It feels weird for me to be commenting on lyrics (since I’m apparently one of the rare NotALyricsGuy™’s who also happens to be a Springsteen fan)

The wish to dive headlong into the future, to face whatever comes and to rise above it all: that theme presents itself in so many Springsteen tunes. Hell, the entire Born To Run album was built on that idea.

For a few seconds here, you might be fooled into thinking this was the E Street Band. An aggressive snap-roll of the drums, a single guitar chord, and a joyous piano figure sure did sound about right.

Here Bruce presents a variation on “Be careful of what you wish for…,” turned sideways as “…with every wish comes a curse.” We want that job, no matter what it might do to us. We want that person, even if they’re not “the one.”

Here’s a great example of how Bruce’s live performance can transform a song. “Gloria’s Eyes,” the studio version is nothing special. A guy-loses-girl story set to a rolling guitar figure/blues changes thing.

“Cross My Heart” immediately struck me as one of those little naughty slice of life vignette’s to be placed alongside songs like “Pink Cadillac” and (more recently) “You’ve Got It.” The innuendo is about as subtle as most old blue tunes (read: not)

A mostly spoken narrative (about the vapidity of television) supported by just a bassline and shadowy keyboards, the sound of “57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)” was definitely a departure for Bruce. I have to admit that my bookish self liked this song

Looking back, the slightly angular (for Bruce) guitar lines that introduce “Soul Driver” remind me of the phrases he played during “Once Upon a Time in the West” for the 2007 tribute We All Love Ennio Morricone.

It had been five long years, more than that if my disappointment with Tunnel Of Love is to be considered.

As I close out Tunnel Of Love, I encounter the one song in the entire cycle that I truly enjoy start to finish. Most of the themes on this album carry with them some elements of universality.