Popmartijn
Blue Crack Supplier
It has been a while since there was an appreciation thread of this great artist.
The more I listen to him, the more I like Springsteen and his songs. Reading about some of them gives me a new angle on how to look at them. Now that the new edition of the magazine Uncut has a top 40 of best Springsteen songs annotated with comments I'm even starting to like songs I didn't care that much for before.
Yes, even though he's written many great songs there are also I don't (didn't) care much for.
But that's changing at the moment. Take Dancing In The Dark. IMO, that song has dated badly, with the synth line etc. His live renditions on the current tour are much better, but still, I didn't get that song. Until I read in the Uncut how bleak the song is and I suddenly started to hear and understand the lyrics. It's something that U2 and Springsteen have in common, creating songs with heavy lyrics but with upbeat music (A Day Without Me, In God's Country, Hungry Heart, Dancing In The Dark). For the Springsteen songs it only took me longer to understand.
It was also nice to read in that magazine about Atlantic City. A few of the artists who voted in the Springsteen Top 40 mentioned great lines from Springsteen songs. Strikingly, many recalled the same line in Atlantic City Everything dies baby that's a fact But maybe everything that dies someday comes back and said how great that line is. Which I will not contest as it is also my favourite line from that song. While the song is bleak, that line has some positivity in it, even though the optimism washes away in the remainder of the song.
Live, Springsteen is in a league with the best. At the moment U2 is still my favourite live band, but hearing Springsteen's concerts (especially from the Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour) I sometimes start to doubt. The conviction, the intensity and the fun! I especially like it when he starts to tell his stories before/during songs. My heart always makes an extra beat during Growin' Up, when Springsteen says that he/they/we have to settle for ROCK 'N ROLL!
(OK, this may make only sense to those who have heard this song live, if not, get a bootleg with this song on it or Live 1975-1985)
Somebody on this forum said a few days ago that U2 were in danger of becoming ageing rock stars like Springsteen. He meant this as a negative statement, but Bruce's spirit will never grow old. And U2 becoming like Springsteen is a compliment, for both of them.
I'm just a prisoner of rock 'n roll!
Marty
P.S. Try to get the Uncut with the Springsteen article in it. It comes with a CD where artists cover Springsteen songs. In fact, there are 2 different version, each with a different cover CD (the contents of the magazine is the same). For Springsteen affecionados the magazine is easy to recognise as Bruce is on the cover of both versions.
The more I listen to him, the more I like Springsteen and his songs. Reading about some of them gives me a new angle on how to look at them. Now that the new edition of the magazine Uncut has a top 40 of best Springsteen songs annotated with comments I'm even starting to like songs I didn't care that much for before.
Yes, even though he's written many great songs there are also I don't (didn't) care much for.
But that's changing at the moment. Take Dancing In The Dark. IMO, that song has dated badly, with the synth line etc. His live renditions on the current tour are much better, but still, I didn't get that song. Until I read in the Uncut how bleak the song is and I suddenly started to hear and understand the lyrics. It's something that U2 and Springsteen have in common, creating songs with heavy lyrics but with upbeat music (A Day Without Me, In God's Country, Hungry Heart, Dancing In The Dark). For the Springsteen songs it only took me longer to understand. It was also nice to read in that magazine about Atlantic City. A few of the artists who voted in the Springsteen Top 40 mentioned great lines from Springsteen songs. Strikingly, many recalled the same line in Atlantic City Everything dies baby that's a fact But maybe everything that dies someday comes back and said how great that line is. Which I will not contest as it is also my favourite line from that song. While the song is bleak, that line has some positivity in it, even though the optimism washes away in the remainder of the song.
Live, Springsteen is in a league with the best. At the moment U2 is still my favourite live band, but hearing Springsteen's concerts (especially from the Darkness On The Edge Of Town tour) I sometimes start to doubt. The conviction, the intensity and the fun! I especially like it when he starts to tell his stories before/during songs. My heart always makes an extra beat during Growin' Up, when Springsteen says that he/they/we have to settle for ROCK 'N ROLL!
(OK, this may make only sense to those who have heard this song live, if not, get a bootleg with this song on it or Live 1975-1985)Somebody on this forum said a few days ago that U2 were in danger of becoming ageing rock stars like Springsteen. He meant this as a negative statement, but Bruce's spirit will never grow old. And U2 becoming like Springsteen is a compliment, for both of them.
I'm just a prisoner of rock 'n roll!
Marty
P.S. Try to get the Uncut with the Springsteen article in it. It comes with a CD where artists cover Springsteen songs. In fact, there are 2 different version, each with a different cover CD (the contents of the magazine is the same). For Springsteen affecionados the magazine is easy to recognise as Bruce is on the cover of both versions.
bruce *d'l bruce songs right now* 
Just like you said about Atlantic City-even the bleakest songs have this strange sense of optimism, and maybe the same can be said about U2. 
