“I understood”: the controversial song that made Josh Homme love Bruce Springsteen
When you go to his shows, meet his fans, and hear the words of his songs screamed by thousands, it becomes clear just how much of an impact Bruce Springsteen has on people. His sound transcends time, touches the hearts of different generations, and continues to live in the hearts of people around the world. That being said, some people simply aren’t fans.
Josh Homme was one of those people. While he is very close to the world of rock, he felt something was missing from Springsteen’s sound. He was never too sure what it was, but when he listened, he felt as if something was missing. The result was that he didn’t have disdain for Springsteen; instead, he just felt slightly removed from the fandom that surrounded ‘The Boss’.
Bruce Springsteen’s approach to music is two-fold. The first is the instrumentation. He is undoubtedly a rock star, as he loves to write music that involves heavy distortion and exciting drums and employs an upbeat, borderline chaotic style. Like many people, he was massively inspired by The Beatles when it came to developing this sound, as he loved the music of The Fab Four as soon as he heard it.
From that point on, he was adamant about learning the guitar and playing rock music. He also loved bands such as The Rolling Stones and turned to the guitar work of Keith Richards when he was initially learning how to play the guitar and how to put together a solo.
The second aspect of Bruce Springsteen’s music is his lyricism. While he enjoyed the songwriting style of many of the rock bands whose instrumentation he adored, he wanted to write something much more deep and profound. He was a big fan of Bob Dylan and was very moved by how his songs weren’t just filled with melody but more honesty than most other artists would ever dare put in their music.
When Springsteen first started listening to Dylan, he knew right away that his lyrics would be more than words that matched the rhythm of the track. He was adamant that his music would also move people. This could be done by using nostalgia, politics, emotion, or, in some cases, works of fiction.
The latter is what Springsteen did with his album Nebraska, which was written from the point of view of a number of evil people in a bid to portray the darker sides of humanity. One song that slipped through the cracks of the album and ended up on Born In The USA instead was also the song that helped Josh Homme better understand the work of Springsteen. This is the track ‘I’m On Fire’, which tells the tale of different men going through strange periods of lust and desire, which is often inappropriate.
“I remember listening to the radio, and the Bruce Springsteen song ‘I’m on Fire’ came on. I’ve never really been into Springsteen. Not that I didn’t like him, it’s just that I didn’t care,” said Homme. “That song came on, and I was like, ‘Holy shit, this is good.’ I didn’t go out and buy a Springsteen record, but I got that song and started listening with a different perspective. I understood certain things about it that I didn’t pay attention to before.”
