#6 Tunnel of Love- Bruce Springsteen
One of the most difficult things to do in life is to openly and publicly expose personal struggles and failures. One need look no further than the typical post on Facebook and Instagram. Generally speaking, you will find people either trying to persuade you to see something their way or glimpse at a fabulous corner of their lives. I have nothing against this personally, I like to see good things happening to people I care about. My point is struggle, doubt and the many ramifications of those conditions are undoubtedly part of each of our lives but are commonly shielded from public view.
“Tunnel of Love” to me feels like Bruce is struggling and losing a battle between who he wants to be and what he can be. This record was released during the dying days of his marriage to Julianne Phillips. He steps into the confessional seeking comfort and relief (“All That Heaven Will Allow”) and we are all there to hear his sins and witness the pain they are causing him. Although the Tunnel of Love tour included the E Street Band and they have credit on the record, Bruce recorded this album by himself- he entered the confessional alone. Bruce is coming face to face with his own humanity and finding that no matter how much he wills himself to be a better man, his limitations are in the way. Song after song paints the picture:
Ain’t Got You: I’ve got it all, but I’m “the greatest fool this world ever knew” because I need something else.
Tougher Than the Rest: I can will myself to be the man I want to be.
All That Heaven Will Allow: What I want is out there, maybe I can con my way into it. “come on Jim, slip me in man”
Spare Parts: The mother of an illegitimate child begins the process of drowning her child to free herself from the pain in her life, ultimately finding she can’t do it
Cautious Man: Between tattoos of love and fear, an honest and dutiful man finds only a permanent coldness.
Walk Like a Man: Following the footsteps of his father, a struggling Bruce resolves to use his dad’s example to do what is right.
Tunnel of Love: In a relationship where the “room of shadows is so dark brother it’s easy for two people to lose each other”, Bruce tries “to learn to live with what (he) can’t rise above”.
Two Faces: Bruce confronts his failing inner struggle between need and duty, a fight he cannot pray his way through
Brilliant Disguise: A haunting description of the self-loathing and distrust Bruce feels for himself behind the mask he shows the world as he asks God for mercy
One Step Up: Bruce sees himself in a downward spiral, he’s “slipped off track” and is losing ground with each step.
When You’re Alone: Bruce finds that whatever external things a person can rely on, and however hard he works, a feeling of loneliness over lost love is consuming and pervasive.
Valentines Day: Bruce, alone and separated from what he wants tells us he is afraid to lose what he has and asks his honey to be his “lonely Valentine” Those two words that just don’t go together paint the perfect final picture of the conflict and consequence Bruce is wrestling with.
For me, this album is like Pepto Bismol, I don’t need it often, but I’m glad it’s on my shelf when it can help me solve a problem. It is a reminder that none of us are perfect and neither is life, despite what you may see on social media.
