Things got even more interesting on 'Tunnel of Love’…a remarkable bunch of tunes, where our leader starts having a go at himself, and the hypocrisy of his own heart, before anyone else could. But the tabloids could never break news on Bruce Springsteen. Because his fans -- he had already told us everything in the songs.
-Bono, March 15, 1999
Inducting Bruce Springsteen into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame
Whenever an artist sells north of ten-million copies of a single album the expectations for a follow-up are enormous and completely unrealistic. Peter Frampton, Michael Jackson, Shania Twain, Whitney Houston and dozens of others have tried, but ultimately you can’t catch lightning in a bottle no matter how hard you try. It doesn’t matter how many talk shows you appear on, how many morning radio shows you do, how many high profile events you attend or how expensive your music videos are. Ultimately, no one will remember all that jazz in twenty-years time…but if the music’s good, they will. Bruce Springsteen was keenly aware of this and chose not to even attempt a follow-up. In some ways he rode his career momentum in the fall of 1986 with his immense three-disc/ 5 LP collection Live 1975-1985, it was an obvious choice and it sold a few million copies to appease the suits at CBS/Columbia. However, his true follow-up was Tunnel of Love released in October 1987.
Tunnel of Love is an album that disappointed millions upon release. They wondered where their jean and bandana wearing patriot had gone. He hadn’t gone anywhere, he just wasn’t the Springsteen they had come to love and adore. Despite a slick and styled Springsteen that appeared on the cover, inside the record he was a mess. A normal artist would want to defend their title and would most likely second guess every move on their next record, but Springsteen did what he had always done; speak the truth and write from within. Towards the end of the Born in the U.S.A. tour, Springsteen married actress Julianne Philips, however, one listen to Tunnel and it was apparent that there was trouble in paradise. In his book, Songs Springsteen claims the work was not a first person account, but more of a man who was in his latter thirties questioning his place in the world and inside the home. Tunnel of Love is an album void of anthem and choruses so immense they could swallow you. Instead it is a collection of a dozen songs that look deeply into love. What has made mach one of Springsteen’s journeys (1973-1987) so amazing is his uncanny ability to reflect his age and experience in each album. Writing about Friday nights at the drive-in and car washes wouldn’t suffice this time around. He had heavier things on his mind and it showed. The album was written and recorded quickly in the spring of 1987 mostly in his home studio. Members of the E Street Band were brought in later to overdub their parts. Only drummer Max Weinberg made consistent appearances throughout the album. Springsteen took his characters that he obsessed about in the outside world and took them inside the house to confront their true demons. Springsteen breaks down the heavy emotions that come with commitment and shines a light on the sorrows that don’t just come from the outside world, but from inner doubt with those closest to you.
“Ain’t Got You” begins the cavalcade of emotions. Semi-autobiographical, Springsteen has a kick at himself and his fame (“Well I got all the riches baby any man ever knew, but the only thing I ain't got honey I ain't got you”). The rudimentary Bo-Didley beat is harnessed by a harmonica and acoustic guitar. The track aches with a longing that no amount of success or money could satiate. Little did we know back in 1987 that he was writing from first-person. “Tougher Than The Rest” may appear to be pedestrian at first, but there are swelling emotions as his voice trickles with resignation and ultimately defiance (“I want you to know I’ll walk it for you anytime”). Sung in a lower register, almost monotone delivery, the song is anchored by Max Weinberg’s steady drums and Roy Bittan’s revealing synthesizers which never overpower the song but make a statement with their pronounced sonics. Holding emotions inward on such a proclamation of love may appear to be a mistake, but one listen to the harmonica solo at the end and you feel the emotional release. “All That Heaven Will Allow” is a pretty little ditty of a song with a narrator who is light on his feet, a fast talker and someone who is beyond content with life. It’s about finding your space in the world with a love that is blue and true. Sometimes there is triumph in the simplicities of life and when one is truly in love, it makes all of the other obstacles placed in front of us that less important. “Spare Parts” is a hybrid of country and rock of a female who feels the world crush in on her from all angles; an unwanted pregnancy, a boyfriend who has fled, longing for her youth and desertion. This song is the most E Street of all the songs on the album. Eventually the love for her child forces her to move on when she sells off two items that represent dashed dreams; her engagement ring and her wedding dress. The character, like many in Springsteen’s cannon, feels despair, but ultimately comes to terms with her lot in life and takes control. “Cautious Man” is the quietest and most misunderstood track on the album. It was performed only once on the tour that followed months later. The character sketch paints a visceral picture full of metaphors (“On his right hand Billy tattooed the word love and on his left hand was the word fear”). The character of “Billy” struggles with dichotomy of life; his love is profound but he is conflicted about it simultaneously. Eventually he realizes what he has. We all have doubts and feel trapped by life, the weight of being responsible and having to answer to another person is enough to overwhelm some and “Billy” feels the crush, but in a waking moment of clarity, he knows that while he has doubts, his commitment is true (“At their bedside he brushed the hair from his wife's face as the moon shone on her skin so white, filling their room with the beauty of God's fallen light”). “Walk Like A Man” is another father-son story, but this isn’t one of resentment and reproach, but one of true sincerity. It finds a man on his wedding day speaking of his youthful love for his father. People look for the strength to make a happy life and it proves to be something far harder than anyone could imagine. In some ways, it’s a reconciliation between father and son. Time softens anger and the narrator pledges to “keep on walking” in his continued growth in life. The song begins to see life from his father’s point of view after years of being at each others throats. The tender lullaby has an appreciation for how much hard work goes into relationships and as side-one comes to a close, a devastating questions is asked in one of the verses as the narrator reminisces about watching wedding with his sister in his youth and they ponder “would they ever look so happy again”. This brings the listener to the second side of the voyage.
