Customer Reviews

Tunnel of Love

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I remember when this album came out in 1987. It was a surprise since Bruce's Born in the U.S.A. was only released 3 years earlier. This was also a surprise in that Bruce was his most revealing both lyrically and emotionally. The twelve songs about love and relationship still hold up 13 years later. The music holds up just as well. This is mostly a quiet, thoughtful work from the Boss. While Born in the U.S.A. may have been misinterpreted by many, Tunnel of Love hits its mark. Perhaps that's why this sold less than half the amount of records Born in the U.S.A. did. There are the hits "Brilliant Disguise", "Tunnel of Love" and "One Step Up". There are the great non-hits like "I Ain't Got You", "Tougher Than The Rest", "Spare Parts", "Walk Like A Man", "Two Faces" and "Valentine's Day." It's unfortunate that the break up of Bruce's first marriage would lead to such a great album, but for the rest of us, this is his greatest gift. I know Born to Run and Born in the USA and Darkness on the Edge of Town and even Nebraska are fan's picks, but I thought I'd pick one that is just as great but less often mentioned.

Tunnel of Love is one of the most challenging and introspective recordings I have ever listened to. In the midst of an era of trite music (which is still continuing 13 years later) that is sexually obsessive, Springsteen pumped out a very engaging and thoughtful album. Bruce looks at a relationship between a man and woman, the longing, the development, eventual marriage, & then problems that occur in that context. Not only does he make observations, he never really points the finger and holds both people in the relationship accountable for the troubles that are occuring. "Tougher than the Rest," "Tunnel of Love," "Two Faces," "Brilliant Disguise," and "Valentine's Day" are some of the most endearing songs ever written by Springsteen. That being said there is one song on this album that is a cut above everything else. "One Step Up" is a heart breaker. This song closely analyzes the human tendency of falling into old habits and traits as shown by one of the chorus lines: "I'm the same old story, same old act. One step and two steps back." I've never heard anyone with as impressive a catalog or songwriting ability as Springsteen (that includes some favorites of mine: U2, the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Tom Petty, etc.) and this album is one of his best. If you can buy them all, if you want a great album to start with and are really serious about listening to the music start here.

When most critics or casual fans think of Bruce's greatest albums, this 1987 effort is usually not one of those picked. It seems to have been lost in the bright spotlight of "Born in the USA" 3 years earlier. This is a shame, because it really is one of Springsteen's 2 or 3 finest albums. I don't know that I've ever heard another album that expresses one man's feelings of loneliness, deception, betrayal, and overall heartache as much as "Tunnel of Love" does. The lyrics and music are thoughtful, reflective, and passionate. I think every man can relate to the feelings Bruce expresses on this album. The songs provide a nice contrast to Springsteen's powerful rock anthems.

I could never understand why this CD has never gotten the commercial acceptance that "Born In The USA" got (which I felt was the boss's most overrated). I hate to refer to this as Springsteens "love song" album because that brings up an image of Michael Bolton. I guess you could say they are "relationship songs" as nearly all of them are about dying relationships(One Step Up), deceit (Brilliant Disguise, Two Faces). Sounds kinda of like a bummer but it's not. These songs the older I get take on more meaning. I can hear "ONe Step UP" and it still reminds of a relationship I had that didn't make it. I can also listen to "Valentines Day" and remember what it felt like driving 3 1/2 hours though the night to see my girlfriend years ago and the nervousness and excitement I felt, wondering where this long distance relationship was going to go. I put this as one of the boss's 3 best CDs.

The difficulty in explaining to people that 'Tunnel Of Love' is your favourite album of all time is that most conjure up images of stadium rocker Bruce - of course this record is the antithesis of Born in the USA - it's also the closest I've found to a perfection in my oversize record collection. Sparsely beautiful melodies, lyrics that really hit home, and his best collection of songs to be found. Particularly lovely are 'Walk Like A Man' and 'One Step Up' both of which feature honest, direct lyrics and hauntingly beautiful arrangements - the kind to make a grown man get choked up over. I bought this album when I was about 16 but didn't really understand it back then, I've grown to understand it as the years have gone by sure enough.

At the height of the mammoth success of "Born in the U.S.A.," Bruce Springsteen made some major changes in his personal life as well - he brought a bigger house and got married to actress Julianne Phillips. Though seemingly happy with his newfound megastardom and supermodel wife, all was not well under the surface. The pressures and responsibilities of Springsteen's personal and artistic lives had taken his toll on him. He was unsure about the direction his life was going in, and developed a great deal of insecurity and even fear. Like all great artists, Springsteen took these emotions and translated them into art. The final result was "Tunnel of Love," Bruce's best and mature work as an artist.

