“Everyman music”: The Bruce Springsteen song Phil Collins adores
It takes a very special songwriter to be truly universal, but very few listeners have been untouched by the universal songwriting of Bruce Springsteen. With an extensive discography covering everything from pop-rock anthems to melancholic tales of working-class reality to covers of soul stompers, there is truly something for everyone when it comes to the music of the New Jersey songwriter.
During the early days of Bruce Springsteen’s career, the songwriter was often compared to another universal songwriter, Bob Dylan. Despite his love of Dylan’s work, Springsteen was quick to move away from these comparisons, dedicating himself to sonic diversity and embracing countless different styles and sounds. A prime example of this diversity lies within two of his albums from the early 1980s: Nebraska and Born In The U.S.A.. Composed and recorded at around the same time, the two very disparate records represent opposite ends of the songwriter’s repertoire.
Released in 1982, Nebraska is a profound exploration of Springsteen’s inner-being, in addition to his deep interest in literature and American folk music. On the whole, it is quite a vulnerable, intimate, and often melancholic record which – despite selling well upon its release – was never intended to provide the songwriter with a commercial boost. The follow-up, Born In The U.S.A., was much more commercial in its approach.
As such, the 1984 album ended up becoming Springsteen’s best-selling album, chock full of pop masterpieces like ‘Dancing In The Dark’ and the ever-misunderstood title track. Nobody could denounce the brilliance of the album, particularly given the fact that the songwriter had preceded the pop-centric album with a groundbreakingly understated record like Nebraska. Born In The U.S.A. became a defining moment in 1980s pop, a landscape that was otherwise dominated by former Genesis drummer Phil Collins.
He might have entered the music scene back in the 1970s, joining the ranks of prog rock powerhouse Genesis, but the 1980s was truly the decade of Phil Collins. Tracks like ‘In The Air Tonight’ and ‘Sussudio’ made him the most successful artist of the decades, earning more top 40 singles in the US than any other artist. Despite the whirlwind nature of the era for Collins, he still managed to stay on top of rising trends in the music industry.
In particular, Collins always maintained an appreciation for Bruce Springsteen, with the New Jersey singer’s 1984 album becoming a particular favourite. During an interview with Playboy back in 1986, at the peak of Collins’ solo career, the songwriter heaped praise onto Springsteen, sharing, “I’ve always liked the idea of Springsteen–everyman’s music for everyman, you know; it captures the imagination of the workingman. Chuck Berry did the same thing.”
Comparing Springsteen to one of the most important architects of rock and roll is high praise indeed, but praise which is certainly deserving of Springsteen’s universal appeal. “I don’t know that much about Springsteen’s older songs,” he continued, “but I like what he stands for. ‘Born in the U.S.A.’ is just fantastic. It has great atmosphere, and it’s a great song.” The title track of the 1984 album is certainly among the songwriter’s most accomplished efforts, although the anti-war song is often misunderstood as a patriotic anthem by some audiences.
The ability for Springsteen to encode such meaningful messages of nationalism and anti-war protest into a pop-rock song which became a huge commercial hit, speaks to the unique power of his songwriting. If anybody else could recognise that universal appeal, it was Phil Collins.
