Darkness on the Edge of Town (Review)
Hi. Hey. Hello. ItzSonny and...Bruce Springsteen. I don't know much of him, yet I've seen him swirling around in the music sphere once I've gotten into the medium proper and adore his overall calm guy American aesthetic, so screw it, let's talk about a classic album within his discography that is regarded as an all-time class, something to introduce me to the man, especially knowing that on my father's high school graduation, he actually met him as he was present in his school, so let's dive into the classic Springsteen album of "Darkness on the Edge of Town."
BACKGROUND
Bruce Springsteen is a legend in the musical space being a rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist with his prior three albums: "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.", "The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle", and "Born to Run" being critically successful. As Bruce was writing for this album, he faced litigation with his former manager. During the legal battle, he kept pushing forward with the album and paced himself when writing out the songs, deciding to establish the LP with the idea of "uncertainty" with a lot of raw themes to its core and got to work with his band, beating his lawsuit, and got straight into recording, pulling inspiring from rock 'n' roll history to rotate around the album's moody nature. He came up with the title for the LP and had to write a compelling narrative to honor that title and after much heavy work and layers of depth, the album released and became a classic as we are going to dissect right now.
REVIEW
"Badlands"
A great introduction to the overall album and myself to Bruce Springsteen and already I'm hooked onto his style. The song takes a simple concept of Bruce living in a badland and yet despite everything going on, continuing to move forward and put up the good fight for faith, heart, soul, and his dreams with great overall delivery portrayal from the man and a really fun old school rock melody that feels enthusiastic in its overall sound and for me personally almost like a cowboy barn house dance moment, yet it works for despite the dire writing, the sound itself keeps a hopeful spirit.
"Adam Raised a Cain"
From my perspective, I am really enjoying this LP thus far for doing my favorite creative direction in music, a false exterior with a darker interior, as from the sound alone though it helps the lyricism, it feels from the outside like a hardcore badass walk rock song with a kickass guitar progression, on the inside, it's actually a very seeming dark tune, with it detailing Springsteen's seeming father and hard-hitting lyrics throughout with it depicting how we live with the sins of other people and his dad looking for something to blame, with even a religious subtext towards Cain and Abel, just wow, 2 songs in and this album really is deep.
"Something in the Night"
FIRST OFF, WHY THEM KEYS POP IN THAT FIRST SCENE, GAWDDAAAMN...alright...focus...nah this is already the standout track thus far with an interesting progress of the album's narrative with a focus on essentially 'broken dreams' and how Bruce seems to detail his overall livelihood with a lot of attention to the verses, with a really outlash in Bruce's delivery and overall tone throughout the song instrumentally.
"Candy's Room"
A more hopeful song of Bruce simply desiring a woman who desires him back, yet still playing well into the overall album's themes with love and romance being the only hopeful thing left for people like him and the really exciting and heart-pounding instrumental throughout with great drum work really aids the song.
"Racing in the Street"
Another quite hopeful song, one with Bruce talking about his friend Sonny, son—wait a minute—I'M IN A BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN SONG, WELL GOLLY MY GOLLY, HOT DAMN, NO WONDER THE STARS ALIGNED—so the song is about me and my good friend Bruce simply cruising around the streets, another song about how street cruising and racing is another form of hope in these dire times, with even a romantic interest coming back into the fold, just a hopeful long, yet nice song with a steady tone and melody.
"The Promised Land"
I am really adoring the album's hopeful attitude against depressive beliefs explored across is track and this one is no different with Bruce believing in a promised land and dealing with broken dreams and hearts, with a very old school almost country instrumentation and arrangement to make it feel like a road trip to that promised land in all the right ways.
"Factory"
A more shorter yet effective track, still going for that folk vibe by portraying Bruce's father as a middle-class man having only his work life to motivate him, with an overall very compelling short and tender composition that feels old-fashioned in the best ways.
"Streets of Fire"
YAH, I'M FEELING THIS ONE, the way the track starts off low-down and straightforward and explodes into loud delivery, yet never extreme violence, rather its Bruce talking about streets of fire and how he's slowly coming into the darkness, only now finding himself connected to strangers with a great dynamic balance between the bass, piano, and drums is just wonderfully creatively delicious and ooh, man, it feels good.
"Prove It All Night"
Might be my favorite track, its simple, Bruce just proving himself to his lover, most likely, being sexually active all night, yet is that charismatic persona bursting out of Springsteen in his vocals and the fun old school rock jam arrangement, chorus, melody, composition, tone, dynamics, EVERYTHING musically that makes one very easily re-visitable and so enjoyable in all of its bursting confidence energy.
"Darkness on the Edge of Town"
A very solid closer, one where Bruce talks to ME again about how essentially people tend to keep their darkness and secrets, with Bruce admitting his faults and learning to accept it by standing on a hill, coming full circle with the album's title through this song and a very rock swan song vibe to it that feels right with this LP's thematic moods with this feeling bittersweet, not too hopeful or dark either, rather just a song unveiling its truth and walking out strong as it closes the album.
CONCLUSION
Being my gateway album into the world of Bruce Springsteen, this album was such a great record, and NO not because I am in it (lol), nah but seriously, it's just a fantastic old school rock album with so much charisma, heart, and soul which the LP itself tackles with its incredible 10-track round-up with every single song ranging from being at least solid to downright amazing and entertaining, my personal favorites being "Something in the Night" and "Prove It All Night", with this record as a whole showcasing the man's talent through not just his sheer charismatic personality bursting through every word he vocally delivers or the incredibly balance dynamics of every single instrument in every part of his incredible compositions, yet at its core, his incredibly endearing writing that makes this album in particular special by having a compelling narrative of Bruce being a man caught in a town with seemingly no hope, trying to look for the best parts of life and never give up, even if he ends up falling into those very same sins, that right there is raw, personal, and why this album is a classic. It's been Sonny and so long, farewell, and goodbye.
“I’ll be there on time and I’ll pay the cost
For wanting things that can only be found
In the darkness on the edge of town”