The album chronicles the roller coaster ride that is human relationships. Starting off with the first errant sparks of attraction in the self deprecating "Ain't Got You" to the youthful innocence of "All That Heaven Will Allow" to the thoughtful and sweet "Cautious Man," the first half of the album captures the initial heart over head mentality that is dominant in the initial stages. The title track is where things begin to get a little darker, as the main character of the album begins to ponder the longterm effects of a relationship and realizes that things won't always be as good as they were in the beginning.

"Spare Parts" takes things down a darker road, as a teen romance turns sour when Janey gets pregnant and Bobby slits out of fear. Like "The River" before it, Bruce takes a controversial subject like teen pregnancy and doesn't hold back, tackling all the pressure and painful decisions and emotions that go along with it.

"Brilliant Disguise" is one of the Top 5 Greatest Songs Bruce Springsteen has ever written. A stunning look into his personal frame of mind at the time, it's a chilling reflection of doubt, insecurity and jealousy and all the trouble these often ill founded emotions cause. It ends with one of the greatest lines Bruce has ever written.

Things get back to a lighter, more reflective mood with favorite Bruce song ever, "Walk Like a Man." Written for his parents, a new groom prepares for the next chapter in his life, pondering all the moments beforehand that he thinks back upon to prepare for the often funny, often scary 'mystery ride' he's about to embark on.

"Two Faces" is about the duality of happiness and anger. One minute you're the light of her life, the next moment, you're the most dreaded figure she could ever encounter, and you don't know how to make it work, but you're still gonna try. Danny Federici provides some brilliant, atmospheric keyboard work.

"One Step Up" is a love grown cold. The spark is gone. Life has become routine and often unbearable. Happiness is but a fading memory. Bruce captures loneliness in a manner so vividly it's almost surreal. One of his greatest songs ever.

"When You're Alone" sums up it so eloquently: when you're alone, you're alone. The childhood whimsy present in the beginning has faded. The two have become one once more, facing the cold reality that when you're alone, there's nothing. Only you can pull yourself out of it, no one's there to help you.

"Valentine's Day" brings things full circle. They now realize their responsibilites to each other. They're determined to keep things together, that they will be always be the most important part of each other's lives. A beautiful song to close out a very special album.

Bruce Springsteen is always remembered for Nebraska, Born to Run, or Born in the USA. Nebraska my favorite out of those three, but here is my second favorite. Tunnel of Love is Bruce's examination to his first marriage and there are some tearjerkers here. He should be given respect for this album, like Dylan did for Blood on the Tracks, his personal opus. Favorites include Tougher Than the Rest, Cautious Man, Ain't Got You, Tunnel of Love, Two Faces, Brilliant Disguise, One Step Up, and When You're Alone. Highly Highly Recommended.

Well, no disguise on my part. I was going to write this review ages ago, however, I never placed it back properly in my archive and thus, it was missing for a long time. By channeling universal positive energy I found it again. I was led to it. Do you believe in such things? You ought to - plus I confirm it. How lucky can one be?

First off - I run the risk of getting into that old McCoys/Hatfields squabble about his music. I find that, with him, the camps are at vast opposites. Very little middle ground here. With me, I think he has done some remarkable music. But, again, some things he has presented don't always get a rave from me. I have issues with "Born in the U.S.A.", for example. But, I think from an analytical aspect, "Tunnel of Love" has got to be one of his best, introspective c.d.s.

I think with true talent, you have to place yourself outside of the common "me" factor. The ability to write from the human heart - and from various aspects and different persona, is a gift. Springsteen proves this, over and over again, with this thoughtful and inspired offering that begs analysis and examination to what is important to all of us. The quality of love.

It is amazing what he does here. These are folk tunes for sure. Some with acoustic and also with a band. But mostly folk tunes at their essence because of the lessons each tale tells. He touches on the unresolved self. The self that's so full of dreams, but so unsure of their stability once achieved. Throughout he brings us to the flights and highs of new love, through the uneasy complacency, to the illusions we put forth. He searchs for the answer of how we know love is real. There are no sure answers here. And, wisely, he does not attempt to answer it. He gives you the scenarios, the emotion and puzzles for you to figure out and how they pertain to your own existence. That is the genius here.

He begins with "Ain't Got You", a spare guitar and harmonica rave that sounds like it's Elvis inspired. Despite having everything, the subject is poor for not having the girl he really wants. Then it moves to the tough brag of "Tougher than the Rest", wherein the compelling beat and hymn-like keyboards portray a generous and self assured stance on courtship.

"All that Heaven Will Allow" is a sprightly, jaunty tune conveying the beginning of a new love. Conversely, we are then treated to the hoe-down of "Spare Parts" whereby the meter is juxtaposed against a sadness of a girl whose boyfriend deserts her after her child is born and before they were to marry. The only value from the relationship? A wedding dress and an engagement ring she could hock. The coldness of sad reality sets in.

