Confessions of a Conservative Atheist
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This is Shakespeare’s Othello in the modern age. Othello is so easily manipulated by Iago because he doubts himself and can’t possibly believe a fair noblewoman would choose him. In Springsteen’s telling, we do not know the speaker’s scars, save that he’s a “lonely pilgrim,” but it doesn’t matter. We don’t need a villain either. … Continue reading Springsteen’s brilliant “Brilliant Disguise” and the inescapable nature of doubt
Perhaps it was compiling a collection of unreleased songs in 1998 that inspired Springsteen to enter the second half of his career, rejuvenated and reinvented after what most consider a moribund 1990’s. There’s a lesson here, about life’s ups and downs, finding the future in the past, letting things go, hoping they come back, and… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Loose Ends” and the songs that got away
Sherry won’t abandon her mother, and the speaker is either stuck with the three of them jammed into the same small car, or he can move on, hoping to catch the eye of one of those “girls melting on the beach,” but the Vice President doesn’t have that option when it comes to casting off… Continue reading Biden’s “Sherry Darling” moment at the DNC because Governor Walz is such a Springsteen fan
The media wants you to think of the current race as something akin to a prime 2008 Barack Obama battling a beleaguered 2016 Donald Trump. The one is the candidate of all our hopes, dreams, and aspirations. The other is completely unhinged, bitter, angry, and unfit. Both are serious cases of projection... “The lady doth… Continue reading The Democrats and the media are still scared shitless of Trump
Upon its release, the entire human race was beginning perhaps its most radical evolution yet, as both traditional radio and music video was rapidly replaced by digital downloads and satellite music, both more more far reaching than anything before. “Radio Nowhere,” the first track on 2007’s Magic and one of the Boss’ best true rockers… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Radio Nowhere” and the tragedy of our connected disconnection
We’re all looking for something better, but are unlikely to achieve it through some magical moment, some mystical epiphany, or some mythical transformation. Ironically, Bruce Springsteen’s two albums most focused on positive outcomes and the possibility of redemption, are also his most underrated if not outright forgotten. After spending almost two decades penning songs about… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Better Days” and the promise of a more limited redemption
Diversity, if we take that to mean the richness of experience and ways of life, requires people to stick with their own to some extent and exclude others from some things. I was born and bred in majority white towns, a proud member of Generation X who grew up in the 1980s. Throughout my grade… Continue reading Personal lessons in the wonders and limits of diversity
Even having lived through the cultural and musical phenomenon that was Jackson’s golden years, it is difficult to remember how truly unique and special he was, at least when the music isn’t playing. Then, it’s impossible to forget. Michael Jackson is something of a tragic figure in the music and cultural worlds. The undisputed King… Continue reading Michael Jackson’s “Dirty Diana” and the King of Pop’s controversial legacy
Surrounded by tens of thousands of fans, many of whom know the lyrics by heart, the promised land is then and there. As Springsteen belts out the lyrics - even as he approaches the fifteen hundredth time – the moment we are seeking is right now. “The Promised Land” has never been one of Bruce… Continue reading Springsteen in Albany and “The Promised Land”
The seemingly omniscient narrator of the main verses is interrupted by a first-person speaker who sings something almost entirely different, setting up both a duality and a contrast that persists throughout the song until the very end, where it is either resolved with Billy as the speaker or someone else. Bruce Springsteen recorded the incredibly… Continue reading Springsteen’s “Rockaway the Days” is a lost classic, culled from a few other songs, but with a unique structure that stands on its own
Confessions of a Conservative Atheist 