Herewith are my thoughts on the new Springsteen album, Working on a Dream. Please bear in mind that I’m not a musician, just someone who loves listening to music, and I am definitely not calling this “a review”. Again this is quite long so I’ve hidden most of it behind a cut.
The opening bars of the record are definitely a shock to the system. Strings. The first track, “Outlaw Pete”, begins not with the usual rhythm of the E-Street Band, but with a driving string section. The lyrics sound like they belong to a folk song, and the track is 8 minutes long. This is very different from the rock anthem, “Radio Nowhere”, that opened Magic. But “Outlaw Pete” still has a great tempo to it, and the band gets involved after a while. It is a fascinating mixture, and therefore an ideal signature tune for the album.
Next up is “My Lucky Day”, which is a much more straightforward E-Street Band song, a pleasant but unexceptional love song. It is followed by the title track, “Working on a Dream”, which is one of those wistful “hoping my life will get better” songs that Springsteen does so well. If I had to pick one thing to characterize his work it would be that he puts the American Dream, with all its delights and flaws, to music and song.
“Queen of the Supermarket” is another blue collar classic – a song about a guy who falls in love with the checkout girl at his local store, but it too shy to tell her. Like “Working on a Dream” is has a slow tempo, and an almost religious intensity. A transcendental moment caused by a check out girl’s smile? Pure Springsteen. And a very odd fade.
The next track, “What Love Can Do”, gets the band back working again. It isn’t full speed, but it helps kick things back into gear again after the two slower pieces. I full expected Clarence to pop up at some point, but we get Bruce on a harmonica instead. By this time I was a bit worried about the Big Guy. Where was he? And yes, this is a love song too. Are you starting to notice a trend?
“This Life” slows things down again. A ballad. An angelic choir. Another love song. Bruce sounds very happy about something. Oh, and there is Clarence at last. Phew!
The harmonica comes back in force for “Good Eye”, which is a bluesy number, definitely not traditional E-Street Band material. And it is followed by what is my current favorite track off the album – “Tomorrow Never Knows”. It has a skiffle rhythm, and Bruce’s vocals sound more like Dylan than any time I can remember. It could have come straight off Modern Times, except it is rather shorter than Dylan normally prefers.
“Life Itself” gets us back into Magic territory: another love song, but vaguely disturbing with hints of a whole lot of bad things in the lyrics. In contrast “Kingdom of Days” is the most contented song on the album. It is essentially a song about an aging couple who are very happy together. And it is followed by “Surprise, Surprise” a birthday song from someone to a long-time partner. Like I said, Bruce sounds very happy about something.
We are back in folk territory for “The Last Carnival”. When I first heard it I was sure that it was a cover, especially as it is apparently written from a woman’s point of view, but the album notes say that all of the songs were written by Bruce.
The final track, “The Wrestler”, is listed as a “bonus track” and doesn’t quite belong with the album. It is a theme song from a movie and for the most part is just Bruce and an acoustic guitar. It won a Golden Globe, which is nice but perhaps also shows how poor movie songs often are. However, being a folky sort of song, it has a place within the eclectic mix that is Working on a Dream.
There are two things that are pretty obvious about this album. The first is that it is a much more adventurous mixture of styles than Magic. I have no problem with that. I like artists who experiment. The other is that the album contains a lot of happy love songs. It comes across as the work of someone who is very content with his life, and of course the album notes end with thanks to Patti and the kids. Happy rock stars are something of an anomaly. I am stupidly pleased for Bruce.
Of course this also made the album difficult listening for me at times. “Kingdom of Days” in particular reminded me of just how big a hole I have in my life right now. The contentedness that Bruce sings about is very familiar to me, and I have had it taken away. Feeling sorry for myself, however, won’t get me anywhere. What I need is a plan, and the hope that things will turn out right in the end. Here too Bruce has something to say.
I’m working on a dream
Though it can feel so far away
I’m working on a dream
And our love will make it real someday
Sounds like an interesting album . . . especially “Kingdom of Days”–I’m usually lukewarm on Springsteen but a song about a love that lasts has to be rather rare in rock, and a nice change from the usual.
Remember that I said it wasn’t a review. I’m not sure that I’m qualified to comment on the quality of the musicianship. It is simply something I enjoyed listening to.
One thing I notice, but forgot to mention, is that in a number of places Bruce didn’t even try to get his lyrics to fit the rhythm. That’s OK, because he’s first and foremost a performer and he knows how to make that work. But Dylan generally makes certain that his lyrics scan really well.