“It’s straight out big”: Bruce Springsteen on his most romantic song since ‘Born to Run’
The reason why people write songs varies. For some, it’s because they want listeners to have fun, which means the deeper layers of tracks aren’t considered as much, and so long as the melody is one people can enjoy themselves to, they’re happy. Then you have other artists who write from a place of truth, no matter how uncomfortable that truth may be. Finally, you have people like Bruce Springsteen, who do both.
When you look at Bruce Springsteen, you see an artist who has been performing for decades and shows no signs of slowing down. He is capable of writing any kind of music and delivering it in a way that appeals to the masses. It means that when he goes on stage and plays an unpredictable playlist, regardless of the songs that come up, fans will leave happy.
While versatility is a good attribute for any artist to have, Springsteen’s willingness to embrace different styles and sounds has meant that in the past, he has made some records that are much more gloomy than others. For instance, albums like Nebraska see him embody the persona of darker characters to write a song that pushes boundaries both sonically and thematically.
Then, there are other albums, such as Born To Run, on which listeners feel nostalgic for a life that wasn’t even there in the first place. His writing about people, places, and experiences is so reminiscent and beautiful that you are almost convinced he is writing directly from points in your life.
Relatability has always been important to Springsteen. He cites Bob Dylan as one of his biggest influences and admits that when he initially started making music, he did so with the intention of making music comparable to Dylan’s, not only in melody but in how much it touches those listening.
“I was very influenced by Dylan,” he said, “I always say he’s the father of my country. He initially provided me with a picture of a country that I recognised. One that feels real, feels like the truth.”
Since hearing Dylan for the first time, Springsteen has always been adamant about making music which resonates in the same way he does; however, connecting with people on an emotional level can be done in multiple ways. You have the upbeat nostalgia of Born To Run or the more gloomy songs you hear on Nebraska. After a few albums laced with gloom, Springsteen decided it was time to engage with the romanticism embedded in songs like ‘Born To Run’ and ended up creating a favourite.
‘Girls In Their Summer Clothes’ was a song that Springsteen was very happy with, which he felt eluded to some of his earlier work and allowed him to have fun with music again. “It’s straight-out big. I don’t think I’ve written as romantically as I allowed myself to do on that song maybe since ‘Born to Run’,” he said, “This record, I felt free to go back to the romanticism of my earliest records.”
“I doubled my voice, I sang in a bigger voice. I’m actually looking forward to writing a little bit more in that style, to picking up some of those elements that I discarded because I wanted to make sure that the music was tough enough for the subjects I was interested in dealing with,” he said, “That’s what I did with Darkness on the Edge of Town and Nebraska and parts of The River. But now, I feel free enough to go back and reclaim those lovely elements of pop simplicity and the well-crafted three-and-a-half-minute song, which I love to do.”
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