A melancholy acoustic follows next, "Cautious Man", that reveals an honest, working man, whose uncertainty in love continues to haunt him through his life. Caught in-between "love" and "fear", which are tatooed on his knuckles, this is a rich analogy to his own self-imprisonment.

Bruce ponders the ability to sustain love when, while viewing a wedding he wonders "Well would they look so happy again, the handsome groom and his bride", in "Walk Like a Man". But, he knows it will take courage as he has learned from his father. A heartfelt ode to say the least.

"Tunnel of Love" beautifully juxtaposes a carnival ride to a love relationship. A boardwalk musical aria permeates this song. It is an uneasy situation because "there's just the three of us - you and me and all that stuff we're so scared of". And, with this, the underlying motif that "It's easy for two people to lose each other in this tunnel of love". Sadly, that is the truth in this c.d.

"Two Faces" is a study of a man's personality and how a side of him has sabotaged his relationship. The conflict of what we want and how our actions betray our motives. "Brilliant Disguise" is brilliant in every regard. He begs many questions here: is your love showing her real self to you and, finally, are you doing that as well? The tune and the hook fall into place perfectly with this song. "Have mercy on the man, who doubts what he's sure of", meaning, to me at least, that there is never a moment when one should be complacent in love.

As an aside I should point out that these songs are snap shots that provide many aspects of love. He shows you the dark clouds circling overhead and shows you your own fragility in dealing with the questions here, as well as his own.

The rest of the c.d deals with a broken relationship ("One Step Up") and the dream of when it was real, the desolation of loneliness ("When You're Alone") that deals with his despair and, eventually, his ex-lover's as well.

In closing, the soft and melancholy "Valentine's Day" which, so aptly portrays the nightmare of the soul that one feels when one is in love. Written, ironically, as a comfortable melody, his main anguish is "what scares me is losing you". And thus closes an incredible work, which I think is one of his very best.

Say what you will about Springsteen, but it is a difficult thing to put your personal feelings out there in a universal, meaningful way. He does this. And he does this in such a relevant way, delving deep into his humanity, and ours as well. This one is truthful reflection. Hard to take, I know, but so essential. One of his very best people!

I think I need a brandy---cheers! ------Metamorpho ;)

I was a fan of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" as it marked the bittersweet time of graduation from highschool and moving on to college and "the real world." I always hold that album in high regard and close to my heart especially because of the little jewels it contains such as "Meeting Across the River." I'm also a great fan of "The Wild, The Innocent, and the East Street Shuffle," again filled with songs that are really "stories" that never hit the Top 40 so they're my own private treasures like "New York City Serenade." But it is wonderful to hit upon an album with a single theme, riding into that "Tunnel of Love" and trying to emerge unscathed, where every single song is truly a work of art. Music, lyrics, sound effects, creative use of instruments or lack thereof, and Bruce's soulful voice all reflecting the mood of each song. And yes "One Step Up, One Step Back" -- really a masterpiece. It's a work straight from the heart and a work of great talent. You've got it, I love this album! A real classic.

This has been one of my favorite cds since, oh, about age nine! My mom and I spent an entire winter with this as our prime musical staple (on constant repeat on the cd player!). She showed me how to dissect poetry (All That Heaven Will Allow, Walk Like a Man, Tunnel of Love, One Step Up, and, her personal favorite, Valentine's Day) and I spent so many deliciously lazy days curled up on the couch reading the lyric book and watching the snow fall with this playing in the background.

This was my album by which I bonded with my mom as if we were best friends, versus mother and daughter. This is the album that symbolizes the best year of my life....

Now I'm 16, and having just 'rediscovered' the Boss last September, I realize just how powerful Bruce's music is! The feelings of struggling with a failing marriage and all the autobiographical aspects make this a very emotional experience that connects you with Bruce as a person. And the personal memories that it evokes give it even more weight.

I've come a long way from being 9 and singing All that Heaven will Allow, Tunnel of Love, Brilliant Disguise, and Valentine's Day while doing my chores; an innocent little girl with little more than the notions that my mom and I like the same songs and that someday I'll marry a man who looks just like Bruce who will think I'm 'All that heaven will Allow'.
Now, while I infinitely cherish the memories of those days, I also can see this album for what it's true meanings are, and it blows me away!

As I've said, I've come a long way from when I first discovered Bruce, but I'm so glad he's remained by my side for all this time, and I'm so grateful for his influence in my life!

Above all, buy this! You should love it if you are a romantic or a person aiming to make a good marriage a lasting reality!

And Bruce, If you ever read this - Thank you! I love you and all that you have given to my life! You are my 'divine' inspiration!