Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

Neither dwelling in the defeated sympathy of his suitably folkish Nebraska, nor the Dylan/Waits-ish low-life existential embrace of his epic Born to Run- Born in the U.S.A. is real while the others are literature. Given his knack for writing universals, realness isn't really realness when discussed in regard to Springsteen unless you're talking about something like Tunnel of Love. Even so, here he becomes what he's talking about. He means it more. His voice is at its peak. His stories are mini-dramas that're over once the song is. He's bold enough to go pop on the opener- his Deer Hunter set to an ironically muscular, patriotic anthem. He's bolder when he goes synthpop twice afterwards- I'm On Fire and Dancing In The Dark- although he necessarily ends it all in the most stripped-down, heartland way he can with the touching My Hometown. I like his stories, I believe his passion (the vocal turn in Bobby Jean: "just to say I miss you, baby": easily one of the best moments in rock music), and I count Born in the U.S.A. as one of the very few "perfect" albums in rock

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Bruce Springsteen - Tunnel of Love (1987)

1. Ain't Got You 2:11

2. Tougher Than the Rest 4:35

3. All That Heaven Will Allow 2:39

4. Spare Parts 3:44

5. Cautious Man 3:58

6. Walk Like a Man 3:45

7. Tunnel of Love 5:12

8. Two Faces 3:03

9. Brilliant Disguise 4:17

10. One Step Up 4:22

11. When You're Alone 3:24

12. Valentine's Day 5:10

Tunnel of Love is Springsteen's follow-up to the immensely successful Born in the USA. The former had Springsteen modelling himself on Deer Hunter's scathing blue-collar nationalism mixed with Rambo's exaggerated masculinity, with bombastic working class anthems to suit. Tunnel of Love, on the other hand, had him stripping back Born in the USA's epic hard rock arrangements and appreciation of the universal working class for the sake of sparse, sad songs, with very personal lyrics. Marriage in decline, his tunnel of love is unlike the ones found on terrible cards where couples honeymoon for a bit and then have to face stresses such as children, jobs, and debt. Rather, it's one that nobody ever leaves, going in together and then wandering alone. Anyone who thinks when you're alone, you're alone is a useless truism has never had his or her heart broken. Cheesy but profoundly touching, particularly if you're a fan of the boss.

Pretty much perfect for forever alone day, sorry I'm four days late posting it

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Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (1975)

1. Thunder Road 4:50

2. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out 3:11

3. Night 3:01

4. Backstreets 6:30

5. Born to Run 4:30

6. She's the One 4:30

7. Meeting Across the River 3:19

8. Jungleland 9:33

I'd like to apologise to anybody who has ever lived with me for playing this album nearly every day for I don't know how long.

Born to Run is one of those perfect albums that you play and then you're pissed off that nothing can follow it up so you listen to it enough times to kill your appreciation of it for the day and move onto something completely different. Int'l Players Anthem does the same thing for me.

I swear it does what Dylan should do for me but doesn't. Well, that injected with sax parts, big piano parts, leather jackets and masculine screams. Oh, the masculine scream. The Replacements' Paul Westerberg got his voice from that masculine scream (in my mind any way) and then Kurt Cobain got it from him (and Lennon) thus establishing the four greatest rock vocalists evuhhh (in my mind any way).

From the cheesy line I've got this guitar and I learned how to make it talk (guitar part) to the 10 minute has everything in it but still sounds really passive closing track Jungleland, I wouldn't change a thing about it.

How many ways can you say hey girl let's ruuunnnn? At least 8 really good ways. Thank you, Bruce Springsteen, I love you, man.

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