Opening side-two is the title track, “Tunnel of Love”. The liveliest track on the album takes the listener on a dark and mystical ride, much like marriage. It’s full of metaphors comparing marriage to a carnival ride. Featuring an incendiary guitar solo from Nils Lofgren, it could hint at the tension and fights that occur when two become one. Love is full of ups and downs and staying on the ride is what’s vital to its survival. When one or the other hops off, they steer off course, marriage isn’t easy, but in a stunning lyric, Springsteen sums it up best, “You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above if you want to ride on down in through this tunnel of love”. There is great reward in fighting for your love, staying on course and not hopping off the roller coaster. Split personalities reign supreme on “Two Faces”. The narrator struggles to come to terms with his own demons and insecurities and even resigns himself to prayer. There are many shades to relationships, their formation and ultimately their survival. The narrator struggles with his insecurities and is full of contradictions, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg; wait until the next track. “Brilliant Disguise” may be one of Springsteen’s greatest achievements. It’s a evocative and illuminating take on coming to terms with one’s uncertainties, worries and suspicions. The question arises, do we ever open ourselves enough to allow anyone else in? Throughout five verses the character tries to fulfill his duty, but can never fully come to terms with his qualms. The bracing drums and flourishes of piano add to the haunting atmosphere. However, it’s the final lyric that haunts you as the song fades out.Tonight our bed is cold
I'm lost in the darkness of our love
God have mercy on the man
Who doubts what he's sure of
Never before has a relationship song been broken down to such simple, yet profoundly poetic terms. Most love songs are black and white and on “Brilliant Disguise” the area is very grey. Falling in love is easy, finding a way to make it work over a long period is the challenge and struggle. “One Step Up” takes the self-loathing and fears of the heart one step further. Filled with elegiac metaphors, it’s essentially about two people reaching the end of their marriage. The narrator isn’t perfect and doesn’t see how it can work. But when tempted by another woman, a unforgettable lyric is spoken, “Last night I dreamed I held you in my arms, the music was never-ending, we danced as the evening sky faded to black”. On all of Tunnel of Love the characters are not profoundly jealous or in seek of revenge, they’re lost souls praying for God to lead the way. These are everyday people, who struggle with the complexities of marriage and long term relationships.
“When You’re Alone” finds characters at a crossroads. One leaves home swearing never to return and the other stands by contemplating their absence. Hinting at shades of earlier character sketches that had defined his work, this song is a turnabout of sorts as the characters on “Born To Run” and “Thunder Road” were escaping their miserable existences, but on “When You’re Alone”, they may escape but they soon realize that comfort is not always found on the open road alone. In the final verse, the narrator sends a final send off to his absent lover, but it’s the final two verses that sting, “It's just nobody knows baby where love goes, but when it goes it's gone gone”. The irony of course is that the one who was left behind in some ways is the one who makes the final escape. The album’s closer, “Valentine’s Day” is an eye opening revelatory hymn. At the crux of Tunnel of Love are people trying to make sense of their lives, especially within a marriage. Once born, you’re thrust into the world as you attempt to find your own place and create your own unique voice. When you think you’ve found it, you get married and a whole other series of questions and misgivings begin to attack your mind. The self-assurance you once had dissipates and the cocksure confidence is a shadow of its former self. If you’re lucky, you find a partner to share these dreams, desires and nightmares with. However, others find challenges in lowering their masks. The sexiest thing anyone could ever do in front of a loved one is be vulnerable. The characters on Tunnel of Love don’t trust their partners enough to do this. Not only do they not let their guards down, but they have a hard time looking themselves in the mirror. The narrator of “Valentine’s Day” has had his doubts, but he’s learned that the world is bigger than himself and his dreams. He speaks to a friend who just had a baby and he could hear “the light” in his voice. He’s come to terms with his fears and broken dreams and none of them seem to matter in this moment, all he can think of is the loneliness he’d experience without his love (“What scares me is losing you”). Unlike the character in “The River”, he can see through the darkness and realizes that he’s in possession of that inner light.
Tunnel of Love wasn’t the album anyone expected Bruce Springsteen to make and in truth, it may be the bravest and most daring record ever released by a mega-selling artist. If any other artist had tried to release a gloomy and intimate collection songs about love following an album that sold twelve-million copies, they would have been committed to an institution. What I admire so immensely about this album is that Springsteen lowered the expectations before anyone could claim it to be a failure. Those who dismissed it for its absence of electrifying guitars and bludgeoning drums need to return to this record and revisit it. It’s an unsettling collection of tunes that tells stories that don’t always have happy endings but is completely authentic and is still a haunting document of a marriage at the crossroads more than two-decades after its release. In some ways we feel cheated by artists who write syrupy love songs we can’t identify with, however, Tunnel of Love steers away from vanilla offerings and delves into relationships with a vigor only a few others ever had before. None of us have had a relationships where it’s all love and roses, there are thorns in every relationship and this album reminds us, helps make sense and tries to steer us away from pricking out finger with one of the thorns. Tunnel of Love may not be Bruce Springsteen’s most popular album, but anyone who has ever listened closely to it intimately will never forget it and its dark ride. Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com.
"Ain't Got You"
"Tougher Than The Rest"
"All That Heaven Will Allow"
"Spare Parts"
"Cautious Man"
"Walk Like A Man"
"Tunnel of Love"
"Two Faces"
"Brilliant Disguise"
"One Step Up"
"When You're Alone"
"Valentine's Day"
