The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Redemption, from Asbury Park to Magic (Gospel According To...) [Paperback]

Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gospel According To... | Publication Date: June 16, 2008

In this engaging book, Jeffrey Symynkywicz, a minister and dedicated Springsteen fan, shows us that Bruce Spingsteen's enduring importance stems largely from the rich spiritual themes that run throughout his albums. With a lively and engaging style, Symynkywicz probes each of Springsteen's albums and shows how his music helps make sense of the many threads of our lives, including experiences of sin and redemption, fear and courage, and--above all--faith, hope, and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, a driver rolled down his window and shouted to Bruce Springsteen, We need you—now! A few days later Springsteen appeared as part of a telethon to help victims' families, and not long after released The Rising, with Into the Fire as a tribute to the lost firefighters. It wasn't the first or last time America would need the Boss—his support kept the Vietnam Veterans of America from disbanding, and his social critique since 9/11 has been loud in its protest of the Iraq War. According to Symynkywicz, Born in the USA is not only Springsteen's greatest album, it represents the ambiguity of his gospel, his lover's quarrel with an America he loves and fumes against. Symynkywicz explores these theological and political questions with the deftness of a Harvard-trained minister and a great Springsteen fan. He has clearly pored over these lyrics, multilayered as they are, and sifted them through a theological filter. At times he offers a bit too much detail. Other times you'll want to stop reading, turn on the Boss and dance in the dark, maybe even praying while you do. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, a driver rolled down his window and shouted to Bruce Springsteen, We need you now! A few days later Springsteen appeared as part of a telethon to help victims' families, and not long after released The Rising, with Into the Fire as a tribute to the lost firefighters. It wasn't the first or last time America would need the Boss his support kept the Vietnam Veterans of America from disbanding, and his social critique since 9/11 has been loud in its protest of the Iraq War. According to Symynkywicz, Born in the USA is not only Springsteen's greatest album, it represents the ambiguity of his gospel, his lover's quarrel with an America he loves and fumes against. Symynkywicz explores these theological and political questions with the deftness of a Harvard-trained minister and a great Springsteen fan. He has clearly pored over these lyrics, multilayered as they are, and sifted them through a theological filter. At times he offers a bit too much detail. Other times you'll want to stop reading, turn on the Boss and dance in the dark, maybe even praying while you do. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press (June 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664231691
• ISBN-13: 978-0664231699
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful analysis is a must for diehard fans, August 17, 2008

By 

Peter Chianca "Blogness on the Edge of Town" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Redemption, from Asbury Park to Magic (Gospel According To...) (Paperback)

Casual fans -- the ones who haven't shelled out cash money for a Springsteen album since "Born in the U.S.A." -- need not apply for "The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen." They would probably find Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz's album-by-album, almost song-by-song evaluation of Springsteen's work from a spiritual perspective to be almost maddeningly comprehensive and, at times, just plain kooky: Who thinks this much about this stuff?

But for those of us who do think this much about this stuff -- we know who we are -- this detailed, thoughtful analysis is a welcome and thought-provoking look at the words of an important artist whose work has and continues to resonate on a spiritual level.

If there's an underlying philosophy that Symynkywicz points to in Springsteen's work, it's that we have to bring our own "love and joy" to our lives. "Nothing will change if we put all our hopes for salvation outside of ourselves," Symynkywicz writes, "if we waste the whole summer waiting `for a savior to rise from these streets.'"

There's a fair amount of lyrical analysis, some of it fairly obvious to anyone who's listened to these songs carefully (meaning most people who'd be interested in this book). But more interesting, to me at least, were Symynkywicz's looks at the underlying religious implications of some of the songs, including references to scripture. The allusions are intriguing, and make you want to listen to these songs again, either to try to hear what Symynkywicz hears or to dismiss it as a lot of hooey.

That's most true in the book's section on "The Rising," one of Springsteen's most spiritual albums. Because the lyrics are more oblique than some of his earlier tales of Magic Rats and '69 Chevys, they're more open to the type of interpretation Symynkywicz excels at -- and he rises (so to speak) to the challenge of analyzing them in the context of the horrific events of Sept. 11, which inspired them.

Granted, even the diehard Springsteen fans might not want to delve this deeply into his work, out of fear that it might become too academic and lose some of its primal power, or even its sense of fun, an important component of most Springsteen albums and certainly his concerts. Still, if you have all those albums on your shelf and have enjoyed them through the years -- and maybe even leaned on them to get you through the rough patches of life -- "The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen" will at the very least have you nodding your head in enthusiastic agreement.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock and redemption? Absolutely!, August 23, 2008

By 

Judith Jones (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Redemption, from Asbury Park to Magic (Gospel According To...) (Paperback)

As a seminary grad, I have long been interested in the intersection between faith and popular culture. And as a confessed long-time diehard Springsteen fan, I found myself nodding in agreement with much of this book, as the music of Bruce Springsteen has certainly been a part of my own spiritual journey. Music has the power to move us viscerally, and there are times when the right song at the right moment articulates that which is too deep for us to verbalize ourseleves. Many others have noted the explicit religious references in Springsteen's body of work; he himself has admitted in recent years how his Catholic upbringing has shaped his worldview and permeated his music. But Symynkywicz offers deeper analysis and new insights grounded in sound theology and presented in an engaging style. The book would also lend itself to use in small group discussion for both the casual listener and the devoted fan.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Deeper Look at the Springsteen Canon, August 12, 2008

By 

Elizabeth Fontaine (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gospel according to Bruce Springsteen: Rock and Redemption, from Asbury Park to Magic (Gospel According To...) (Paperback)

I have just finished reading this book, and will soon go out and buy several more copies for friends and relatives-- longtime Springsteen fans and newcomers alike. Symynkwicz does an excellent job of laying out before us in a clear and coherent manner so many of the themes that we always knew were there in Bruce's work-- themes like hope, redemption, the power of love, and the yearning for social justice and real patriotism. Because this book is so well organized, one album at a time, and because the author lays out the lyrics and main ideas of particular songs so clearly, it can be used both by those who have an expert's knowledge of everything Springsteen has written, as well as those who might just be curious, or just passing fans. The book also is a nice balance between the popular and the scholarly, and a nice blend of Springsteen's ideas and the author's. It's full of very interesting & pithy insights that will get the reader thinking further into the meaning in Bruce's wonderful lyrics.