are so many albums of his that I have never heard in their entirety. I know what I like, and I like what I know, and I have a self-made Spotify playlist devoted to the man they know as “The Boss”. He has been my top played artist on Spotify Wrapped for the last two years and I am not surprised. For someone who I have only really began to admire since about 2022, this man has touched my musical life.
Anyone who has read my occasional blogs, knows that I am a fan of great storytellers. Whether that be through the medium of books, movies, TV shows, or yes, music, I admire people who tell stories. I, on occasion, try to write stories myself, whether that be jokey fanfics (I look at you, Emma Watson VS The Evil Dead.) or whether it be writing on roleplaying sites (Yes, I do that shit, don’t judge me.) and I rather arrogantly describe myself as a somewhat competent storyteller. But compared to people like Stephen King, Pterry Pratchett and yes, Bruce Springsteen, I am but a small fish in a very fucking large pond. Whatever happens, storytelling is a must and I encourage anybody to pick up a book, or better yet, start writing, or encourage those close to you, to do the same thing.
Bruce Springsteen is a storyteller, it is that simple. But not only is he a storyteller, he speaks for the downtrodden, the poor bastards who, sometimes through no fault of their own, get dealt the hardest cards in life. These sorts of people are people who we walk past, we judge, without knowing their stories, then we go back home and we listen to songs by people like Bruce, not even realising that he is singing the songs of those very people we walk past. I don’t just mean the homeless, but everyone. That young man, picking up litter while in an orange high-vis vest? He’s providing for his family. That young lady, begging for food? She’s someone’s daughter, someone’s niece, someone’s sister. I’m going on a path here and I need to stop because this is meant to be a musical blog, not a damning look at life. Still, I stick by my statement, let’s show some of Bruce’s empathy and support our fellow humans.
I posted a blog a couple months ago, probably more like half a year ago, tbh, in response to @fredhincanada’s challenge, and I decided to post about The River, which is easily my most favourite of all of Bruce’s songs. It is one of the most important songs in the world, IMHO, but this isn’t solely about that, despite the title of this blog. The River is a very important song to me and I don’t honestly know why. Every time I listen to it I feel like crying. Every time I watch a Youtube video of it, I actually cry. There is something about the way he sings it, not just with his voice, but his whole body, makes me emotional. This is a man telling a very real story of the downtrodden, this time his sister and brother-in-law, who were forced into a shotgun wedding after they get pregnant. It is emotion, it is maudlin and yet so hopeful, all at the same time.
(I have already ascquiesed to the idea that I may never see the man for real, so I settled on a tribute band called The Sound of Springsteen. My girlfriend took hold of my phone to film them perform The River, just so I could enjoy that moment.)
Enough about The River, Leigh, please, you’re starting to bore the crowd.
Now, I’m not gonna cover all of the songs that touch me the most, because otherwise you’re gonna need a whole page to cover it, and we don’t want that, do we? So I shall move to 1987, and Tunnel of Love. I don’t know the full details and nor do I want to, but this whole album, and its title song, are about a man dealing with the breakup of his own marriage, and it’s a feeling I can relate to. I was married in 2003, divorced in 2005 and I’d love to portray myself as the hero of the piece, but I’m not without fault. A marriage breakup is a tough feeling and I feel that Bruce captured that feeling perfectly with this album. It’s not easy, it certainly isn’t a proud moment we look back on, but we persevere, just like Bruce did. It spoke to me on personal levels, which is once again, weird. Once again, I found comfort in an American’s lyrics, when I am very much British and should be finding comfort in Oasis LOL. I think that speaks of Bruces’ global outreach, he speaks to, and sings of, the everyman, the person who has been there and experienced it all. I may now not be so humble and say that I perhaps, have experienced it all, life, death, joy, sadness, and everything that goes with it. That is not to say that I am somewhat, special, because trust me, I know that people have experienced it so much worse than I ever will.
Now, if you’ll indulge me, we move onto more happier times. 1992 and Human Touch. Once again, an album that I have never heard in its’ entirety, but with a title track that spoke volumes to me. Bruce had engaged in a whirlwind relationship with Patti Scialfa and she seemed to be the signal fire that guided him home. I’m not gonna go into that, but I will say this, what a remarkable, beautiful woman, his guiding light. He’s 75 now and she’s 71, so they’ve been together a long time, that, to me, is true love.
True love is one of those amazing things, it’s the thing that keeps us from going insane. To feel love from another human being is the best feeling ever, whether that be from a late night conversation, or even if it’s just from a social media comment, it makes the soul that little bit warmer, ya know? It makes you feel that no matter what, you matter to someone. It’s a feeling that we, as humans, tend to play off as just a “good feeling”, but it matters. It shows that we are appreciated, it shows that we are cherished and it shows that, through all the shit, through all the bad times, we matter. We’re not in this life for a long time, and perhaps we’re not always in it for a good time, but we’re in it, and to feel that connection with other humans, is important, it keeps us sane.
But that is nothing compared to human touch. Comments over social media mean something, as do little passing compliments in the street, but nothing compares to human touch. Just the softest glaze over your flesh is just a feeling that you cannot describe. Human touch is something that tempts us all, to feel that touch against you, and it can be just a hug or a reassuring shoulder tap, it speaks volumes (That is not my invite for everyone to touch me, it is just kinda, what it is.) We need human touch.
I could go on and on about what this man and his music means to me, but I feel I have already bored you lovely people enough, so I’ll finish with a concise list of his songs that resonate with me so highly. I wouldn’t want to pull a Led Zeppelin and ramble on.
1: The River
2: Jungleland
3: Badlands
4: Human Touch
5: Tunnel of Love
6: Blinded by The Light
7: Fire
8: Murder Inc.
9: Do I love you (Indeed I do.)
10: Streets of Philadelphia
I can list so many more, but that is, perhaps for another time. My closing refrain will be this. If you have the time and the inclination, give Mr. Springsteen a listen, it’s life changing.
@fredhincanada @dicentra @adam_bovary @abramantler @helainked @samihain @chefdaddy @penny @eirenne and anybody else who wants to read my meandering, rambling stuff.
