I’m on the early shift at work and
I’ve just risen from a satisfying nap (even more satisfying after I kicked my
begging cat out of the bedroom).
Disc 761 is….Tunnel of Love
Artist: Bruce
Springsteen
Year of Release: 1987
What’s up with the Cover? Lest you think that only
production values sucked in 1987, here’s a cover to remind you that fashion,
haircuts and – yes – even fonts were all total crap as well.
How I Came To Know It: When I met Sheila she was raving
about how great this album was. She was right.
How It Stacks Up: We have 10 Springsteen albums and
would rank “Tunnel of Love” 3rd on that list although in many ways
it is in a three-way tie for second with two other albums. Since I’ve reviewed
neither of the other ones, I’ll let their names remain a mystery.
Ratings: 4 stars
“Tunnel of Love” is one of very few albums so good that
not even 1987 production values could wreck it.
It isn’t from lack of trying, though. The drums on “Tougher than the Rest” are electronic
and dull and the most touching moment on “Walk
Like a Man” is inexplicably punctuated with schmaltzy organ solos. The only
song that escapes the sabotage unscathed is the title track, and that’s because
the carnival feel of the song is well-suited to the empty majesty of a theme
park ride. Wait…on a closer listen even “Tunnel
of Love” has a weird eighties dance intro that sounds like in a Debbie
Gibson song from the same year. Fortunately it only lasts twenty seconds and
then Bruce gets down to business.
And that last paragraph is the only bad thing I have
to say about this album. The songwriting on this record is as solid as anything
Springsteen has recorded, he sings with conviction and power and thematically
the album holds together in all its tragic and romantic glory. These songs are too
good to fail.
I don’t usually get into behind-the-scenes bumpf
when reviewing an album, but it is worth noting that Springsteen recorded “Tunnel
of Love” while going through a divorce from his first wife and falling in love
with his back-up singer Patti Scialfa. However personally difficult the
transition must have been, it gives the whole album an added emotional punch. We
listeners can be thankful Bruce had all that pain and conflict to share with
us. Don’t feel too bad, either; he and Scialfa are still together 25 years
later, so it all worked out for him too.
Back to the album, which has all number of classics
my favourite of which is “Tougher than
the Rest” – a song I continue to try and fail to play competently on the
guitar. In the process of learning it though, I’ve realized a whole new level
of how great it is. How, Springsteen drops ominously down to E minor when he
sings about how the road is dark, or holds to the home chord of G an extra
measure when he tells his girl he’s tougher than the rest. At every step the
music and lyrics are in perfect synch as they draw your soul down the long and
twisting road of love’s trials.
“Spare Parts”
is a boisterous song about a woman learning to survive after being abandoned by
her man. At one point she contemplates drowning her love child. Instead, she
snaps out of it, goes home and sells the bastard father’s engagement ring and
the wedding dress she never wore. It was a relief to hear a song like this not
end in someone drowning in a river – folk music is rarely so kind to the
lovelorn.
“Cautious Man”
is a subdued song about the man facing his own crisis of faith – getting up in
the middle of the night and seriously considering driving away from his
marriage and never coming back. Instead, he returns to the house and lets love
conquer fear. Earlier we learn that he’s tattooed “love” and “fear” on his
knuckles, which flies in the face of his characterization as a cautious man. I
guess that’s the point.
Both these songs manage to escape the 1987
production values for the most part, with “Spare
Parts” rockabilly style feeling like it belongs on “The River” and “Cautious Man’s” quiet acoustic guitar sounding
like something off of “Nebraska.”
“Brilliant
Disguise” is one of the great break up songs, and “When You’re Alone” captures that desolate space and how the death
of love is a one way journey. As Johnny tells his girl when she tries to
retrace her steps to his door:
“I knew some day your runnin’
wild would be through
And you’d think back on me and
you
And your love would be strong
You’d forget all about the bad
and think only of
All the love that we had
And you’d wanna come home
Now it ain’t hard feelings or
nothin’ sugar
That ain’t what’s got me singing
this song
It’s just nobody knows honey
where love goes
But when it goes it’s gone gone.”
Ever tell someone you’ll always be there for them if
they want to come back to you? I have. That verse is exactly how it feels when
you wake up one day and know it’s not true anymore.
With all this heart-wrenching exploration of love
and honour Bruce finally lets us off the hook with the final song on the album,
“Valentine’s Day.” This is a sweet
and thoughtful love song with nothing more terrible in it than a bad dream, and
nothing more complicated than a desire to see your girl. After pulling us through
the wringer he ends the record with a reminder that sometimes it all works out,
and all those dark roads thrumming ominously to the tune of E minor just make
it that much sweeter when it does.
Best
tracks: Tougher
than the Rest, Spare Parts, Cautious Man, Walk Like a Man, Brilliant Disguise,
When You’re Alone
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